When introduced in 2017, the Tata Tigor EV created quite a debate and won a tender to provide the government’s Energy Efficiency Services Limited with 10,000 cars. The Tigor EV is available via car-hire services. We take this car for a spin to see if it can actually be owned by a mass-market customer.
Same face
Apart from the EV badges and stickers, the Tata Tigor EV is every bit the IC-engined Tigor on the outside and inside. Instead of a combustion engine, the Tata Tigor TV gets a 3-Phase AC induction motor and ancillary elements are positioned beneath the bonnet.
Even the AC charging socket sits under the bonnet. Tata Cars have offered DC fast-charging too; you’ll find the socket in place of the fuel-filler cap.
In place of the under seat fuel tank sits a 16.2kWh lithium-ion battery pack that extends to the floor of the boot. And hence, the spare wheel has been moved to the luggage bay, which, unfortunately, hampers practicality. The moment you step into the Tata Tigor EV, you get a clean-looking dashboard design and well-bolstered seats. The gear selector is the exact one used on the regular Tigor AMT. The instrument cluster is the most evident of changes on the inside, sporting a State of Charge dial.
EV does it
Start the car and the motor springs to life; you don’t feel vibrations or any sort of engine idle when you turn on the ignition. The EV’s MID lets you know when the car is ready to move. Even the range is displayed. When the SOC is at 100%, the onboard computer shows a range of 98kms.
We slowly discover that the actual range of the car is lesser than that of the ARAI-certified range of 142kms. First impressions aren’t anything great, but what we did appreciate was the lack of noise from a regular engine and the motor is surprisingly refined for the money you pay for this type of EV.
The car ambles along at a decent pace, throttle responses are acceptable and you get the feeling of a seamlessly shifting automatic transmission. On open roads, the Tigor EV manages to keep up with the traffic, and for as long as you have a light foot, you won’t have an issue with the range. Once you get onto the highways, the Tigor EV shows you its true colors: a sheer lack of power throughout. The motor produces 40bhp, not much at all for what is supposedly a family car.
The car isn’t particularly heavy. Shift the gear lever into Sport and the car begins to feel enthusiastic, but it’s still not a fast car. It’ll manage up to 50kph but anything beyond that and it’ll run out of breath. It takes pushing the motor to see the needle on the speedo climb to 80kph. Too much acceleration blunts the range of the EV, but understandably so.
You’ll have to go easy on the throttle and roll down as many slopes as possible in order to make the most of the regenerative braking. No matter what, the Tigor EV somehow takes you to your destination, but not without range anxiety. Plugging the 15kW DC fast charger is a simple job. In about half an hour, the car gets charged and can manage a range of 35kms.
With the help of a fast charger provided by Tata Cars, the Tigor EV gets charged up to 80%, while a standard 15A 220V wall charger will have it charged completely, in about 6 hours. Also, grab the latest info on the upcoming cars, only at autoX.
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