Tata Motors launched a latest member, Tiago.ev, in its EV ensemble today in Mumbai, India. Tata Motors states that this EV comes with special introductory prices starting at INR 0.849 million (all India - ex-showroom) for the first 10,000 customers (of which 2000 will be reserved for the current owners of Nexon EV and Tigor EV).

The Tiago.ev comes with leatherette seats, a contrast roof, fully automatic climate control as standard, projector headlamps and cruise control. It also offers customers rain-sensing wipers, auto head lamps, electric ORVMs with auto fold, push button start/stop, along with a puncture repair kit to be used during emergencies, as per the automotive manufacturing company.

Introducing its entry-level electric offering, Shailesh Chandra, Managing Director, Tata Motors Passenger Vehicles Ltd and Tata Passenger Electric Mobility Ltd, said, “Having pioneered the EV market in India, we have successfully led its growth and penetration over the last couple of years. We believe ‘now’ is the right time to fast forward the ongoing revolution towards the future of mobility by introducing vehicles that will encourage the rapid adoption of EVs. With the launch of the Tiago.ev, India’s first electric hatchback, the nation can take a giant leap forward in the quest for safe, clean and green mobility. It is an ideal fun hatch, which offers premium, safety and technology features, an eco-friendly footprint, spirited performance, all made even more desirable with the added advantage of low cost of ownership.”

Giving more details, Chandra said that this latest EV car by Tata Motors will be the first in its segment to offer best-in-class connected features as standard across all trims, that are usually offered in more premium cars. He mentioned, “It comes with two options of battery packs and four different charging solutions, enabling customers to choose the combination that best serves their mobility needs. With its thrilling, yet easy to drive experience amidst a luxurious ambience, the Tiago.ev is likely to become the favourite car of every family member.”

He added, “Furthermore, with an aim to make our EVs more accessible, with this launch, we are entering 80 new cities, expanding our network to more than 165 cities. We are confident that this move will help more and more customers embrace EVs as their preferred mode for personal mobility. We remain focused to play our role in fulfilling India’s commitment towards reducing carbon footprint from auto emissions, and will offer more choice to customers with a portfolio of 10 EVs, by 2026.”

The EV architecture
According to Tata Motors, the Tiago.ev is based on the Ziptron technology, the company’s in-house developed high voltage architecture, designed for Indian driving and weather conditions in India. Ziptron stands by five key pillars – performance, technology, reliability, charging and comfort – and Tiago.ev stands strong on the same, claims the automobile manufacturer.

Battery offers
A per Tata Motors, this latest EV by them is offered in multiple combinations of IP67 rated battery packs (water and dust resistant) and charging options, including a 24kWh battery pack, delivering a Modified Indian Driving Cycle (MIDC) range of 315 kilometres for longer daily driving needs, and a 19.2kWh battery pack, for short and frequent trips. This delivers an estimated MIDC range of 250 kilometres, claims Tata Motors. The battery and motor also come with a warranty of eight years or 160,000 kilometres.

Charging solutions
Tata Motors states that the Tiago.ev comes with four different charging solutions, as below – 

1. A 15A plug point, for hassle-free charging.

2. A standard 3.3 kW AC charger.

3. A 7.2kW AC home fast charger, which can add a range of 35 kilometres with 30 minutes of charging. It also aids full charging of the vehicle (from 10 percent to 100 percent) in 3 hours and 36 minutes

4. DC fast charging, which can add a range of 110 kilometres with 30 minutes of charging. Plus, it can charge from 10 percent to 80 percent in 57 minutes.

Connected features
The EV car, according to Tata Motors, also offers telematics as a standard feature on all trims. The ZConnect app will offer 45 connected car features, from remote AC On/Off (with temperature settings) to smart watch connectivity to real time charge status and more. Plus, there is also an 8-speaker Harman Infotainment System, with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay connectivity included, claims Tata Motors.

