Tata's Tiny Titan: Punch.ev Details Surface, Promises Segment Domination with Range and Tech

Building on Tata's success with the Nexon EV, Tata Motors is set to redefine the electric vehicle landscape with the upcoming Punch.ev. This micro SUV promises more than just a transition to electric; it's a born electric vehicle designed to captivate the market with more range, faster charging, tech, and more safety compared to its Generation 1 products mainly the Nexon.ev, Tiago EV, and Tigor EV. The Punch.ev is not just another EV conversion it is underpinned by the all new, born electric acti.ev (Advanced Connected Tech-Intelligent Electric Vehicle) architecture, setting the stage for upcoming EVs like the Harrier EV, Curvv EV, and Sierra EV.

With the acti.ev embracing a 400V pack voltage, akin to Tesla's renowned models, and faster peak charging speeds of up to 150kW on a DC-fast charger, the Generation 2 products promise faster charging times and more range. For the Punch.ev, the peak charging speeds remains to be seen on DC-fast charger, however expecting it have faster charging time and faster speeds due to the new architecture.  The new architecture can support AC fast charging speeds of upto 11kW, however expect the Punch.ev to support upto 7.2kW. Furthermore, the new underpinning will use new high-energy density LFP cells which will employ prismatic and cylindrical cells. However there have been no details from Tata Motors about the ones used in the Punch.ev, expect more details at the time of the launch. For reference, the Nexon.ev uses prismatic cells. Learn more about the Nexon.ev here.

The Punch.ev will come in two guises- Punch.ev (Medium Range) and Punch.ev Long Range as revealed from the brochure on the website. Again each guise will come with different personas mainly smart, adventure, empowered, and empowered+. It is speculated the Punch.ev will have a 25kWh battery pack for the Medium Range version and 35kWh for the Long Range version. Giving it a range of around 300km for the Standard Range, potentially reaching up to 380-400km or more for the Long Range version. As for the motor, it is expected to carry the new Generation 2 motor with 30% less rear Earth materials, however the power and torque figures will be revealed at the time of the launch.

As for the charging port will be a CCS type-2 connector for DC-fast charging, and Mennekes for Level-2 and Level-1 charging again like the Nexon.ev. The Punch.ev will come standard with a 3.3kW wall box charger; however, the Long Range version will come with a 7.2kW unit as standard. Hence current Tiago EV and Tigor EV owners wishing to upgrade to a Punch.ev can still use their standard wall box chargers for the Punch.ev.

With no engine upfront, Tata has managed to accommodate a frunk which may be good enough to store small items such as a charging cable or a small backpack. From its recently released teaser, the front will sport a full-width LED bar upfront spanning across the width of the car. The charging slot has now moved from its conventional position on the side to the front of the car. Like pure EVs, there is no grill upfront for enhanced aerodynamics and helps to differentiate it from its gasoline counterpart. The headlights are full LED projector with digital DRLs which will have a welcome and goodbye sequence. The lower half of the car has trapezoidal plastic cladding with vertical slats, and a silver finished skid plate. The side remains largely unchanged with teal blue EV badges. While the rear will see the addition of the Punch.ev badge below the Tata logo and rear-view camera, plus silver-colored accents on the bumper. The Punch.ev will be available with five paint shades mainly Empowered Oxide, Seaweed, Fearless Red, Daytona Grey, and Pristine White.

From the recently revealed pdf highlighting key features of the Punch.ev, the interior will get 10.25” infotainment screen with Arcade.ev app suite with 10.25” digital dials on the top spec Empowered + persona. The infotainment screen size will vary across personas; the Adventure spec will get a 7” unit compared to 10.25” on the Empowered and Empowered + personas. So do the digital dials, starting from 7” on the Empowered to 10.25” on the top-spec Empowered+. Some spy shots on the internet revealed the new dual-tone, 2 spoke steering wheel from the updated Nexon.ev and touch-sensitive buttons for the HVAC. It remains to be seen if both the new steering wheel and the touch-sensitive buttons will make it to the Punch.ev. There will be new perforated leatherette seats and seat ventilation for the front seats. Another notable addition includes a jeweled rotary knob for the gear shifter seen on the previous Nexon EV Max along with an electronic parking brake and auto-hold function. Cupholders which were a miss on the updated Nexon EV have been added on the center console behind the gear selector which is a welcome addition.

Key features of the new Punch.ev on the Empowered+ persona include a 360-degree camera, a 10.25” Harman touchscreen infotainment system, blind view camera, frunk, ventilated front seats, the Arcade.ev app suite, perforated leatherette seats with seat ventilation, sunroof, a 10.25” digital dials on the empowered +, cruise control, electronic parking brake with auto-hold, multiple voice assistants mainly Alexa, Siri, and Tata’s own voice assistant, air purifier with AQI (Air Quality Index) display, wireless smartphone charger, and Android Auto & Apple CarPlay. The screen size of the digital dials will vary from 7” on the Empowered to 10.25” on the Empowered +. The infotainment screen size will again vary from 7” on the Adventure persona to 10.25” on the top two personas Empowered and Empowered +.

In terms of safety, the Punch will come standard with 6 airbags and ESP. Furthermore, the acti.ev architecture underpinning will enable the Punch.ev to achieve a 5-star rating on the GNCAP and recently introduced BNCAP testing protocols.

The prices for the EV have not been revealed; however, we expect it to be in the range of Rs. 11-14 lakh mark ex-showroom. When it goes on sale on January 17th, it will not only be the segment’s first born electric vehicle, but also Tata Motors’ first unlike the Nexon.ev which is an ICE to EV conversion. It will compete against names from Tata’s own products namely the Tiago EV, and Tigor EV; however, its chief rival will be the Citroen eC3. We expect the Punch.ev to be the best-selling product in its segment, and maybe the best-selling EV in India. 

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