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Tata Nexon EV stands out with V2V and V2L charging, Arcade.EV App Suite, and Alexa H2C/C2H connectivity, setting new benchmarks in mass market electric vehicle market.
Tata.ev, the passenger electric vehicle arm of Tata Motors has been on a roll for the last few months. The EV maker recently launched its 4th EV product - Punch EV in the Indian market. Tata Nexon EV was also facelifted just a few months ago in September 2023. With many new, unique, advanced & next generation features, the new Nexon EV seems more than a facelift. It's more of a mid life or a 0.5 generational upgrade rather than a facelift.
But what are the features that make it different and more advanced than its pre-facelift version? Let's take a look at four of such advanced & next generation features in Tata Nexon EV that you should know about.
V2V or vehicle to vehicle charging is a technology that enables electric vehicles to charge other electric vehicles in case of emergencies like complete battery discharge. Tata Nexon EV comes equipped with this technology. It can provide a power output of up to 5 kVA for charging any compatible electric vehicle. To make this possible, every Nexon EV (only long range variants) comes with CCS2 to CCS2 adapter.
Moreover, Nexon EV is smart enough to automatically stop charging the other vehicle when its own battery goes below a manually set battery percentage. Also, the owner can control and restrict the amount of charge or the charge level for the other vehicle using the Tata.EV mobile app. This feature can be of extreme help if an electric car runs out of charge on a highway or a remote area.
V2L or vehicle to load charging is nothing but the ability of an electric vehicle to charge or run electric/electronic appliances and gadgets. These include small appliances like speakers, electric stove, microwaves, etc, and even large appliances like TV, fridge, washing machine, AC, etc.
The new Nexon EV can provide an output of up to 3 kVA for charging or running an appliance. Here too, the BMS (Battery Management System) can intelligently control the flow (Current & Voltage) of power to the electric/electronic appliance, and can also cut the supply in case the car battery goes below a manually set level. The Tata.ev mobile app also provides all the V2L details and controls to the owner of the vehicle.
The biggest pain for an EV user is the time it takes to charge the vehicle. Even with a DC fast charger, most EVs take at least around an hour to go from 10 or 20% to 80 or 100%. The new Tata Nexon EV too can be charged using a 50 kW DC fast charger. It can be charged from 10% to 80% in just 56 mins. However, these 56 mins can still be a long waiting time for a user.
To solve this problem, Tata.ev has integrated an app suite called Arcade.EV inside the 12.29 inch infotainment touchscreen of the Nexon EV. With HD quality display and 9 speaker Harman/JBL audio system, a user can spend those 56 mins watching their favourite video/show/movie etc. The app suite currently includes apps like Disney+Hotstar, YouTube, YouTube Kids, Amazon Prime Video, Gaana, JioSaavn, etc. Tata will likely add more apps and services in the Arcade.EV in the future.
An electric car is no more just a tool for personal and private transportation or mobility, it is more of a gadget on the wheels. Because of the electrification and availability of technologies like embedded SIM, IoT, telematics etc, an electric car is now more of an extension of one's home. Tata Nexon EV too comes with built-in IoT/Telematics powered connected car tech using an embedded eSIM. This helps the vehicle to stay connected to the internet 24/7.
Moreover, using Tata.ev app, the owners can see almost all the information of the vehicle like charge level, charging progress, tyre pressure details, available range, etc. Also, with Amazon Alexa powered H2C and C2H tech, the users of the Nexon EV can control any Alexa enabled devices at home, using voice commands in the car, from anywhere in the world. Similarly, no matter where the car is, the users can also control many features of the car like AC, central locking, etc, using Alexa voice commands, from the comfort of the home.
Although the above mentioned features are not exclusive to Tata Nexon EV and can be seen in many other premium & expensive electric cars in India like Hyundai IONIQ 5, Kia EV6 etc, these are definitely segment first. Moreover, although the Mahindra XUV400 Electric - the main rival of Nexon EV, gets Alexa powered H2C & C2H tech, it misses out on other 3 tech - V2V, V2L and App Suite. Thus, Tata should be credited for pushing the boundaries of possibilities and providing these advanced, premium and next generation features in a relatively affordable and mass market electric vehicle like Nexon EV.