MUMBAI, Feb 20: Tata Motors on Friday launched the facelift version of the Punch EV and said it expects the latest offering to democratise the adoption of entry-level EVs, which account for almost two-thirds of electric car demand.
The company, which commanded 40 per cent of the total 1.76-lakh electric car sales in India in the 2025 calendar year, also said that the entry of more players, including bigger players in the space, will be beneficial to the country’s overall EV mission of green mobility.
India has set a target of achieving 30 per cent electric vehicle penetration by 2030.
With a starting price of Rs 9.69-lakh (ex-showroom Mumbai), Punch.ev comes with an alternate financing option with BaaS at a starting price of Rs 6.49 lakh plus battery EMI of Rs 2.6 per km, the company said.
“We have been very committed to the entry EVs, because this is where 65 per cent of the demand lies. Until we don’t crack this, we will not be able to mainstream EVs and that’s why Punch EV becomes one of the critical launch in the journey of the progress and evolution of electric vehicles in India,” Tata Motors Passenger Vehicles (TMPV) Managing Director and CEO, Shailesh Chandra said in a media interaction.
Among 16 lakh passenger cars priced above Rs 12 lakh that are sold annually, EVs number stands around 1.60 lakh, or 10 per cent penetration, he said and added that on the contrast, the share of EVs in the 30 lakh cars priced below Rs 12 lakh is around 50,000 or just 1.6 per cent.
“This is the real challenge of mainstreaming electric vehicles in the country. And if this segment does not get electrified, then you will never achieve the objective of EV mainstreaming,” Chandra said.
Citing factors such as “very less” real-world range and lower charging speed, among others as the factors for the 12 lakh segment not progressing towards a 10 per cent penetration, where mid as well as high segment are, he said, Punch EV is going to democratize adoption in the entry segment as it addresses these issues.
The facelift Punch.ev comes with a larger 40 kWh LFP prismatic cell battery pack delivering a real-world C75 range around 355 km and ARAI certified- range 468 km, fast charging support as the battery can quickly charge from 20 per cent to 80 per cent in just 26 minutes and Lifetime HV (high voltage) battery warranty covering unlimited kilometers, according to the company.
“Punch.ev will be the first car in the entry segment which will deliver 350 km real-world range with a 40-kWh battery. In this kind of footprint, we are not able to provide 40 kWh, but thanks to the pure EV architecture which allowed us to. It can be taken more by the way.
“Technically, we can still take it more. But here it is about how you bring the balance of optimization of price, range and the feature set that people expect. So you have to deliver this range within the boundary condition of what price is palatable for this size of a car,” Chandra said. (PTI)
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