Author: Bunny Punia

During the 2020 Auto Expo, Morris Garages had showcased its tiny, compact electric car, the E200 (see video). The company has now started real world testing and evaluation of what could be the most affordable electric car on sale in India. It seems MG will showcase the production ready unit for the Indian market at the upcoming Auto Expo in 2023 and the car could go on sale before mid 2023. While the official name isn’t out yet, the internal code name, as we understand is E230. The images you see here are for reference and belong to MG’s sister concern company, Wuling.

MG has already showcased its prowess in the EV space with the ZS EV SUV. It has been a successful product but positioned in the premium space. The upcoming smaller EV however could go on sale for less than Rs 10 lakh. This is still a lot of money but given the extremely low running cost, for urban users, the E230 could be the perfect choice. Its dimensions are also apt for congested lanes and narrow streets. No official word is out yet in terms of features or specifications. However, it is safe to assume that like all MG products, this one will be feature loaded including connected car apps and high levels of safety.

The most affordable electric car could end up getting a 35-40 bhp electric motor. Given the low weight of the car, the motor will give it good performance levels. Maximum range is expected to be about 150-170km in real world scenario. It will come with a 20-25 kWh battery pack and this will be sourced from Tata AutoComp. The MG E230 will support fast charging as well and the company will include a home charging unit in the price of the vehicle.

As you can see here, this upcoming EV looks nothing like we have seen before. The images you see here are of Wuling Air EV and the Indian model will be based on it but with revisions done for our market. We might also see minor tweaks in the overall design. When it does go on sale, it will be smallest car on Indian roads. There are just two doors but it does support seating for four pax.

Also see: Mahindra to go EV way on 15th Aug

Owning a vehicle was once considered a luxury in India. However, with the changes in fast-paced world and technological advancements, owning a vehicle has now become a necessity. Vehicle ownership increased from a meagre 2 vehicles per 1000 people in 1965 to a staggering 140 vehicles per 1000 people in 2015. At this rate, there will be one vehicle for every four members in no time. Now that it is evident that Indians will purchase an increasing number of vehicles in the coming years. The next big question that comes to mind for them is, “Which vehicle should I buy?” Should I buy a conventional vehicle or try an electric vehicle?

We consider a variety of factors before making a purchase, but cost and return on investment have always been the most important in helping us in making a purchase decision.

Let’s take a deep dive into few important factors to learn the facts and debunk myths that will help us in making a purchase decision.

INITIAL INVESTMENT:  

We are all aware that the average cost of an electric vehicle is significantly higher than that of a conventional vehicle. However, most of us are likely unaware of the government’s incentives and subsidies for the purchase of EVs. Many state governments are eager to increase the number of EVs on the road and are offering numerous incentives to do so. On an average Each state government is providing a maximum subsidy of around 20,000 RS for 2W’s and 1,50,000 RS for 4W’s. The majority of state governments also offer a complete exemption from the Road Tax. All of these incentives are lowering the overall cost of EVs and making now an excellent time to buy one.

OPERATING COST:

One of the most significant advantages of EV is its low operating costs. An EV’s operating costs is typically 8-10 times lower than that of a conventional vehicle. The rise in fuel prices has been a major concern for all vehicle owners. The price of petrol and diesel has never stopped rising and will continue to rise in the future, making electric vehicles the best option to purchase. The operational costs of EVs will not rise significantly in the future, making now an excellent time to purchase an EV.

For a long time, traditional ICE vehicles were thought to be the only viable option. People are now looking for alternative options with changing circumstances. The rising cost of fuel has been a major source of concern for all ice vehicle owners. The increasing cost of fuel increased the vehicle’s overall operating costs. This is one of the main reasons why people are looking for other options.

Many people still regard EVs as an expensive investment and do not see it as a cost-effective option, even in the long run. But is this true? Which is more cost-effective in the long run, an EV or an ICE vehicle?

Let’s debunk a few myths and see which one is more cost-effective in the long run. We compare the Tata Nexon EV and the Tata Nexon ICE to see which one is more cost effective and how much money can be saved by driving an EV.

The ICE model is approximately 4,92,003 less expensive than the EV model. Different state governments are providing subsidies ranging from 1,50,000 to 2,50,000 on EV’s. This will reduce the difference of 4,90,000 to 2,40,000-3,40,000.

After the initial investments, the operational costs add up as the next significant cost to the total costs. Let’s look at the operational costs of both models.

The annual operating cost of the EV model is approximately 90,000 less than that of the ICE model for 12000 kms distance travelled per year. The difference will grow larger as the distance travelled increases.

The difference in initial investment will be covered within the first four years, and with the same amount of savings each year, you will save approximately 540,000 over a ten-year period. This figure will only keep rising as fuel prices rise and consumption rises. 

