The most recent electric vehicle from the Indian carmaker is the Tata Punch EV. What’s unique about this Punch EV is that it uses Tata’s gen 2 design, which helps to maximise space economy, in contrast to the electric versions of the Nexon, Tiago, and Tigor. More significantly, Tata claims that the long-range model can go 421 km on a single charge. However, the reality presents a different image. This is the Punch EV’s results from our extensive range test.
When the car was turned on, the range test began in the regular driving mode, following the standard testing procedures. The Punch EV has one brake energy regeneration level and city drive mode. Throughout the test, the AC was kept at a temperature between 21 and 23 degrees Celsius. For most of the test,Tata Punch EV drove inside city boundaries; the remaining portion was spent on the interstate. When everything was said and done, the Punch EV was able to go 259.8 kilometres until the battery entirely died and the vehicle ceased to function.
There is a limp mode in every EV which kicks in when the battery charge drops below a certain level. For the Tata Punch EV, it comes into play at 10 per cent at which point power delivery is reduced and so is maximum speed. The latter is capped at around 55kmph. What’s interesting though is that the AC remains effective up until the battery is down to seven per cent charge. The final takeaway from the range test is that the Tata Punch EV achieved 61 per cent of its claimed range which is 421km.