Tata Motors' unveiles all-electric versions of the Ace and Indica
Tata Motors has confirmed that the rumors of an all-electric Tata Ace and the all-electric Tata Indica are true. In an unveiling in India this past week, the company took the wraps off of two lithium-ion battery-powered EV prototypes based on the Ace work truck and the Indica sedan (pictured). As we heard earlier this year, the Indica EV will first be sold in the Norweigian market next year because the Scandinavian country "has the necessary infrastructure in place to run electric cars which India lacks," as Tata Motors President Ravi Kant put it. Indians will get their own chance to buy the car in about 24 months. According to the Business-Standard, the all-electric Indica has two battery packs which can charge in eight hour and go around 110-120 miles on a charge.
Now, about an electric Nano...
[Source: Business-Standard]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
tankd0g 8:58PM (9/06/2008)
So the EV1 is back, with 4 doors, the same or more range and GM isn't making it. Brilliant.
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Mark 5:51PM (9/06/2008)
North American has, of course, been left out of the list of places that companies will sell electric vehicles to.
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A.S.Mathew 12:23AM (9/07/2008)
Those oil producing countries while enjoying great boom in
selling crude oil for the highest price never thought that other
countries will build vehicles being operated by alternative
energy. The day has come to tell them, enough is enough.
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Andrew 5:18PM (9/08/2008)
Norway is the world's third largest exporter of oil... but we get close to 100% of our own energy from our hydroelectric power plants.
Andy 8:50PM (9/06/2008)
This looks a perfectly adequate urban commute car.
I'll be watching with interest to see the performance stats, build qty and expected selling price.
London and Berlin would be next choice as the authorities are putting in charging infrastructure. If US authorities do likewise they will be encouraged to the US.
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ryan 10:19PM (9/06/2008)
The one thing that most people fail to remember about electric cars though, is that they run on batteries which lose capacity over time. 3 years down the road, you will probably only be able to charge up to 70-80% of what you were originally able to. That translates to less range. A gas burner on the other hand, never loses fuel tank capacity. Sure you get a bell curve of increasing FE as the engine breaks in, and it tapers off as the engine starts to die on you, but that is related to the ENGINE.
That being said, I still am rooting for the electric car, and would get one even if it were only able to get about 100 miles per charge. Unfortunately, getting most Americans to buy into having a third to a quarter of the range that they are used to is going to be a significant mental hurdle to clear.
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Andrew 12:06AM (9/07/2008)
Ryan, I'm not sure if you've seen stories about it or talked with owners (I have) but many of the RAV-4 EV's that were sold in early 2000's are running strong with over 100,000 miles on them and get more than 80 miles to a charge (original was 100 miles per charge= 20% capacity loss over 100,000)
Not bad for Nickel-metal Hydride batteries...
emdee 3:39AM (9/07/2008)
The photo isn't really accurate. That's the older non-facelifted Indica. The 2009 Indica looks a bit better:
http://www.autocarindia.com/new/Images/Information/tata_indica100108.jpg
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Rollando 10:42AM (9/07/2008)
I thought at least this electric car might be introduced here in the USA, particularly in California. If I am not mistaken, when Reagan was governor at the time, California had installed electric charge stations. If they are still in place after all this time, why not Governor Swartzenegar try to contact this company to convince them California has the infrastructure to do so?
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Andrew 2:47PM (9/09/2008)
Don't worry, the Norwegian EV "Think" is coming to the US in 2009. You can search AutoBlog for more about the car(s) and upcoming models (Think Ox). Or just go to www.think.no
Lavkesh Arora 3:57AM (9/09/2008)
More pictures here
http://www.cubiccapacity.com/cc-exclusive-pictorial-review-tata-indica-ev-unveiled-at-the-siam-annual-exposition/
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