As per new MIDC standards, official range of EVs will be determined by including both Urban and Extra Urban ranges
To achieve standardization in range calculations of EVs, the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) has introduced changes to the MIDC range test standards. Accordingly, Tata Motors has revised the range of its EVs. Other EV manufacturers are also expected to announce similar revisions to the range of their EVs in the coming days.
Tata EVs – Revised range
Earlier, the MIDC range was determined based solely on Urban (City Driving – P1) conditions. As per the new rules, MIDC range will now include both Urban and Extra Urban (Highway Driving – P2) components. As a result, the official MIDC range of Tata EVs has been revised.
Tata Curvv EV 55 kWh model earlier had a range of 585 km. With the new MIDC standards, the certified range of Curvv EV 55 kWh has been reduced to 502 km. Similarly, range of Curvv EV 45 kWh variant has been revised from 502 km to 430 Km. For Nexon EV 40.5 kWh variant, range has been reduced from 465 km to 390 km. The Nexon EV 30 kWh variant now has a range of 275 km, as compared to 325 km earlier.
Punch EV 35 kWh variant range has been revised from 421 km to 365 km. For the 25-kWh variant, range has been revised from 315 km to 265 km. Tiago EV 24 kWh variant range has been revised from 315 km to 275 km. The 19.2 kWh variant now has an official range of 221 km, as compared to 250 km earlier. Overall, the certified range for Tata EVs is down by 50 km to 83 km.
Inclusion of Extra Urban component in MIDC range standards is bound to reduce certified range. That’s because EV range is usually lower on highways, as compared to city conditions. This is just the opposite in case of ICE cars. The battery drains faster on highways, as the vehicle needs to maintain a constant high speed. Moreover, regenerative braking is almost negligible across highways. At higher speeds, the aerodynamic drag increases significantly. This again leads to increased battery drain.
Tata C75 range numbers (True real-world range)
To provide a better idea about real-world range, Tata voluntarily shares the range numbers based on data collected from more than 1.65 lakh Tata electric cars and SUVs. This real-world range of Tata EVs is called C75. It is indicative of the real-world range that 75% of Tata EV users can expect to achieve with their vehicle. C75 is essentially a statistical analysis of real-world range, based on data gathered from the 4 billion km covered by Tata electric cars.
Tata C75 range figures are more realistic also because they accommodate higher speeds, AC usage, higher loads and greater temperature variations. For example, as compared to max speed of 90 kmph under MIDC, Tata’s C75 has a max speed of 120 km. MIDC tests at a load of 150 kg, whereas Tata C75 accommodates a load of 250 kg.
Owing to these reasons, Tata C75 provides a better idea of the real-world range. C75 range numbers continue to be lower than the earlier and the new MIDC range numbers. It essentially means that the real-world range of Tata EVs will be the same as earlier.