New Delhi: A close friend of mine who is also a known environmentalist was planning to invest in an electric vehicle as his next mode of mobility. He still drives a petrol car.
Simple? He wasn’t convinced about any of the electric vehicle models sold in India. He had questions about quality, technology, range and efficacy of the electric mode. He knows many of his friends who are stuck with the various issues of their electric cars.
The Delhi government’s removal of Tata Nexon EV from the incentives list may not have been a big surprise for him. The March 1 order has deeper implications. Other potential EV customers might put on hold their plan to go green as an inquiry is under way to find the manufacturer Tata Motor Limited’s claims.
“The reply furnished by Tata Motors has been found to be non-satisfactory” pointing out that several users had complained of ‘sub-standard’ driving range offered by the Nexon electric vehicle (EV),…..” the order says.
Reacting to the order, a spokesperson of Tata Motors said, “It is unfortunate to receive this order from the Delhi Transport Commission” and the company will continue to engage constructively to protect the interests of its customers.
While questions over the claims by the manufacturer have come under serious scrutiny, the order would also hit the electric vehicles that are far more expensive than their ICE (petrol/diesel) siblings.
“The EV game is under cloud not for the benefits but the way serious claims are made. Range is the most crucial factor influencing customer’s decision to buy them as an alternative to the traditional ICE vehicles. This raises issues over the testing and the quality assurance rendered, where customers might feel cheated,” said a senior auto industry executive.
The Delhi order adds that the company’s assertion that the range of 312km is based solely on the test result of the Automotive Research Association of India is not sufficient to “displace the basis of the complaint that the vehicle never provided a range of more than 200 km…”
My personal experience of driving EVs leaves me with the impression that they cannot come close to the promised range and always fell short of the desired range. But in India, the ideal driving conditions are very different from standard testing ones leaving a wide gap between the promise and performance of the product.
India has still not emerged as a very big market for electric mobility, though the momentum has increased in the past few years. As the government and 
The Energy Efficiency Services Ltd or EESL has been the nodal agency to promote electric vehicles. It has brought a large number of such hatchbacks and sedans for various government departments. Under the National E-Mobility, EESL has initiated the procurement of 10,000 e-cars and allegedly, the experience has not been as per the expectations on issues of technical efficiency and their driving range.
Despite (obvious) denials, there have been many complaints about the driving range of these vehicles. Initially, two models – Tata Tigor electric, and Mahindra e-Verito were bought. Till date not all the originally sought vehicles have been deployed. But the response to the fleet used initially has not been favourable for this cleaner mode of transport.
The market response remains weak despite favourable incentives under the FAME II scheme. The segment is also languishing for want of better products and quality.
The scene is even worse for the two-wheelers that have failed to move on to big sales. Customers always compare their value proposition with the conventional ICE vehicles that continue to rule the consumer mind space.
It’s a long journey for the electric propulsion to prove its might in terms of quality and the range promised.
It seems that the time for electric mobility hasn’t come yet. Tata Nexon could diligently force the industry to come out with some practical and realistic answers.
