Tata Nano EV Concept
Posted: 03 Mar 2010, 12:54
Car and Driver - 03/03/10
Tata showed a couple of significant new products in Geneva: the Aria seven-seater crossover and the Nano Electric Vehicle (EV) concept. We were particularly intrigued by the latter, which is a full-electric version of the clever (and super-cheap) Nano subcompact.
Based on the European version of the Nano, which is bigger and better-equipped than the home-market car, the EV replaces the rear-mounted gasoline engine with a 240-volt/400-amp TM4 electric motor and uses a 12-kWh Tata lithium-ion battery pack, sourced from Norway.
We spoke with Clive Hickman, the chief executive of Tata's European technical center and head of engineering for Tata Motors, about the car. He said that while the EV is fully engineered, it won't go on sale until the European Nano gets the green light—and that's some way off, apparently.
Still, it's a neatly packaged machine. Tata predicts a 0-to-62-mph time of less than 10 seconds and a range of about 100 miles, providing that the car's speed is restricted to no more than 50 to 60 mph. Hickman says that Tata has a goal of doubling the energy density of its batteries and halving their price over the next five years, which will expand the range to around 180 miles.
Hickman maintains that the problem with electric cars in Europe is that the lack of infrastructure makes charging an issue. With three-phase electricity, he says that the batteries can be fully charged in a couple of hours, but on a regular 240-volt/13-amp outlet—the norm in the UK—it takes 10–12 hours. Another alternative, he says, is that cars could be charged through electro-magnetic coils in the road, but we don't see that happening any time soon.
Of course, you're all wondering if we will ever see this one in the U.S. Well, the answer is a resounding maybe. Hickman says: "Whether it would be exactly the same, we don't know, but we do have aspirations in North America."
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