Upcoming Electric Cars in India in 2018

The recent announcement from the Indian minister for heavy industry Mr Nitin Gadkari, was to move to electric cars. India will be an all electric car country by 2030 as by the new set target. Hence there are many upcoming electric cars in India in 2018 also. The time has started and the clock is already ticking. We might not be ready completely with the infrastructure but we are getting ready with new vehicles and this new technology too.

All the automakers in the country are moving to electric. The initial phase should have been hybrid but India is leapfrogging to electric vehicles. Automakers are already working on the electric version for their current platforms and introducing them to get future ready. There is a growing demand for electric vehicles in the Indian car market.

Maruti Suzuki and Toyota have been working on a list of cars that will be electric and both have stated that work in going good. Hyundai has cancelled its hybrid car program and shifted its work on to electric vehicles. Mahindra and Ford are working together. Tata Motors has also got its new electric car ready already. So, what are the new upcoming electric cars in India in 2018? We share the entire list.

List of Upcoming Electric Cars in India 

Tata Tiago EV

Tiago has been Tata’s best-selling model and the company is already prepared with an electric version for it. The Tiago EV will come with an electric  motor that has 85kW of power and the battery has a range of about 100 kilometres. This engine has a top speed of about 135km/hr and it does 0-100km/hr in 11 seconds.

This is liquid cooled technology and the Tiago EV will be priced at about Rs 9 lakhs approximately. This will of course be without taxes. We can expect this vehicle to be launched by late 2018. It has already been showcased in UK and this is the same technology that is developed in JV with the Jaguar Land Rover team as well. Tata Motors will be using this new hatchback as one of its first electric vehicles for the India car market. This will be the first popular car that will have an electric car option too. 

Tata Tigor EV

This is the second electric vehicle for the Indian car market. Tata Tigor EV is based on the same drivetrain like the Tiago. This compact sedan is the first one that has undergone proper production. Tata Motors is working on the new Tigor EV for the Indian car market too. The company has just rolled out the first Tigor and it will be giving 10,000 units to EESL in a year’s time.

The Tigor will also be made available on sale, but there is still some time for it. Tata Motors will be manufacturing the Tigor first for EESL and then later it will made available for the public too. This new vehicle is being manufactured at the company’s Sanand plant. The launch should also be sometime in late 2018 for the electric compact sedan. The pricing will be about Rs 11 lakhs for this and it will be offered only in the top end model.

Tata Nano EV / Jayem Neo

Jayem is building the Nano for commercial market first and then for private buyers too. At the moment, this is offered only to Ola and about 400 Nanos. Jayem has procured the Nano body shells from Tata Motors and it now plans to get the Jayem Neo, which will be the Nano electric. It uses the same electric technology that Tata Motors is using for the Tiago and the Tigor, but the assembly line is different.

As Nano hasn’t been doing good numbers, Tata Motors might not get the Nano EV themselves and rather through Jayem, which is one of the support partners for Tata Motors to get sporty and faster vehicles. The pricing of this vehicle will be about Rs 7 lakhs and it will be made available by mid 2018. The range for the Nano EV is about 150 kilometres. The charging time, we aren’t certain about it. This is one of the first upcoming electric cars in India in 2018. It will also be the most affordable too.

Mahindra KUV Electric

Yes, this is another product that has been in the talks. The Mahindra KUV Electric is one of the vehicles that will be made available also. Mahindra has already developed the electric powertrain, which it has been using on the e-Verito and the e2OPlus. This will get similar powertrain pack, but there might be some tweaks in it. We expect the range to go up to maybe 150 kms. The pricing of the KUV Electric should be somewhere in the range of Rs 13 lakhs approximately. This micro SUV will have a range of about 400 kilometres on one full charge. This will make it an exciting option to consider. With time, the electric vehicles will see a reduction in its pricing too.

