Tata Nexon Electric
The Nexon can now be had with an electric powertrain
India’s EV revolution is slowly but steadily taking shape. We’ve had major launches and announcements in this space over the last year or so and while Tata is no stranger to electric vehicles having already put Tigor EVs on the road, the Nexon EV is well and truly the product that spearhead its EV aspirations in India. Before it goes on sale, we got a chance to get behind the wheel of one to find out what’s what.
The Nexon EV debuts a new look for Tata’s popular compact SUV with a thoroughly redesigned front end and minor updates to the rear end as well. There are hints of the Land Rover Discovery Sport in the way the nose has been styled. New here are the headlamps with eye catching LED detailing for the DRLs that also double up as the turn indicators. The bumper now sports a sharper, more chiseled look with black inserts housing the fog lamp units.
Specific to the Nexon EV are the electric blue highlights on the front, the sides and the rear as well replacing the regular Nexon’s white highlights. There are new alloy wheels on offer which, all four combined, are lighter by a kilogram compared to the IC
variants that have been on sale. Towards the rear the Nexon gets LED detailing for the tail lamps along with Ziptron and EV badges that adorn the nose and the sides too.
Electric blue highlights can be found inside the cabin in various places including the aircon vents and instrument panel. The latter is the biggest revision here dominated by a digital display for battery status, energy flow graphic and much more. The steering wheel is new as well borrowed from the Altroz and is bigger in diameter compared to the one we’ve seen on the IC variants of the Nexon. The place where you would usually find a gear stick in a petrol or diesel Nexon is now occupied by a cubby hole while the gear selector rotary dial has replaced the mode selector dial. Inside the cabin you’ll be treated to features like a touchscreen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity, a Harman sourced infotainment unit and audio setup along with safety features like dual front airbags and ABS offered as standard. Despite the battery pack occupying space along the floor of the Nexon EV, the cabin space as well as the boot space has remained exactly the same. Which means there is ample headroom and knee room for rear seat occupants along with a 350-litre boot. We got our hands on the XZ trim of the Nexon EV but there is Luxury variant that will be the top of the line grade boasting additional features like a sunroof, leatherette seats, automatic headlights and rain sensing wipers. There will also be an entry level XM trim available with a single-tone exterior treatment and wheel covers instead of alloy wheels. Features like automatic climate control and keyless entry with push button start are, however, standard across the range.
A 30.2kWh battery pack pairs with a single permanent magnet synchronous motor that powers the front wheels. The setup affords maximum power of 129bhp and a peak torque of 245Nm. Access to all that right from the get go makes for quick acceleration with the Nexon EV claiming a 0-100kmph time of just 9.9s. Drivers get to choose from two modes. ‘Drive’ or ‘D’ mode is what is suited to city driving and the one you would want to select for maximum range. ‘Sport’ or ‘S’ mode which can be engaged with a clockwise turn of the gear selector sharpens throttle response for more aggressive power delivery and added excitement but it will have a negative impact
TATA IS CLAIMING AN OVERALL RANGE OF 312KM FOR THE NEXON EV CERTIFIED BY THE ARAI