The recent Budget announcements in India clearly showed us the country is slowly ready to head towards electric vehicles.
And keeping that in focus, a high-powered Goods and Services Tax (GST) Council recently decided to reduce the tax rate on electric vehicles (EVs) to 5 percent from the existing 12 percent, with effective from 1 August.
In addition to this, it also slashed the (GST) on EV chargers from 18 percent to 5 percent. This has made a direct impact on the prices of electric cars, bikes and scooters that are already selling in the market.
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Here’s a list of those EVs that are now considerably cheaper than before in the country.
Hyundai Kona
This is probably the first electric vehicle in the country that caters to long range driving, with its range capability and also offer trust to the consumers with its existing brand image.
The Hyundai Kona EV has a claimed (and ARAI certified) range of 452 Km per charge. That kind of range puts it at par with its fossil-fuel guzzling diesel and petrol counterparts.
It has been launched in India with a 39.2 kWh lithium-ion battery pack, which can be charged either by a regular 15 amp wall socket in your home, in which case it takes about six hours for a full charge.
The Hyundai Kona electric is powered by a 136 PS electric motor that puts out 395 Nm torque, good for a top speed of 155 kmph. It is front-wheel drive.
Ather 450
This electric scooter is made in India, functions with an app and is available with the support for fast charging. Trouble is, you need to be in Bengaluru or Chennai to buy this scooter for now, where the company has setup charging points at accessible locations.
The revised price of the Ather 450, thanks to low GST rate and FAME II subsidy, makes it an appealing option worth looking at.
Tata Tigor EV
The Tata Tigor EV is being made by the company in Sanand. It is currently available only for government use and for commercial use. Tata still isn't selling the Tigor EV for private buyers, but you could rent one from a self-drive car rental firm.
The electric sedan is powered by a 40-bhp (29.5 Kw) motor. It has a gross vehicle weights of 1.5 tons, which makes it slightly lighter than the Mahindra E-Verito. It can carry five people, like a normal sedan. It has a claimed range of about 142 km per charge, while real-world conditions give it about 110-120 Km a charge.
Mahindra eVerito
The Mahindra eVerito is probably India’s first proper electric sedan, having gone on sale a couple of years ago.
The Mahindra eVerito hasn’t been selling in large numbers to private buyers, but it is picking up pace in the commercial cab segment for short distance usage.
The eVerito comes with a range of 110 Km per charge and also features fast charging. It puts out 41 bhp of power and 91 Nm of torque, with a top speed limited to 80 Kmph.
These aren’t the only electric vehicles (two and four wheelers) available in the country right now and we’ll update this list, as and when revised prices are announced by other manufacturers in the coming months.
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