During the recent launch of the redesigned Tata Harrier and Tata Safari, Shailesh Chandra, MD of Tata Motors, spoke about the company’s upcoming products and strategy. Additionally, he emphasized the necessity for the federal and state governments to strengthen the country’s fragmented charging infrastructure.
“More rapid chargers should be installed by OMCs (Oil Marketing Companies), especially on the roadways, according to the government. Having a new source of income, they benefit from this as well, Chandra stated in a sit-down interview with Moneycontrol. “The government asked OMCs to install 22,000 chargers, but the request hasn’t been complied with yet.
“Tata Power by itself is insufficient, despite the fact that we have gone to tremendous lengths to achieve critical mass with it,” he said. There is presently no domestic rule requiring apartment buildings and housing societies to offer shared charging points. That needs to be taken care of,” he said.
The new Harrier and Safari SUVs stand out for not having all-wheel drive despite having ADAS technology added to them and using the same engines as before. The requirement for 4×4 technology is really little, but Chandra made it clear that he would much rather invest in electric technology, which will account for half of the brand’s passenger EV sales by 2030.
“With the next Harrier EV, I may consider providing them with all with options, including a 4×4 choice. There will surely be a market in the area for something. Purchasing 4×4 technology for an ICE vehicle may not be financially viable in the long run. Our desire is to focus on the future,” Chandra continues, noting that his most current products are constructed on a former Land Rover chassis.
Their upcoming SUVs would need to be equipped with a dual-motor configuration, where each axle is powered by a separate motor, in order to provide all-wheel drive on an electric vehicle. The Tiago EV and Nexon EV are only two examples of Tata’s single-motor electric vehicles.
Tata does not intend to add more electrification to the Gen 1 platform, which is the basis for the Nexon and Tiago EV. Its forthcoming product will be the first to be created on the Gen 2 platform, which has the most capabilities of any platform and is expected to go on sale in November or December.
Tata Punch EV Gen 2 Features
The key benefit of Gen 2 is range. It is possible to package prismatic cells, although Gen 1 performs better with cylindrical cells since it can squeeze into small areas. But in the future, most EVs sold globally will employ prismatic cells. Tata’s tiny SUV, the Punch, will soon be offered with electric drive. However, given how fast the product is evolving, Punch’s name might change.
“Gen 2 also gives us more form factor flexibility.” As a result, the Punch EV, which will soon be released, will be created to seem more like an EV,” he said. Even though Chandra declined to say whether aerodynamics will be improved to increase range, it is one of the key advantages used by EV makers to extend a vehicle’s range.
Along with an upgrade to more contemporary, efficient electric motors, we’ll also be adding a ton of additional tech and multimedia features, some of which were showcased in the new Nexon EV. because research has shown that people would much rather spend more time inside of their EVs when they are charging.
