Tata Motors on Wednesday expanded its electric vehicle range in the country with the launch of Nexon EV MAX, priced between Rs 17.74-19.24 lakh (ex-showroom).
Equipped with a 40.5 kWh lithium-ion battery pack, the Nexon EV Max offers 33 per cent higher battery capacity than the Nexon EV, delivering ARAI certified range of 437 km (under standard testing conditions), ensuring uninterrupted inter-city travel.
ARAI refers to Automotive Research Association of India.
The model produces 105 kW (143 PS) of power and delivers a torque of 250 Nm, resulting in 0 to 100 sprint times in under 9 seconds.
It comes in two trims -- the Nexon EV Max XZ+ and Nexon EV Max XZ+ Lux -- and features 30 new additional safety and comfort features like seat ventilation for front passengers, air purifier, wireless smartphone charging, auto-dimming IRVM and cruise control.
The Max XZ+ trim with 3.3 kW charger is priced at Rs 17.74 lakh while the same trim with 7.2 kW fast charger is tagged at Rs 18.24 lakh.
The XZ+ Lux trim with 3.3 kW charger is tagged at Rs 18.74 lakh while the same variant with 7.2 kW charger is priced at Rs 19.24 lakh.
The 7.2 kW AC fast charger can be installed either at home or at the workplace, which helps in reducing charging time to 6.5 hours.
The Nexon EV MAX also supports faster charging -- 0 to 80 per cent in just 56 minutes from any 50 kW DC fast charger.
"Keeping customer centricity at the core and dedicated to bringing in newer products at regular and quick intervals, we are elated to launch the new Nexon EV MAX – an SUV that offers all EV users MAX freedom to undertake regular and uninterrupted long distance travel," Tata Passenger Electric Mobility head, marketing, sales and service strategy Vivek Srivatsa noted.
The SUV offers more range, more power, and faster charging while improving the overall driving efficiency, providing an uncompromised EV ownership experience, he added.
The Nexon EV Max features 3 driving modes – eco, city and sport - and gets eight new features on the upgraded ZConnect 2.0 connected car technology.
The ZConnect app offers 48 connected car features enabling deeper drive analytics and diagnostics.
The add-on feature list covers a smartwatch integration, auto/manual DTC check, setting a limit for charging, monthly vehicle reports, and enhanced drive analytics.
The model comes with enhanced safety features like ESP with i-VBAC (intelligent – vacuum-less boost & active control), hill hold, hill descent control, electronic parking brake and all four-disc brakes. Besides, the battery and motor on Nexon EV Max is eight years or 1.6 lakh km.
Tata Passenger Electric Mobility (vice president, product line & operations) Anand Kulkarni said the company has been trying to ramp up production of EVs despite chip shortage challenges.
"Last year this time we were producing just 500-600 units. This has gone up significantly.
"Last month, we rolled out around 3,500 units...So we are trying to overcome the situation of chip shortage and to reduce waiting periods," he added.
Since its entry into the personal EV space in 2020, Tata Motors has sold over 25,000 EVs, out of which over 19,000 are Nexon EVs.
"The Nexon EV Max is a testament to our state-of-the-art high voltage EV architecture Ziptron, designed for unique Indian driving and weather conditions.
"It offers significantly enhanced range, safety, performance and luxury to give a truly MAX experience to our customers," Kulkarni said.
With more than 30 new features in the Nexon EV MAX and three mainstream EV offerings for personal segment buyers, Tata Motors is set on an ever evolving journey to bring performance and technology to the fore, he added.
Tata Motors had earlier stated that it is planning to invest Rs 15,000 crore in the EV business in the next five years.
Last year, the company raised $1 billion in funding from private equity major TPG for EV business, valuing the vertical at $9.1 billion.
Tata Motors currently sells three electric models -- Nexon EV, Tigor EV and Xpres-T EV -- in the domestic market.
The company reported 353 per cent growth in its EV sales last fiscal compared to 2020-21.
Photographs: Kind courtesy, Tata Motors