CHARGING INFRASTRUCTURE:

The availability of charging services has been one of the most major factor preventing many people from purchasing an Electric Vehicle over the years. In such a fast-paced world, customers expect services to be available at all times and without any waiting time. This long-standing concern is no longer an issue; India now has approximately 2000 public charging stations, with approximately 60% located in major cities. This figure has increased 2.5 times in the last 4-6 months. With new ev charging station manufacturers coming up in the market everyday, charging station setup is no longer an issue. With rising demand, the government of India and all EV charging infrastructure providers are working hard to increase the number of charging stations. According to some reports, by 2030, many of the world’s leading automobile manufacturers will only produce EVs. EV charging stations are now available in every public place, on highways, and on public roads within short distances. 

The number will only rise in the future, making now an excellent time to purchase an Electric Vehicle.

With EVs checking all the boxes – Affordability, Charging-service availability, High reliability, and Low operating costs – there is no reason not to buy one. 

The much awaited 2022 Volvo XC40 Recharge e-SUV finally gets a price tag. The company yesterday launched its first full electric offering in India at an ex-showroom of Rs 55.90 lakh. Volvo India has also confirmed that deliveries for this new e-SUV will start from October. Bookings will open up today (27th July) and if you want one, the only way will be via the online process. Yes, prospective customers will have to place the orders online on Volvo’s website. The car, as of now, will not be sold via showrooms – infact customers will even have to complete the payment process online. The XC40 e-SUV is also the first locally assembled luxury electric vehicle in India. Volvo has also announced ‘Hassle-Free Ownership Package” that comes as standard in the price of the car.

Hassle-Free Ownership Package

With the ex-showroom price of Rs 55.90 lakh, you as a customer will get the following benefits.

• 3 years comprehensive warranty
• 3 years service
• 3 years RSA (road side assistance)
• 8 years battery warranty
• 4 years subscription to digital services
• 1 wall box charger (11 kW)

Heart of the matter

One of the biggest highlights of the new Volvo XC40 Electric SUV is its battery pack and the range. This one has a twin (electric) motor set-up which means the power can be transferred to all four wheels as well. This is now only handy during driving in slush or snow but with the ample ground clearance, the XC40 Recharge can also take a fair bit of mild off-roading. The short front and rear overhangs also come handy. This gives it an edge over most other electric SUVs.

The combined power and torque outputs stand at 402 BHP and 660 Nm respectively. Impressive figures and these are enough to give the XC40 Recharge a 0-100 km/h sprinting time of just 4.9 seconds. It has a 78 kWh battery capacity and gets a claimed range of over 400km. During our review in Delhi NCR few weeks back [you may play the video below], the XC40 Electric did over 150km in 50% of battery comfortably and this included various traffic conditions. You can also activate the one-pedal mode wherein both acceleration and braking can be controlled by a single (right) pedal.

“The launch of the XC40 Electric and its assembly at our Bangalore plant further reinforces Volvo Car’s long term vision and commitment to India and the Indian consumer. We are happy that the wait is over for our loyal consumers who have long wanted an EV with the hallmark quality and safety that Volvo is globally known for. Range upto four hundred plus kilometre of the XC40 Recharge, on a single charge is an added attraction. Also, the direct online sales by the company demonstrates our commitment towards building direct relationship with our customers and offer them a hassle-free buying experience.” said Mr. Jyoti Malhotra, Managing Director, Volvo Car India

Rivals

In India, there have been an increasing number of electric offerings in the luxury space lately. The Volvo XC40 Recharge will rival likes of the Kia EV6, BMW i4 and the upcoming Hyundai Ioniq5. In terms of pricing, the XC40’s sticker price is lower than Kia EV6’s pricing of 59.95 lakh and much lower than BMW’s i4 that is sold at Rs 69.90 lakh – all prices being ex-showroom Delhi.

This new e-SUV is based on the normal XC40. It is based on the CMA platform and expectedly, features a similar exterior and interior design. However, there are subtle changes like a blanked-out front grille and different design for the alloy wheels.

Back in August 2021, Simple Energy dropped a surprise in the world of electric mobility in the form of the ‘One’ electric scooter. It came with technological marvels and specifications that were unheard of in the segment before. The company even opened up bookings on 15th of August. Needless to say, I too joined the rush and was among the lucky ones to book this within the first few minutes itself. However, since then, there has been a painful and slow wait for any concrete updates. Even the delivery schedules have been pushed forward several times.

However, there is a saying, “good things take time coming” and post my riding experience, I think this is true with the curious case of Simple One too. I finally got a chance to sample this revolutionary e-scooter few days back around the outskirts of Bangalore and even had a quick informal chat with Suhas, CEO & Founder. All my doubts, questions and even apprehensions got cleared and happy to report, I am happy I did not cancel my booking all this time.

