Tata Motors Says Electric and Air-Powered Nano Models Coming
By John O'Dell February 19, 2009
By Nick Kurczewski, Contributor
Tata Motors, the Indian automaker that rocked the industry with its announcement last year of a $2,000 car -- the Nano (left) -- said that work on electric and air-powered versions of the soon-to-debut mini hatchback continues despite the company's woes (Tata reported a $52 million loss for its last quarter).
The work is going on track," Ravi Kant, Tata's managing director, said during a recent press conference in Mumbai.
The Nano will become the world's cheapest car when it goes on sale later this year in India with a base price of roughly $2,000 before taxes and shipping fees.
But price isn't enough to enable Tata to penetrate Western European and, potentially, North American markets. To do that, Tata needs to be able to field super fuel-efficient alternative-energy models of the Nano.
To help speed things up, the company last year acquired a majority stake in Miljo Grenland Innovasjon, a Norwegian company specializing in electric car technology.
Tata also is working with French air-car impresario Guy Negre's MDI Enterprises on a compressed-air engine for the Nano.
A battery-electric Nano, sold as a speed-restricted vehicle suitable for urban centers or gated communities, would help Tata breach Western markets without boosting the price the Spartan little car.
In its present form, the Nano does without airbags, ABS, or electronic stability control -- though Tata Motors representatives have said such items could be fitted. But safety features cost money and low speed vehicles in Europe and the U.S. do not need to meet the same stringent safety standards that apply to regular automobiles.
A compressed air version of the Nano also would likely be a low-speed vehicle. It also is probably a long way off. "Developments are ongoing with MDI, but it remains a very long-term plan," said Kant.
MDI has already developed several small and lightweight vehicles using air power. The system uses high-tech carbon-fiber tanks, which feed carefully measured doses of pressurized air to a piston engine specially adapted to run on air power. The result is a zero-emission vehicle that MDI insists is a viable option to electric vehicles.
Standard models of the Nano will be powered by a tiny 623cc two-cylinder gasoline engine, capable of delivering 32 horsepower and fuel economy of around 50 miles per gallon. A diesel version with a fuel economy increase of 20 percent or more is expected to arrive by the end of this year.
Debasis Ray, spokesman for Tata Motors, confirmed that sales of the conventionally powered Nano will commence sometime before April this year to enable the company to benefit from the global economic meltdown and resulting demand for inexpensive transportation.
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