The safety factor
Besides, as per Tata Motors, the Tiago.ev offers hill start and descent assist for ease of driving on inclines, DRLs and a Tyre Pressure Monitoring System (iTPMS), adding to its safety quotient. Featuring a Permanent Magnet Synchronous Motor, it delivers a peak output of 55kw and an instant full torque delivery of 114 Nm. What’s more, the automobile manufacturer states that the EV vehicle accelerates from 0 to 60 kmph in 5.7 seconds.

Other features
The Tiago.ev is available in five colour options – teal blue, daytona grey, pristine white, midnight plum and tropical mist. Additionally, the electric car comes in two driving modes – City and Sport, along with four levels of regen settings in each of the drive modes. Furthermore, it delivers a one pedal-like driving experience with level 3 regen settings, according to Tata Motors.

Bookings for the Tiago.ev will start on 10 October, 2022. Tata Motors states that customers can reserve their car by paying a booking amount of INR 21000 at any authorised Tata Motors dealership or on the website. Deliveries are scheduled to commence from January 2023.

Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) has placed an extra order for 148 electric buses from Tata Motors, the biggest commercial vehicle manufacturer in India. This purchase comes after BMTC placed an earlier order for 921 electric buses, the majority of which have been delivered and are operating effectively with an uptime of more than 95 percent.

The Tata Starbus EV 12-metre low-floor electric buses will be supplied, operated and maintained for a term of 12 years by TML Smart City Mobility Solutions Ltd, a completely owned subsidiary of Tata Motors. With its best-in-class features and outstanding design, the Tata Starbus EV offers a pleasant and environmentally friendly commute. These zero-emission electric buses are built on cutting-edge battery technologies and next-generation design to provide a convenient, safe and comfortable intra-city journey around Bengaluru.

Ramachandran R, IAS, MD, BMTC, said, "We are happy to further strengthen our partnership with Tata Motors with these additional 148 electric buses for our fleet modernisation. The performance of the existing Tata electric buses has been exceptional, aligning perfectly with our commitment to sustainable and efficient public transportation. The larger e-bus fleet will significantly enhance our capacity to provide eco-friendly, comfortable and reliable services to the citizens of Bengaluru."

Asim Kumar Mukhopadhyay, CEO and MD, TML Smart City Mobility Solutions Limited, said, "We are honoured by BMTC's continued trust in our e-mobility solutions. This additional order of 148 buses is a testament to the proven success of our Starbus EVs and the operational excellence delivered in Bengaluru's urban environment. We remain committed to delivering innovative solutions that benefit both the community and the environment."

Maruti Suzuki India (MSIL), the country's largest passenger vehicle manufacturer, has shared the teaser image for its first electric vehicle product - the e Vitara.

Set to be unveiled at the Bharat Mobility Global Expo 2025, the e Vitara will be made in India for the world. It was recently unveiled by Suzuki Motor Corporation at Milan, Italy.

Partho Banerjee, Senior Executive Officer, Marketing & Sales, Maruti Suzuki India, said, “The e Vitara is a testament of our unwavering commitment to sustainable mobility and technological innovation. With decades of automotive expertise, we have combined advanced electric technology with a customer-first approach to deliver something truly transformative. At Maruti Suzuki, we have always believed that to promote EV adoption, we need to create a holistic ecosystem that simplifies customers' battery electric vehicle ownership journey.”

“A critical barrier to the adoption of EVs is the lack of accessible charging. To tackle this issue, we are committed to introduce a reliable and comprehensive EV ecosystem alongside the e Vitara. This will include home charging solutions as well as a nationwide network of fast chargers available at Maruti Suzuki dealerships and service touchpoints. Our goal is to make EVs accessible, convenient, and appealing to a broader set of customers, and this is exactly what we have set out to achieve with the e Vitara,” he added.

​​Vadodara-headquartered electric vehicle company WardWizard Innovations & Mobility recently launched its new range of EV offerings, which it expects to give a new charge to its retail sales.

It was on 13 December 2024 the Joy e-rik V1 (L5) and Joy Bandhu (L3) electric three-wheelers in the passenger category and Joy Sahayak + Cargo (L5) and Joy Eco Loader (L3) in the electric three-wheeler cargo space were launched by the EV maker, thus marking its entry into the fast-growing electric three-wheeler space.

