Tata Motors to investigate recent Nexon EV fire

Tuhin Guha Updated: July 07, 2022, 04:18 PM IST

After a spate of incidents involving electric two-wheelers, a Tata Nexon EV now seems to have caught fire in Vasai near Mumbai. Details on the incident are scarce currently, but Tata Motors has gone on record to state that the company is investigating to determine the possible cause of this incident.

Tata Nexon EV fire statement

This seems to be the first major report of a Tata Motors EV catching fire. Usually, two-wheelers have been more susceptible to this with their air-cooled battery pack, haphazard charging and tight packaging being culprits. An electric four-wheeler should be theoretically less susceptible to thermal runaway, the pre-eminent cause behind these accidents, with their liquid-cooled battery packs and their sophisticated charging and battery management systems.

The Tata Nexon EV uses lithium-iron-phosphate cells, a cell chemistry known to be less energy-dense but also less prone to fires such as this one.

Tata Motors' full statement on this incident read as "A detailed investigation is currently being conducted to ascertain the facts of the recent isolated thermal incident that is doing the rounds on social media. We will share a detailed response after our complete investigation. We remain committed to the safety of our vehicles and their users. This is a first incident after more than 30,000 EVs have cumulatively covered over 100 million km across the country in nearly 4 years."

Tata Nexon EV prices, market share, range

Tata Motors is by far India's largest EV maker with over 80 per cent share in the passenger EV market. Which makes it even more imperative for the firm to address this situation effectively to keep buyer confidence in electric vehicles intact.

The standard Tata Nexon EV has a 30.2 kWh LFP battery pack that is good for a 312 km ARAI-certified range. This pairs with a 131PS and 245 Nm electric motor. The long-range Tata Nexon EV Max gets a larger 40.5 kWh lithium-ion battery pack with 437 km range and a more powerful 143PS and 250 Nm motor. Prices for the Tata Nexon EV start from Rs 14.54 lakh and goes on to Rs 17.15 lakh for the top XZ Plus Lux Dark Edition. The 2022 Tata Nexon EV Max is priced at Rs 17.74 lakh for the XZ Plus variant and Rs 18.74 lakh for the XZ Lux version.

Also read,

2022 Tata Nexon EV Max review, road test - real-world range tested!

Tata Nexon EV Max Vs Tata Nexon EV: What's different?

Tata Nexon EV Max launched with 437 km range, prices start from Rs 17.74 lakh

Tata Nexon EV Max 2022: Prices and variants explained

Living with an electric car: Mumbai-Pune roadtrip in a Tata Nexon EV

The New Way with the Tata Nexon EV and the Jaguar I-Pace

Price (Ex-Delhi)
Starts Rs 13.99 Lakhs
Displacement
-NA-
Transmission
Automatic
Max Power(ps)
129
Max Torque(Nm)
245
Mileage
-NA-
Price (Ex-Delhi)
Starts Rs 6.95 Lakhs
Displacement
1497cc
Transmission
Automatic
Max Power(ps)
110
Max Torque(Nm)
260
Mileage
21.5 Kmpl
Price (Ex-Delhi)
Starts Rs 1.05 Crore
Displacement
-NA-
Transmission
Max Power(ps)
400
Max Torque(Nm)
696
Mileage
-NA-
Price (Ex-Delhi)
Starts Rs 17.74 Lakhs
Displacement
-NA-
Transmission
Automatic
Max Power(ps)
143
Max Torque(Nm)
250
Mileage
437 Kmpl