Mahindra Scorpio Electric

Mahindra’s bread and butter SUV will go electric. This is one of the best selling models for the company and it will look at getting this new SUV in the electric avatar too. What will be extra shall be the range. The range for this SUV will go up, maybe even up to 400 kilometres. Mahindra had announced it will make two electric vehicles on its existing platforms. The first one is the KUV Electric and this will be followed by the Scorpio.

The powertrain will see some enhancement too. The power rating will see a jump and it will offer better performance too. We reckon the launch of this new electric Scorpio should be by mid 2019. It is doubtful if it can come anytime before that. The pricing should be somewhere close to Rs 19 lakhs. We do expect the price of electric cars to drop in the future as the production cost for electric motors and batteries will go down.

Mahindra XUV Electric

Mahindra will be getting the XUV Electric too. But this will take a bit longer. The XUV hybrid was showcased at the 2016 Auto Expo, and the XUV Aero also. But there is a possibility that the XUV Aero will come as an electric version. This will be made available with one variant and a range of close to 350 kilometres too. There will be more numbers of batteries used and this will enhance the ability of the Mahindra vehicle to go for longer distance. This will also be the most powerful Mahindra electric vehicle for the Indian market. This will be an upcoming electric car in India and even for export too.

This is likely to be showcased at the 2018 Auto Expo. There will be several other Mahindra products that will be showcased at this Auto Expo. Mahindra is looking at getting many new electric vehicles into the Indian car market.

Nissan Leaf

Another new electric vehicle, which is likely to make it to India. This will be a complete import and hence it see an increase in its pricing too. Leaf has been one of the highest selling electric vehicles in the world and this will make it into India as well. Nissan will be offering this with ProPILOT Park semi-autonomous technology. This new hatch will offer a 40kWh battery and it will come with a range of about 400 kilometres.

The maximum charging time for it is between 8 to 16 hours. But there is also an option of quick charging, which can be completed in 40 minutes. This will give the battery a range of 80%. This makes it an exciting product to consider, and a major improvement in the current technology. The second-generation was recently unveiled by Nissan at the 2017 Frankfurt Motor Show. This hatchback will making its way into India. We reckon this should be sometime in late 2018. The pricing will be high as it is an import. We believe Nissan will price the new Leaf at about Rs 30 lakhs. The government isn’t offering a major duty cut on electric vehicles even if it is an import.

Hyundai Ioniq Electric

The initial plan was Hyundai will be getting the Ioniq hybrid to India. The company had plans to get the Ioniq at the 2018 Auto Expo. Now, the company will be getting the Ioniq Electric at the 2018 Auto Expo and we can expect them to launch this electric car by mid 2018. Hyundai has decided to go full-electric for the Indian car market.

In the Ioniq Electric, it will be having a range of 200 kilometres. The new Ioniq pricing should be Rs 40 lakhs approximately. Launch should be mid 2018. Hyundai is looking at adding new options for buyers and a good one to upgrade to something premium and stylish for the Indian car market. Hyundai is looking at enhancing the Indian car market with more launches. Do, see our story on the new Hyundai launches in 2018 on our website.

BMW i5

This is one of the first premium car maker’s first electric car for India. BMW already has the i8 in India, up next is the i5. This will be a luxurious electric sedan that will be coming to India coming in soon. BMW is likely to showcase this at the 2018 Auto Expo. The new BMW i5 will be powerful and will have a good range too. This will get more features and it will have a range of about 600 kilometres. The new i5 will go from 0-100km/hr in about 4 seconds and it will have a good speed of 200 km/hr.  We do not expect it come to India anytime soon. This should come to India by 2019-20. This will be an exciting electric car for the Indian car market. 

Jaguar i-Pace

This is an all new crossover that will be coming to India as well. This is an all new feature-loaded crossover. It is an all new crossover that is smaller than the F-PACE. This comes with an 90kW/h that produces about 400bhp and 700Nm maximum torque. This has a range of 354km. It will compete with Model X and it will have 150kW powered two electric motors as well. This makes it an exciting package. This will be an exciting upcoming electric car in India.