Is the battery pack safe?
Electric vehicles are still unknown territory for car buyers. Naturally then, most will approach the likes of the Nexon EV with a sense of trepidation. Tata Motors is well aware of buyers’ reservations including the part where people might be apprehensive about the Nexon EV’s ability to deal with water as well as the safety of the battery pack. You can put those worries to rest as the battery pack has undergone intensive safety testing including nail penetration tests, crush test, fire pond test, which literally involves chucking the battery pack into a raging fire, as well as shock and short protection. The pack is IP67 certified which basically means it can survive 1m underwater for half an hour. Tata even has us drive through 300mm of water to prove that the Nexon EV can take to water logged streets without a hitch.
on range. Also, pinning the throttle will result in the wheels struggling for traction. It is heavier than the petrol variant by around 150kg tipping the scales at 1,400kg (kerb) and ground clearance is marginally lower at 205mm versus ICE variants’ 209mm. Ride and handling has always been where the Nexon impresses and theoretically, the EV should be just as good if not better considering the 50:50 weight distribution Tata has managed to achieve with the battery pack spread along the floor. In practice, the story is a bit different however. It does corner relatively flatter and doesn’t mind being chucked around
NEXON EV BOASTS 50:50 WEIGHT DISTRIBUTION WITH THE BATTERY PACK SPREAD ALONG THE FLOOR
a bit. However, the ride over bumps, especially at lower speeds, feels stiff but it improves as the speed builds up. It is still not as comfortable as the petrol and diesel variants, though. And while the Nexon EV’s dynamic capabilities impress for the most part, when driven aggressively, which is what most users are unlikely to do, the Nexon EV does tend to understeer through corners, more so if you prod the throttle mid-corner.
Tata is claiming an overall range of 312km for the Nexon EV as certified by the ARAI. On paper, if you’ve got a daily commute of about 50km, then a full charge should last you a five days to a week. The Nexon EV can be charged from 0 to 80% in 60mins using DC fast charging. A 20 to 100% charge with a domestic 15amp socket will take around eight hours. Practically speaking then, an overnight charge should give it enough juice for daily commutes for around a week via the wall-box charger that Tata will install free of charge. However, that’s assuming you manage a range close to what Tata claims. Regenerative braking is present and can be felt every time you take your foot off the accelerator. The level of regen is fixed and its effect isn’t too severe as Tata didn’t want to alarm first time users.
With the Nexon EV, Tata has introduced connected car features that can be controlled via a smartphone app. It includes features like remote air conditioning control, location based services, vehicle health management as well as an inbuilt map that can help locate public charging points, something that will come in handy in case you plan on venturing beyond urban confines with the Nexon EV. Although Tata is working with Tata Power to establish a strong network of public charging points, these are still early days and we would be apprehensive about driving longer distances in an electric vehicle. Basically, as a second car that’s going to be used primarily in the city, something like a Nexon EV makes a very compelling case for itself. Plus, buyers will be spending a lot less on maintenance and running costs compared to fossil fuel sipping vehicles will be lower. Those looking for their first or next primary car, though, will be much harder to tempt, considering the amount spent on a Nexon EV will be comparable with petrol/diesel SUVs a segment above.