Tata's Building EVs For Norway
By Chuck Squatriglia
Tata Motors, which already produces the world's cheapest car, is building an electric version of its (slightly) more upscale Indica hatchback it says will be rolling around Norway within a year.
The Indian automaker joins what's becoming a crowded field racing to bring EVs and plug-in hybrids to market, and it reportedly is working on five prototypes based on the Indica (pictured). "This is one of the technologies we're looking at, as you know that electric cars are almost zero emissions," Ravi Kant, Tata's managing director, told Reuters.
Kant says the car will make its debut in Norway because that country has the infrastructure needed to support EVs in big numbers, but the car could be offered in India sometime next year. That's good, because auto ownership in India is set to explode.
India is among the fastest-growing automotive markets, and by 2030 could become the world's third-largest market -- behind China and the U.S. -- with sales of 20 million vehicles a year. That's up from about 1 million in 2004. The country already is grappling with terrible air pollution and crippling traffic congestion, so EVs make perfect sense as it goes car-crazy.
Tata says the Indica EV its developing with an unnamed Norwegian firm will use lithium-ion batteries and have a range of about 110 miles. It'll charge in about eight hours.
Tata isn't the only Indian automaker going electric. Reva was the first out of the gate with a two-seater runabout, and Mahindra & Mahindra plans to offer a larger EV by 2010. Tata's also working on an electric version of its Ace commercial truck that could be headed to America in the near future.
Photo by Flickr user vm2827.
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