How Does It Look

As compared to the prototype that was showcased in 2021, that we saw last year, the Simple One’s design has been tweaked a lot. It now looks sharper, modern and sportier, just what one wants from a new age mobility partner. The striking and aggressive DRLs (Day Time Running Lights) look menacing and are placed on either side of the razor sharp visor. The LED headlamp comes in on the lower part and giving it company as the raised indicators. The indicators are housed on a small body extension that are hollow for a mini, pseudo ‘air dam’ effect. Nice!

The side profile of the Simple One shows that it isn’t a generous scooter in terms of dimensions. Yes, it is compact but has its own share of design lines – the raised seat, raised rear and smart looking 12 inch alloy wheels. These wheels are designed keeping aerodynamics in mind – such is the level of thinking and engineering that has gone into the product. The rear of the Simple One is something I love. Yes, the wheel size could have been bigger but inverted V shaped LED lights shout attention. Likewise, the grab rail too is designed well.

Overall, the Simple One electric scooter stands out in terms of aesthetics. Owners will have four colours to pick from – shade of black, blue, red and white. The company will also offer wider tyres once the deliveries start – these will be 100mm wide for the front and 110mm wide for the rear.

Features

This is one area where the Simple One electric scooter stands out. From the regular dose of touch screen LCD display to disc brakes at both the ends, this scooter also offers you a cruise control. This can be activated from the buttons placed on the right side handle bar. As expected, there are riding modes too. And then the huge under-seat storage space, dual battery set-up (with a portable smaller unit) and Bluetooth connectivity. There will also be over the air (OTA) updates and a connected app that offers functions like Geo Fencing, remote telemetry, navigation et al. I am also happy to see TPMS (tyre pressure monitoring system) being standard here. This is very essential as even a 3-4 PSI lower tyre pressure can lead to a big drop in riding range. And although ABS (anti-lock braking system) isn’t on offer right now, you do have CBS or combined braking system coming in here.

Battery & Range

The Simple One scooter also takes care of the biggest hurdle that owners face while putting down their money for an electric vehicle. Range Anxiety isn’t a concern here as this has a total battery capacity of 4.8 kWh. There are two batteries, one being fixed under the floor and second being a portable 1.5 kWh unit. This second battery is located under the seat and can be taken out easily incase you want to charge it at home, office or someone else’s place. Ofcourse when you charge the scooter conventionally via the wire, both the batteries end up getting charged.

Simple One claims both the batteries combined together will offer real world riding range of 200km in eco mode! This is far more than what other options like the Ather 450x or Ola S1 Pro offer in the same price band. If your daily ride will be 30-40 km, you will have to charge the scooter every 4-5 days. The certified mileage by the way stands at a whopping 236km! This ofcourse again is in the Eco Mode. Other three modes include Ride, Dash and Sonic. Although performance levels go up, the real world riding range in these are approximately 150km, 100km and 65km respectively. In terms of charging, it takes just over 2 and half hours for the main battery and an hour and fifteen minutes for the secondary battery. Not bad, eh?

Performance

And this brings us to the strongest point of the Simple One. There is no other Indian scooter (petrol or electric powered) that comes close in terms of outright acceleration. With a light rider on board, this thing will hit 40 km/h from a standstill in just 2.77 seconds and 60 in less than 4.5 seconds. Love traffic light GPs? Pick this one up. And the power doesn’t really taper off even till 80 km/h. Given the right road, the Simple One will also hit 105 km/h in the Sonic mode. However, this mode not work once the battery drops to 40% or lower. But its not just about the outright punch but how the scooter fares during roll-ons or while overtaking traffic. Though our test ride location was devoid of traffic for me to judge this factor, the punch from 40 to 60 or 60 to 80 was surprisingly very good.

The Eco mode is limited to 45 km/h and I am assuming most users will pick this only when the destination is far away or battery level is low. The Ride mode has a good balance of performance and range. Top speed is limited to 65 km/h, acceleration is brisk and you get ample range to do a return trip from your city’s outskirts. The third mode is Dash that is also usable for riding to work and back at a pace that will keep you ahead of others – top speed of 85 km/h with a range of about 100km is excellent by all means. Perfect for me as my one-way commute to Gurgaon is 35km. And then the Sonic mode that can be used to tease motorcycles and fast moving cars during your commute. And before you ask, yes, you can switch between modes on the GO.

Ride & Handling

Suhas Rajkumar, during a candid discussion post the ride, revealed his love for motorsports. This was clearly evident in the dynamics of the scooter. Even with a tall and heavy rider, the One felt nimble, changing lanes how I wanted it to. The small test ride area had its share of turns, u-turn and even cone sets that allowed me to do a quick slalom run. At the end of the stint, I was convinced that the Simple One is definitely one of the best handling scooters in India. A special mention needs to be done for the Symmetrical mounted progressive monoshock absorber at the rear. Under hard acceleration or braking, the suspension does not offer much unwanted ‘push’ to the rider. Likewise, even with a load of over 100kgs, over undulations, the rear did not feel too soft and nor did it bottom out even once. Brilliant!