The Joy e-rik V1, priced at INR 385,000 (ex-showroom), comes with 10.24 kW li-ion battery, 50 kmph max speed and 140 km claimed range on a full charge. It can be charged in 4.5-5 hours using the 50 Amp charger.

The Joy Bandhu priced at INR 134,000, uses a 7.2 kW lead-acid battery, has a claimed range of 120 km and top speed limited to 25 kmph.

On the other hand, the Joy Sahayak + Cargo, priced at INR 424,000, is targeted for payload capacity of 650 kg + driver, max speed of 50 kmph, up to 130 km range on a single charge. It uses a 10.2 kW LFP li-ion battery and can be charged in four hours using 50 Amp charger. The Joy Eco Loader, on the other hand, comes with a payload capacity of 310 kg + driver and is priced at INR 130,000.

At present, electric three-wheeler sales in India are averaging 56,674 units a month (CY 2024) as compared to 47,204 units last year. What’s also driving the sales is the government incentives like the Centre’s PM E-Drive scheme that provides demand incentives to support purchase of 316,000 e-three-wheelers including e-rickshaws. They are entitled to a subsidy of INR 25,000 in the first year and INR 12,500 in the second year. For the L5 category (cargo e-three-wheelers), the incentive is INR 50,000 per unit in the first year and INR 25,000 the next.

For the Vadodara-based EV maker, the idea to enter the electric three-wheeler space is on the back of the growing demand for greener last-mile delivery as well as last-mile mobility connectivity options.

Interestingly, it has already onboarded 27 dealerships that will focus on selling electric three-wheelers. Furthermore, it will also provide preference for its around 900 existing dealer and network partners to sell its new offerings.

For FY2025, WardWizard Innovations & Mobility estimates to sell around 50,000 units of electric vehicles across electric two-wheelers (low speed and high speed) and three-wheelers (L3 & L5) in India. It estimates that the sales will grow by 22-24 percent YoY in FY2026.

While it has recently entered the e-three-wheeler space, the company expects the new products to have around 30-35 percent share in its overall sales starting from FY2026.

On the other hand, reducing its reliance on low-speed electric two-wheeler category, the company also introduced a new high-speed e-scooter ‘Nemo’. Priced at INR 99,000 (ex-showroom), it comes with a 40 Ah NMC li-ion battery and a 1,500W DC brushless hub motor that gives it a max speed of 65 kmph. It has a claimed range of 130 km on a single charge in Eco mode. The e-scooter uses a digital speedometer, 5-inch full-colour TF display and projector LED headlight. The company has targeted a modest 2,000 units sales for Nemo in the next three months.

The EV maker currently has an installed capacity to produce 73,000 electric two-wheelers, 7,300 L5 electric three-wheelers and 18,250 L3 electric three-wheelers per annum. The company claims that apart from some plastic components and cells being imported, everything has been localised.

It further aims to start manufacturing its own batteries in the next one year in Vadodara, for which the pilots are underway.

Ahmedabad-based electric mobility start-up Matter was recently awarded the 10th CII Industrial IP Award 2024 at the CII Annual Summit on Technology, Intellectual Property, and Industry-Academia Partnership, held on 12th and 13th December in New Delhi.

The recognition was on the back of the company’s robust portfolio of over 300 patent applications and 58 granted patents in areas such as powertrain cooling, gearbox technologies, charging infrastructure, and manufacturing automation.

The EV maker is the first to launch a geared e-motorcycle called ‘Aera’, which it expects will play a key role in driving higher adoption of green vehicles in the motorcycle space.

Kumar Prasad, Founder and CTO, Matter, said, "Innovation has always been at the heart of Matter’s vision. This award reaffirms our commitment to redefining the electric mobility sector with pioneering research and development. We are proud to contribute to India’s vibrant IP ecosystem and continue driving technological advancements for a sustainable future."