Tata Motors, India’s biggest passenger electric vehicle manufacturer, has launched the Tigor EV at Rs 11.99 lakh (base XE variant, ex-showroom).

The battery-electric sedan which has a claimed drive range of 306 km, is the second EV from Tata Motors for the personal buyer after the Nexon EV which was launched in January 2020. The real drive range of the Tigor EV would be 230-250 km to a full charge as per the company.

The Tigor EV will be offered in three trims. The middle variant XM is priced at Rs 12.49 lakh while the top-end trim XZ+ is priced at Rs 12.99 lakh. These prices do not include subsidies provided by various states.

The Tigor EV sports a 26kWh liquid-cooled, lithium-ion battery pack which is higher than the 21kWh battery pack offered on the Tigor EV for commercial buyers (taxi operators).

This new Tigor EV is a much-improved version of the first generation Tigor EV that Tata Motors had built for the Energy Efficiency Services (EESL) tender in 2018.

The older generation version had a rated drive range of 120km and a charging time of around 12 hours on a slow charger. The company followed this up with a slightly improved range of 213 km in 2019.

The new Tigor EV has a 0 to 80 percent charging time of one hour on a fast charger. Tata Motors is offering an 8 year and 160,000 KM battery and motor warranty on the Tigor EV. Tata Motors also said that the Tigor EV got a four-star adult and child safety rating in the crash test conducted by Global NCAP with two airbags.

The Tigor EV features a 7 inch Harman touchscreen entertainment system, automatic climate control, rear parking camera, front power outlet, rear defogger, cooled glovebox, and electric boot unlocking.

Shailesh Chandra, President, Passenger Vehicle Business Unit, Tata Motors said, “Demand has shot up in 3-4 months. The Nexon EV bookings have grown 8-fold compared to at the time of its launch and 3-4 times compared to a few months ago.

There has been a progressive increase in demand. Incentives given by states are creating excitement along with the growing knowledge of EVs among buyers. We should be able to bridge the gap between demand and supply in the coming months.

Tata Motors has already sold 8,500 EVs to date including 6,500 electric Nexons. Tata Motors has around 70 percent market share in the electric passenger vehicle segment.