Rider ergonomics are something I want to talk about here. The seat is well padded and a generous amount of that is reserved for the rider. The rear part isn’t too high which means good set-up a pillion. And although the scooter isn’t large in dimensions, the seating posture felt adequately comfortable for my frame. The handle bar – seat – floor board triangle will be extremely comfortable (yet sporty) for anyone under 5’10” in my opinion. Talking of which, the floor board is large enough to take in large boot sizes as well.

Summary

At Rs 1.1 lakh, the Simple One electric scooter offers astonishingly good value for money. Over 200km of real world range, 105 km/h top speed, sorted dynamics and feature loaded, the wait for this revolution has been worth it. Suhas has promised deliveries to start from physical stores by end of September / early October. I can’t wait to get mine home (in a shade of white) and follow up with ample videos for our readers and viewers. Stay tuned!

Tata Motors had first showcased the Sierra concept SUV at the 2020 Auto Expo. This brand name was popular in India a few decades back and it seems the company will relaunch the name next year. Unlike the previous Sierra that was powered by a diesel engine, the new 2023 model could be a full e-SUV. It is likely that the company will showcase it at the upcoming 2023 Auto Expo. If this happens, we could finally see the Tata Sierra EV in production form. The images you see here are of the concept stage.

Tata Motors has not divulged into any details on the model yet. However we do know that it will be 4150mm long, 1820mm wide and 1675mm high. It will be positioned above the Nexon EV in terms of size, specifications and pricing. The Tata Sierra EV will be a fresh model and made keeping electric mobility and components in mind. Have an architecture that is meant purely for EV use makes it better in terms of space management as well. You can have dedicated space for batteries and motors and without having to worry about conventional parts like a fuel tank or an exhaust system.

Tata Motors has worked hard to offer meaningful electric vehicles in India. The portfolio currently consists of the Nexon EV, Nexon EV Maxx and Tigor EV. The Sierra EV could become the flagship model and should ideally come with a certified range of over 500km. As seen in these images here, the model does bear some resemblance with the original Sierra. This is evident with the fixed second row glass area that also acts as a sunroof. The Sierra EV Concept continues the development of the IMPACT 2.0 design language creating vehicles that look sharp and reflect the contemporary expression of Tata Motors design. We have seen these reflections in SUVs like the Punch, Harrier and the Safari. This will be the third vehicle based on the new ‘Agile Light Flexible Advanced’ (ALFA) Architecture.

Watch this space for more updates later this year. In the meantime, do have a look at our review of the 2022 Tata Nexon EV Maxx.

The Chetak brand name made a come back last year. Launched in an electric avatar, this scooter carried an ex-showroom price of Rs 1.41 lakh. However recently, Bajaj increased prices of its two-wheeler portfolio. The Chetak seems to have been impacted and by a big margin. A price hike of Rs 12,749 was made to the Bajaj Chetak Electric and this means its ex-showroom price jumps from Rs 1,41,440 to Rs 1.54 lakh. The price hike doesn’t bring any design and feature changes. According to the most recent website update, the Urbane model of the Chetak is no longer for sale.

The current Bajaj Chetak electric model has a 3.8 kW motor and a 4.08 kW peak-power IP67 lithium battery pack. It also comes with riding modes – Eco and Sport. The vehicle, expectedly, performs best in Eco mode and has a 90-kilometer claimed range. Sport mode ofcourse offers greater acceleration at the cost of a shorter riding range. Using a regular power outlet, the battery pack can be charged in 5 hours. Bajaj offers its customers a battery guarantee that lasts three years or 50,000 kilometres to ensure a positive ownership experience. Four colors—Brooklyn Black, Hazelnut, Indigo Metallic, and Velluto Rosso—are offered for the Bajaj Chetak.

In other news, Bajaj also opened a new plant in Akurdi to produce electric vehicles. When operating at full capacity, this manufacturing facility’s annual production capacity will be 5,000,00 EVs.

In an interview with a news source a few months ago, Mr. Rahul Bajaj, MD of Bajaj Auto, disclosed that the business plans to expand its line of products. The MD of Bajaj Auto discussed the company’s objectives for the upcoming fiscal year. The company might have ambitions to expand its selection of electric scooters. This will be Bajaj’s second electric 2-wheeler after the Chetak.

Since the product’s launch, Bajaj has sold a total of 14,000 units of the Chetak Electric Scooter in 75 cities. The company is currently scheduled to fulfil the 10,000 electric scooter reservations that have already been made. Know more about this e-scooter on their official website.