Tata Motors can be said as one of those few Indian auto manufacturers who don’t shy away from innovations. Tata can be said as the only Indian manufacturer to develop an in-house electric SUV. Based on the Nexon compact SUV, Tata’s first electric SUV is called the Tata Nexon Electric.
Before talking about EV itself, one needs to understand the need for this product. If you have to see the Indian automotive market as a whole, small SUVs have stood popular in recent years.
Features of Tata Nexon Electric Car:
Design
The very first thing you will notice in the Tata Nexon Electric is the design itself. The design is essentially an electric vehicle like a Nexon with battery, it looks completely vibracious.
The new black gloss grille panel looks amazing replacing a traditional air mesh grille, projector headlamps, and a large fog light enclosure. The lower lip has tri arrow elements in the blue shade to highlight the electric power train.
The same blue touch can be found throughout the body right from the grille line to fog lamps, shoulder line, and a large tailgate plate. There’s a white-colored roof that, which for me, didn’t gel well with the overall scheme of things.
Having said that, the large wheel arches and skid plates along with a raised front face makes the Nexon the best looking electric SUV in India.
Cabin
It has a dual-tone cabin. There’s a large gloss black panel bifurcating the dual-tone dashboard and is a fingerprint magnet. Carrying forward the Nexon design is a 7-inch dashtop mounted infotainment system. However, the instrument cluster now gets a panel sourced from the Altroz.
It has a digital Plus analog screen that looks good. The biggest downside, in my mind, is the positioning of range information. It hides behind the steering. For an EV owner, the range is the biggest concern, and Tata may want to look at redesigning the interface. The cluster also displays regenerative braking and charging information once it is on charging.
The blue theme is in continuation on inside the cabin as well on the AC vents and a large central tunnel pocket. Speaking of pocket, the Nexon electric is as practical and as spacious as the Nexon. The traditional gear lever have been replaced by a rotary knob lever.
Storage spaces can be seen all throughout the cabin. For me, however, the glovebox door that converts into a tray to hold cups is the biggest design innovation, as we have seen with the Nexon as well. The space is adequate to seat five full-grown adults with ease. The seats are nice and soft with blue stitching adding to the theme.
Drive
The Tata Nexon electric has a lithium-ion battery pack capable of pushing the car for more than 300 km in a single charge. The battery can be fully charged in under 8 hours using a complimentary home mounted AC charger which Tata will provide.
Along with the wall-mounted charger, Tata is also offering a 15-ampere power cable that can be used at any place with the necessary power socket. The 30.2 kWh battery pack with an IP67 rating can also be charged using a DC charger that it can top it up with an 80% battery in 1 hour. The electric motor is also rated at 129 ps and 245 Nm.
Tata Nexon is not the company’s first electric vehicle which means the brand knows a thing or two about the electric power train. They have utilized their past experiences to carve out an electric power train that mimics an ICE engine, which means transition for a user won’t be difficult. Also, the battery pack is water-cooled to counter the high temperature we encounter in our country.
Safety
In terms of safety, the Tata Nexon electric also has dual airbags, ABS with EBD, cornering stability control, reverse parking camera, hill hold assist system among others. And just so you know, Tata Nexon is India’s first homemade car to receive a full 5-star safety rating from Global NCAP.
