The number of electric cars in India in two years from now was very small but the tide changed last year with electric car launches like Tata Nexon EV and MG ZS EV. And this trend of launching electric cars only intensified last year with several new fully electric cars hitting the market. Admittedly, most EVs launched last year belong to the premium end of the spectrum but they are certainly paving a way for more electric cars to reach our shores. And as we approach the end of 2021, it’s time to take a look at the electric cars that were launched in India in 2021.
The I-Pace was launched in India in March 2021 at ₹1.06 crore (ex-showroom). The electric crossover that became available for bookings in India in November 2020 comes with a 90 kWh battery pack and two permanent magnet synchronous electric motors. This configuration develops 394 bhp, 696 Nm, and claims to offer a range of 470 km per charge (WLTP). 
Audi jumped on the EV bandwagon in July this year with e-tron SUV and e-tron Sportback (coupe SUV variant). The e-tron SUV is available in e-tron 50 variant that a 71 kWh battery and two electric motors. This configuration puts out 308 bhp with 540 Nm and claims a driving range between 264 km and 379 km (WLTP) on a single charge. The e-tron Sportback, on the other hand, gets a 95 kWh battery pack that makes 396.5 bhp with 664 Nm and offers a driving range of 359-484 km per charge. Audi e-tron’s price in India ranges between ₹1 crore to ₹1.16 crore while e-tron Sportback will set you back by ₹1.18 crore. All prices are ex-showroom, India. 
Tata Motors updated Tigor EV in August this year with new design and a more powerful Ziptron electric powertrain. The entry-level Tata electric car now comes with a 26 kWh battery that powers a Permanent Magnet Synchronous electric motor to churn 74 bhp and 170 Nm of peak torque. This new powertrain allows the Tigor EV to offer ARAI certified range of 306 km/charge as compared to the previous model that claimed a driving range of 213 km/charge. Tata Tigor EV now costs between ₹11.99 lakh and ₹12.99 lakh. All prices are ex-showroom, India. 
After launching e-tron SUV in July, the German brand welcomed e-tron GT four-door coupe sedan to its India lineup in September 2021. Alongside the standard model, Audi also added the high-performance RS e-tron GT to its portfolio here. The e-tron GT and RS e-tron GT are available with a choice between 83.7 kWh and 93.4 kWh battery packs along with two electric motors, one for each axle. The standard e-tron GT has 469 bhp with 630 Nm on tap and claims to offer a driving range of between 388 km – 500 km per charge (WLTP). The RS e-tron GT, on the other hand, can go between 401 km and 481 km per charge (WLTP) with 590 bhp with 830 Nm on offer.
BMW was one of the first luxury brands in India to introduce an EV, although it was a plug-in hybrid. However, the German brand launched its first electric car in India this month in the form of BMW iX. Launched at ₹1.16 crore (ex-showroom), the iX comes with a 71 kWh (76.6 kWh gross energy) battery pack that powers two electric motors to develop 322 bhp with 630 Nm of peak torque. This electric SUV claims to offer a driving range of 425 km per single charge as per WLTP cycle.
MG ZS EV was launched in 2020 and received an upgrade earlier this year in the form of an improved battery pack. The EV gets a Hi-Tech 44.5 kWh battery that makes 142 bhp and 353 Nm. This electric SUV now offers a claimed driving range of 419 km/charge. 
Porsche’s first electric car came here in November 2021 and starts at at ₹1.5 crore (ex-showroom, India). The all-electric sports saloon is available with a choice between two battery packs — 79.2 kWh and 93.4 kWh — that can generate up to 751 bhp and offer a range of up to to 484 km/charge.
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