Tata Nano EV represents the feasible side of our electric future
By Vlad Savov 
posted March 4th 2010 5:49AM
posted March 4th 2010 5:49AM
posted March 4th 2010 5:49AM
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given that the average speed on my local freeway is about 15mph during peak hour, these things dont need to be fast.
And if some lanes were designated "compact electric only"...these things might just be the start of a new market sector for cars.
Wouldn't trust it mixed in with regular heavy-weight cars, though.
@choco Between the fact that mileage is limited on these batteries and people don't carpool enough, I'd say it'd be a good idea to convert, or add electric and maybe hybrid vehicles to the, HOV lanes. Good call, +1 to you sir.
I like this car. For my 20 mile commute on my own it would be perfect.
Cost of ownership would be the thing for me.
I still need the 'big' car for longer trips.
So, I would need this to be in addition and if possible still have the same overall running costs for the two cars. Hopefully, due to cheaper running and maintenance costs.
@NAME
grow up.
As long as I can get 150 kms on a single charge and 60kmph of top speed, this would be perfect for Indian roads.
@egress63
*perfect FOR ME on Indian roads.*
@egress63 Correction: Perfect for *urban* Indian roads. Those tiny wheels and low ground clearance isn't gonna cut it outside a major city.
@r3loaded
true enough.
@r3loaded
Why would a person want to take an electric vehicle on a cross city trip? It is clearly not designed to be used that way... It's like buying a netbook to run an apache server.
Will it go to plaid?
"As far as we're concerned, when it comes to cars other people have to drive, this might be at the very top of our list."
Precisely.
and btw this car in India costs about 2500$ (petrol version)!!
Cool rite??
this is unique looking!
No Thanks, All EV's have unusable range for me. I also would never get in a tiny "Death Trap" like this
@Apexmi
About ur death trap comment:
Tata Nano has been engineered at TATA motors european technical centre and has passed crash tests performed at MIRA test facility. Just pointing out some facts.
@sakz
It doesn't matter man... Axemi is too much infatuated with the american dream of owning a hummer with cow leather seats...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jd_g8uF6Tfo
@Apexmi
get your facts right ! it is much safer than the other stuff on indian roads ... and also at the speeds it travels at its hardly dangerous to anyone !
this is a step towards cheaper and more efficient transport and its really commendable that such an effort is being made by an developing country !
@egress63 I have no dream of owning a Hummer. I have a full size van and a Dodge Ram 1500 Quad Cab, Both paid for. and would rather be in them on the roads with Hummers & Tractor trailers than this "Tiny" vehicle...
@Apexmi
You are right. I guess Tata's engineers forgot that here in US, 2/3rd population is overweight/obese. How will they fit in this?
As far as your comment about death trap, so are Toyotas and GMs and Fords.
@Apexmi
Well, there you go. In the US, you guys have 15 meter wide roads. In Asia, a 10 meter wide road is considered a luxury. A car like this Dodge Ram (saw the pic on Google) is owned by the SUV crazy fanatics - not the normal middle class Indian family.
Also, most folks in India or Asia do not drive more than 40-50 km per day (that's around 30 miles) and therefore for us - a 160km range is excellent. Same goes for the speed - in a city like Bombay or Bangalore, a top speed of 60kmph is more than enough.
@egress63 Like I said in my original post EV's will never work for me. My Job requires daily driving of 100-350 miles. The "Death Trap" comment is not exclusive to this car but ALL sub/Micro compact cars...
If thye make a version that's just a bit bigger, more luxurious, and cooler looking, they might be the sole company who can pull things off properly. Go Tata, make us a car for the American (and in my case, European) market(s)!
Where are they gonna sell it? Better not try it in the USA.
1. Car will only satisfy poor, small and skinny people, not fat Americans.
2. Wheels are too small to provide adequate ride quality.
3. Vehicle is too narrow and will roll-over.
4. Tata will get sued into oblivion over item #2
@fwupow
Don't you mean they'll get sued over 3? I know people sue for everyhing now but suing for ride quality seems like a bit of a stretch. ;)
@fwupow
1. Car will only satisfy poor, small and skinny people, not fat Americans.
- USA makes up a very small percentage of the world.
2. Wheels are too small to provide adequate ride quality.
- Wheel size looks similar to Ford Ka, but then who'd be expecting 5 star ride quality from an entry level car (except americans)
3. Vehicle is too narrow and will roll-over.
- Look up 'Center of mass' on wikipedia or something, your statement is akin to 'that piece of string is too short'
4. Tata will get sued into oblivion over item #2
- I don't belive Tata design their cars for the letigious north american market, there is hardly likely to be a problem with them being sued over ride quality.
@fwupow
dude my computer is more expensive than the car ! what do you expect ? a limo ?
@AnAnt
Yes I meant #3. I added an item and renumbered the list but forgot to renumber the reference.
