Tata Motors unveils Ziptron EV powertain

PUNE: Tata Motors, India’s biggest automaker by revenues and a leading player in the electric vehicles, on Thursday officially announced a new electric vehicle or EV powertrain that will power a range of its upcoming models, including a new model scheduled for the fourth quarter.

Ziptron, the soon to be introduced EV powertrain, will help it drive economies of scale and make new EVs more affordable for consumers in Asia’s third biggest car market.

Ziptron offers efficient high voltage 300V-plus permanent magnet synchronous electric motor system, better performance, long range and fast charging, and a battery warranty of eight years, and adherence to the IP67 standard.

Ziptron cars will also feature drive modes to give drivers the option to maximise range or enhance performance.

While Tata Motors has not revealed final specifications as yet, officials said that cars built with Ziptron will have a “minimum range of 250km” and will support fast charging.

The battery pack comprises lithium-ion cells and features liquid cooling to maintain the ideal operating temperature.

Typically, extremes of temperature have a huge impact on the performance of the battery system.

Earlier this year, Tata Motors had announced four new models, including “at least one EV” to be in the pipeline.

And it is more than likely that the Altroz EV could be the first model to feature Ziptron technology.

“Ziptron is designed in- house utilising our global engineering network,” Guenter Butschek, the managing director and CEO at Tata Motors, said.

“At the heart of our future EV line-up, this technology has been tested across 1 million km proving its reliability,” he pointed out. A team of 350 engineers worked on the project.

With this, Tata Motors hopes to usher in a new wave of e-mobility and accelerate faster adoption of EVs in the country, Butschek said.

Ziptron technology comprises an efficient permanent magnet AC motor providing superior performance on demand.

It also offers best-in-industry dust-and water-proof battery system meeting the IP67 standards. Moreover, it also employs smart regenerative braking to charge the battery while on the drive, the company said.