Electra EV has delivered a custom-built electric Tata Nano with a 72V battery to Ratan Tata. Electra EV is a vehicles powertrain solutions company founded by Tata himself and supplies powertrain solutions to automakers including Tata Motors.
Though the customized car doesn’t have to seem to have any cosmetic changes, however, it’s the retrofitted electric powertrain that does all the magic. The company hasn’t shared any details about the motor nor has it shared any stats around its performance.
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Electra EV helps in the faster adoption of electric vehicles in the country. It is responsible for two electric passenger cars Tata Nexon and Tata Tigor. Incidentally, both cars are among the top three electric cars in the country.
Is the electric Nano up for sale?
As the country is at the cusp of the electric vehicle revolution, there is a massive demand for affordable electric vehicles, especially cars. As of now all the electric cars available in the country are priced above Rs. 10 lakh while the bulk of ICE cars are sold in the price bracket of Rs. 5 lakh to Rs. 8 lakh.
Hence an affordable and branded electric car that falls within the budget has a massive scope. This is why a lot of people asked Electra EV about the price and ways to acquire the battery-operated Nano.
The company, in a response to a query, stated that it has custom developed a limited number of retrofitted Nano EV or NEO cars. These cars are a part of a fleet of an electric mobility company in Bengaluru. Hence, the Nano EV is not up for sale.
Food for thought for Tata Motors
While Tata Motors has said that it will launch 10 new electric vehicles by 2026 which might include a modern electric avatar of Tata Sierra as well. However, the company hasn’t said anything regarding an affordable electric family car that helps a small family journey within the city.
Not only such cars will help people switch to zero-emission vehicles but will open the market for other players to introduce affordable electric cars. We’ve heard murmurs that even MG is planning a mass-market electric car that could be priced sub-Rs. 10 lakh.
Another such car that made news was Strom R3 – though it looks more like a reversed three-wheeled autorickshaw rather than a car. The ex-showroom price of Strom R3, as mentioned on its website is Rs. 450,000 and it is available only in a limited number of places.
An electric Tata Nano, on the other hand, could be a much better prospect in terms of design, availability and price. The Tata branding will only help in building the trust for electric vehicles in the country.
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