The electric sportscar can do 1000 kilometres in a single charge, but is still in the prototype stage and has been sent to the ARAI for approval.
With the Indian auto market opening up to newer segments, the new genre of vehicles featuring alternate powertrains are slowly finding acceptance across homes in the country. One such attempt by nascent Indian car maker Golden Arrow Wireless grabbed a lot of attention at the recently concluded Gujarat Auto Show when the company showcased the Super Nova Electric Vehicle (SNEV) that is capable of doing 1000 kms on a single charge of batteries.
The Supernova electric sportscar developed by Shashi Vyas has already been sent to the ARAI for approval. Developed at the company’s facility in Ahmedabad, the electric sportscar is available in three different versions and can attain a top speed of 150 km/hr. The car is powered by three different batteries including conventional lead acid batteries, lithium ion batteries and super capacitors. Making all the difference, the lead acid batteries weigh 300 kgs and can be completely recharged in 8 hours, whereas the lithium ion batteries weigh about 120 kgs and take around 2 hours to recharge. The super capacitors however weigh just 20 kgs and can be recharged in 5 minutes.
What Golden Arrow is yet to specify is the speed at which the Supernova has to be driven to achieve a range of 1000 kms. Realistically with that kind of a range, the Supernova will be beating the Tesla’s range of 440 kms as well as the Fiat 500e with a range of 140 kms and the Toyota RAV4 EV with a range of 165 kms, which makes us take the claim with a pinch of salt. Even though the model showcased here is a prototype, the design also needs rework and a lesser early 1990’s influence if the company is serious about retailing the model to new age and modern customers.
Being offered in a variety of battery options, the Supernova is expected to be priced around Rs. 15-25 lakhs and will be India’s first indigenously developed electric sportscar. The Gujarat based automaker also signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Madhya Pradesh government and has been alloted 100 acres of land for establishing a facility. The company is looking to establish a plant in its home state Gujarat as well and will be sourcing funding through venture capitalists.
ARAI confirmed the development and is still in the process of giving clearance to the Supernova electric sportscar. With no set rules for electric sports cars in the country, the organization will require a completely new set of rules and is currently in talks with the central government for the same. Golden Arrow claims to have around 250 bookings for the electric sportscar and can deliver the same by the end of 2015 once the ARAI approval comes through. The company has raised around Rs. 500 crores for the project and has spent 100 crores in developing the car. It will need a total of Rs. 2500 crore investment to set-up a new manufacturing facility.
Source – Financial Express
