Electric Cars Expected To Be Launched In India In 2021

Electric cars are the future, and the year 2021 will offer the slightest glimpse of the electric vehicle (EV) revolution. Though EVs represent a very small percentage of global car sales, several automakers have already made massive investments in electric mobility foreseeing the demand it could create in the coming years. As India is moving towards e-mobility, there has been substantial investment in electric vehicles (EVs) by domestic and global auto majors. The models like the Tata Nexon EV and MG ZS EV have received a decent amount of success in the Indian EV market. Other automakers too are planning to enter into the electric vehicle space in India. On that note, we list down the EVs that are expected to go on sale in the Indian market this year.

Also Read: Mahindra Plans To Support SsangYong's Electric Vehicle Business: Report​

The Model 3 will be Tesla's first model in the Indian market.

Tesla Model 3:

Tesla is all set to roll out its first electric car, the Model S, in the country this year. The EV maker will set up India headquarters in Mumbai's Lower Parel location while the production base will be established in Karnataka. The American EV maker will start its sales operations with the Model 3 which is the most affordable offering in its line-up. The Tesla Model 3 will come to India as a completely built unit (CBU) model. The car is rumoured to be priced somewhere Rs. 55 lakh in the country. The Tesla Model 3 has a range of up to 500 kilometres and a top speed of 162 kmph. It can even do 0-100 kmph in 3.1 seconds.

The Volvo XC40 Recharge will come to India as a completely built unit (CBU) model

Volvo XC40 Recharge:

Volvo Car India revealed the new XC40 Recharge electric SUV in the country a couple of months ago. It will be the first all-electric offering from a Chinese-owned Swedish carmaker. The company will start accepting pre-bookings for the electric SUV next month, while deliveries will commence in October 2021. The Volvo XC40 Recharge will come to India as a completely built unit (CBU) model. The electric SUV comes with a dual-motor powertrain with 150 kW electric motors on each axle that converts to 402 bhp and 660 Nm of peak torque. The electric motors are powered by a 78 kWh battery pack that offers an approximate range of up to 418 km. It can achieve 0-100 kmph in 4.9 seconds.

The Audi e-Tron electric SUV will be the German carmaker's first all-electric offering in India

Audi e-Tron:

Audi India has confirmed the arrival of the e-Tron alongside the e-Tron Sportback in the country this year. It will be the German carmaker's first all-electric offering in India. The electric SUV was previously slated to go on sale last year, which was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Both the Audi e-Tron and the e-Tron Sportback share the same underpinnings, but the latter gets the coupe-like sloping roofline and a redesigned rear profile. Both the EVs come with two electric motors that develop 355 bhp and 561 Nm of peak torque. In the boost mode, the power output increases up to 408 bhp and 664 Nm. The EVs use a 95 kWh battery pack that offers a range of about 452 km on a single charge and can be fully charged in eight and a half hours using a regular charger.

The Mahindra eKUV100 will be targeted at fleet operators

Mahindra eKUV100:

Mahindra is all set to launch the eKUV100 in the Indian market in the coming months. The Indian carmaker has already announced prices of the EV at the 2020 Auto Expo, which costs Rs. 8.25 lakh (ex-showroom, India). While the eKUV100 will be targeted at fleet operators, the EV will also be offered for private buyers. Visually, the car looks identical to its petrol counterpart. However, we expect minimal changes on the production-spec version including possibly a revised grille, along with reworked headlamps and taillights. The Mahindra eKUV100 will use a 40 kW electric that belts out about 53 bhp and 120 Nm of peak torque. A single-speed transmission will be sending power to the front wheels. The car will come with a 15.9 kWh lithium-ion battery and is expected to offer a range of 120 km on a single charge.

The all-new Porsche Taycan electric sports car will go on sale in India this year.

Porsche Taycan:

The all-new Porsche Taycan electric sports car will be introduced in India this year. It is the first fully electric sedan from the Stuttgart-based luxury carmaker, which will be based on the Porsche Mission E Concept that was showcased in 2015. The new Porsche Taycan will sport two permanently excited synchronous electric motors that can churn out a maximum of 600 bhp and will a range of over 500 km thanks to its high voltage lithium-ion batteries. The EV will get 800-volt chargers with fast charging capability, which can offer a 400 km range in 15 minutes of charge time. The carmaker claims that the EV can sprint from 0-100 kmph in under 3.5 seconds.

The upcoming Altroz EV will use Tata's Ziptron powertrain technology.

Tata Altroz EV:

The Altroz EV will be the next electric vehicle from the Indian automaker's stable, which was showcased at the 2019 Geneve Motor Show. The fully electric version of the premium hatchback is expected to go on sale in India this year. Like its ICE derivative, the EV version will also be built on the all-new Agile Light Flexible Advanced (ALFA) Architecture. Tata Motors has already confirmed that all its future electric vehicles will use the Ziptron powertrain technology. So, the Altroz EV will get a Lithium-ion battery with IP67 certification.

The Mercedes-Benz EQS electric sedan has been listed on the official India website

Mercedes-Benz EQS:

It was last month that Mercedes-Benz revealed the EQS electric sedan in the global market. The electric sedan has been listed on the official India website, suggesting it could be launched in our market later this year. The luxury electric sedan will be available in two trims - EQS 450+ and EQS 580 4MATIC. The EQS 450+ is the base variant that features a single electric motor on the rear axle for a total of 328 bhp and 568 Nm of peak torque. The EQS 580 4MATIC is an all-wheel-drive (AWD) range-topping trim and gets an electric motor on both front and rear axles. Total output in combination here is 516 bhp and a whopping 855 Nm of peak torque, good for a 4.1 seconds sprint to 100 kmph from a standstill.