The Indian car industry will soon undergo a radical change towards electric cars. With fossil fuels depleting at a rapid rate and pollution in major cities touching all-time highs, governments across the globe are looking for alternative ways to propel cars. The Government of India too has taken notice of these grave issues and has set an ambitious target of selling only all-electric cars from 2030. This means that every new car sold from 2030 in India will be an all-electric model.
Post this announcement, the interest in electric cars in India has sky-rocketed. While manufacturers are spending huge lumps of money to develop an ideal electric car for the Indian conditions, customers too are looking ahead at various new upcoming electric cars in India to gauge the future, before making their final purchase. As a result, the Indian car market is seeing an exponential increase in interest in electric cars.
Various CarsIndia readers have reached out to us on Facebook and Twitter, asking questions about existing and new electric cars coming to the Indian market in the near future. In the current scenario, there is only one manufacturer in the market that is selling full electric cars in India – Mahindra Electric. The Mahindra electric car lineup currently includes the e2o Plus hatchback, eVerito sedan and eSupro commercial vehicle.
However, there are multiple upcoming electric cars in India that are ready to join the marketplace and give a tough competition to Mahindra Electric. Moreover, Mahindra too is betting huge on the Indian industry’s electrification potential. The net result is a slew of new electric cars coming to the country’s market in the next 1 year.
We look at all major upcoming electric cars in India that are expected to be launched in 2019!
Upcoming Electric cars in India
1. Tata Tigor Electric
This will be the first new electric car to be launched in India in the near future. It is also one of the most anticipated upcoming electric cars in India. Tata Motors has already started manufacturing the Tigor electric. It is currently being supplied to the Government of India. Official specifications of the car haven’t been revealed yet. However, the Tata Tigor electric is said to offer a driving range of over 120 km on a single charge and will be priced around Rs 10 lakh.
| Expected India Launch | Mid-2019 |
| Expected Price Range | Around Rs 10 lakh |
2. Tata Tiago Electric
Once the Tigor electric is launched, Tata is also likely to introduce its hatchback version – the Tiago electric. It will be based on the regular Tiago but will feature the same all-electric powertrain that does duty in the Tigor electric. However, it will be more affordable than the compact sedan sibling and will thus be targetted at bringing more electric car customers under the Tata umbrella. Since the Tiago has already managed to establish a firm footing in the Indian hatchback car segment, Tata isn’t likely to face any major hurdles in order to sell its electrified version either.
| Expected India Launch | Around Diwali 2019 |
| Expected Price Range | Rs 8 lakh – Rs 10 lakh |
3. Mahindra KUV100 electric
Mahindra Electric has already announced that it will launch a new product in its lineup by the end of this year. The question now is thus regarding which upcoming electric cars in India can be expected from the current market leader? Sources closer to the company’s R&D unit suggest that the automaker is working on an electric version of its micro-SUV, the KUV100. Test mules of the same have already been spotted testing on public roads in India. As a result, this new Mahindra KUV100 electric is expected to be launched my mid 2019 and will likely offer a drive range of around 150 km on a single charge.
| Expected India Launch | Mid-2019 |
| Expected Price Range | Around Rs 10 lakh |
4. Tata Nano electric (Jayem NEO)
Rumours about the upcoming Tata Nano electric have been doing rounds on the Internet from the past couple of years. However, the company hasn’t made any official announcement about the same yet. But by the end of 2017, there were some significantly confirmed reports about the upcoming launch of the Nano electric, albeit with a different name. These reports have suggested that the car will actually be called Jayem NEO. While it will use the body of the Tata Nano, the powertrain is likely to be sourced from a third party manufacturer, while the car will be assembled by Hyderabad-based Jayem Auto. The Nano Electric, aka the Jayem Neo, is thus currently one of the most affordable upcoming electric cars in India.
| Expected India Launch | Second half of 2019 |
| Expected Price Range | Around Rs 4 lakh |
5. Nissan Leaf
Nissan India is struggling to keep its operations afloat in the country, thanks to its dwindling sales numbers. However, the Japanese manufacturer is eyeing big on the Indian automotive industry’s turnaround towards electric power. As a result, Nissan is planning to launch a new fully-electric car in India by the end of this year in order to make sure that it has a competitor in the marketplace when the customer demand grows. The first Nissan electric car in India will be the Leaf hatchback, which is rumoured to offer around 250 km drive range on a single charge.
| Expected India Launch | Sometime in 2019 |
| Expected Price Range | Around Rs 20 lakh |
6. Hyundai Ioniq
This is probably one of the least known upcoming electric cars in India. The reason is its potential price tag, which will likely be upwards of Rs 20 lakh. The Hyundai Ioniq was previously expected to be launched in India in its hybrid guise. However, reports now suggest that the manufacturer has ditched its earlier plans and is now planning to launch the all-electric version of the sedan by the end of 2019. The Ioniq Electric will boast of a driving range of over 200 km on a single charge and will be powered by a 28 kWh battery pack that develops 118 bhp and 295 Nm of peak torque.
| Expected India Launch | By the end of 2019 |
| Expected Price Range | Rs 20 lakh+ |