@psc2
I know about Center of Mass, Center of Gravity etc. I wasn't being scientific. All I meant to say is that it looks like something that, with 1000 lbs of fat Americans inside, will roll over regardless of how low-slung or how low the CofG. With crappy enough steering/suspension geometry and tires with crappy enough grip, that could probably be avoided.
I'm sure the car will be great for many people, just not many people in the USA. I need my 4WD and high ground-clearance for the weather where I live. I got rear-ended by a compact a few months ago. Hit and run. Got out and looked and couldn't even find a paint smudge. That's old school SUV vs. modern plastic, tin-foil, foam and epoxy.
@psc2
this car is is surprisingly spacious ( autoblog), heck even jeremy wouldnt complain about the space(getting him to sit in there is a different thing)
and about roll over,it will have some but not much ,check out autocar uk testdrive.
an ev for around 10 to 12 k,it really makes an affordable daily run about,for out of town you have got your SUV.it will work provided they give an ipod connector (apparently the only thing that some university folk in chicago found its lacking the most)
@fwupow Re: Americans are fat.
I can now understand why so many Americans are opposed to the Nano coming to the US: thin people flaunting their thinness - no openly taunting fat Americans (who are forced by their condition to drive around in Hummers and SUVs) by glibly driving around in Nanos which they cannot hope to get into, with no concern for their feelings. Oh, life is sooo unjust!
I think you are overstating the fat factor. The Nano is also a small car and is not intended to cater for every need. Not everyone in America is that fat that they need a truck to transport them around, and there must be a niche market of not excessively fat Americans for whom the Nano would be suitable.
I think most are missing Tatas point. This is basic transportation on the cheap. The luxury features that many want drive the cost up, which mean a lot of people are stuck riding the bus.
Looks just like a Smart Car ? Copy much?
@AmTechFox
Well somebody needed to go and make the smart look good by comparison. Either way hit something like a Suburban in one of these you'd be lucky to survive the incident.
@AmTechFox Yeah, except that the smart car is ludicrously expensive for what you get. This one was actually created to be affordable. It's everything the smart could should have been.
This car is built for the indian economy. unfortunatly the last thing india need right now is more cars there are way too many already and this will just add to the traffic! they need better infastructure!
I predict the Vista will lack driver support.
Tata,
Give me 40 mile range, 45 miles per hour, and sell it to me for $10,000, and you've got yourself a deal.
Damn, I'd really like this.
Since I'm from Sweden where everybody is skinny, electricity is green and cheap, but petrol is to damn expensive something like $6/ gallon.
That's why electric cars will make it in Sweden, if you live in major city (and they're not that big either)
In this picture we can see the engine specs:
http://www.autoblog.com/gallery/geneva-2010-tata-nano-ev-concept/#13
The driving range per charge is up to 150Km, reduced to 120Km driving it in the city, and the top speed is 110Km/h.
All in all, and to conmute/city driving, not bad at all.
I'd buy one. Perfect for those days too cold/rainy to ride my bike.
"... it is the one electro-vehicular concept we can reliably expect to see hit retail in 2011."
Uhhhh... Not really.
Nissan LEAF?
http://www.nissanusa.com/leaf-electric-car/index.jsp?intcmp=Electric_Car.Promo.Homepage.Home.P2
Yuck! What an ugly piece of shit.
This thing is designed for asian markets. It's cheaper than a desktop rig (or about the price of four above average laptop).
It could be a birthday present for someone's 16 year old daughter!
It's a good run for your money. Can considerably reduce the carbon footprint in developing countries if widely adopted.
This thing is designed for asian markets. It's cheaper than a desktop rig (or about the price of four above average laptop).
It could be a birthday present for someone's 16 year old daughter!
It's a good run for your money. Can considerably reduce the carbon footprint in developing countries if widely adopted.
This is Uber Cool... I love the Nano Concept. To go further & make an Electric Vehicle out-of-it is simply brilliant. As long as it does 60 KmPH & does about 100Kms Per Charge with a small reserve to that extra 20Kms (just-in-case) I am very Happy.
Can TATA fix a Unicycle within the Car to charge it in case of Emergencies:
http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/30/honda-ev-n-concept-tucks-u3-x-personal-transporter-inside-door/
Further a LPG Gas + Electric Hybrid Vehicle would be simply awesome.
They would have made it accelerate faster than 0-60kph in 10 seconds. Unlike gasoline or diesel engines, putting in a larger electric motor does not decrease efficiency, and it is the batteries not the electric motors that make up most of the cost on electric vehicles.
Also the 180km range isn't too bad, but it would be nice if the user could choose how many batteries to fit - somebody who does 80km to work and 80km might want to fit extra batteries to provide an extra margin, while someone 40km away from work might want to save money by using fewer batteries.
Do want.
One of the TATA Nanos exploded http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/22/tata-motors-nano-lights-up-the-streets-of-mumbai/
I don't want a tata car that i know had so much cost cuttng that it explodes quickly!