The most popular electric cars in India are
Mahindra BE 6 (Rs. 18.90 lakh, 557 km – 683 km range),
Mahindra XEV 9e (Rs. 21.90 lakh, 542 km – 656 km range),
MG Windsor EV (Rs. 14.00 lakh, 332 km range) and
Tata Curvv EV (Rs. 17.49 lakh, 430 km – 502 km range).
There are only limited electric cars in India at the moment.
The other best EVs to consider of the lot include Hyundai Kona Electric, Tata Nexon EV and MG ZS EV.
The charge time for an EV can range from 30 minutes to 12 hours depending on the size of the battery and speed of the charger. The average charging time takes around 8 hours from zero to full battery with a 7 kW charging point.
Home charging can be done via the installation of a home charging point or an EVSE supply for a 3-pin plug socket. The home charging point is faster and has built-in safety features.
Almost all batteries in EVs have a warrantied lifespan of 8 years and approx 1.6 lakh kilometres.
The average cost of a lithium-ion battery used in EVs is Rs 2.27 lakh.
Top speed of electric cars is generally limited to around 150kmph.
An electric vehicle has separate motors for each wheel or each pair of wheels and produces more torque instantaneously as compared to standard cars with internal combustion engines. It can climb steep mountains easily.
Overall, servicing an electric car is going to be cheaper than a conventional car. The cost of servicing an EV is approximately 70% lesser than an internal combustion engine car.
The Indian government provides various subsidies on hybrid and electric vehicles under the FAME II policy. However, this is only applicable for commercial use and the subsidies comprise up to Rs. 1.50 lakh for cars and Rs. 30,000 on two-wheelers. For personal use, electric cars have the lowest GST rate at 5 per cent in comparison to other classes.