By Yatin Kumar
The world is on its way to embracing the full-fledged electric mobility soon. Though the development is just in the initial stages in many countries, the way the current fleet of automakers and the governing bodies in most of the countries are striving hard to get full-on electric vehicles, it won’t be long before EV take up a chunk of the market shares.
The present electric mobility segment around the world has many electric cars already on offer, while a large number is in the production houses and to be showcased soon. A wide number of automakers have even focused on making high-end performance electric cars using the ev charging network, and have succeeded too. However, when it comes to affordable electric cars, the models are restricted to hatchback and sedans only with just a small number being SUVs.
In emerging countries like India, the government’s quest for curbing pollution and global warming will slowly start to show its effect soon. However, the strict deadline that the government has fixed for itself to get all-electric cars on the road by 2030 is a little too steep and would be interesting to see how the automakers go about it.
That said, if we consider the whole world at large while talking about affordable electric vehicles, we would be getting plenty on offer, most of them coming from top automobile markets. So here are the top 5 cheapest electric vehicles that you can buy in 2018.
Mahindra e-Verito
The Mahindra e-Verito continues to be the mainstay of India’s electric mobility and would continue to do so in 2018. Competitors from Tata in the form of the Tiago and Tigor EV are yet to be announced, which keeps the Mahindra electric car in the limelight.
Tata’s Jayem Neo
Just recently the news broke out that a Coimbatore-based company, Jayem Automobile, will be making an electric version of the Tata Nano and we already have the new Jayem Neo (Tata Nano electric) being offered to the Ola cab fleet in Chennai. The Jayem Neo will be offered to the public soon in 2018 and is set to be the cheapest electric car in India, just like the Tata Nano once did.
Nissan Leaf
The Nissan Leaf is a very popular car on a global platform. The 2018 Nissan Leaf has a more potent battery pack which can take it faster and further down the roads. The Leaf is definitely one of the top electric cars to feature on everyone’s wish list.
The 2018 Nissan Leaf will have a better battery and not just a bigger one. So the new 40kWh battery pack fits in the slot that earlier had a 30kWh unit. And guess what, the company claims a driving range of around 1510 miles on a single charge, which makes it way better than most EV.
Tata Tigor EV
Tata is already developing and preparing the electric Tata Tigor for the government. Hence, its just a couple of months before the Tigor EV gets to hit the roads. And once done, it won’t be long before it is offered to the public sector as well.
If the Tata Tigor EV is launched in India in 2018, it will surely be a cheaper alternative to the Mahindra e-Verito, and that was evident when the tender was allotted to Mahindra and Tata.
Hyundai Kona Electric
Hyundai Kona is a popular small SUVs around the world and with this reputation, the company will be introducing the electric version of this SUV in 2017. The electric Hyundai Kona has already been showcased at the 2017 Frankfurt Motor Show.
Also, we are expecting the Hyundai Kona electric to be showcased at the 2018 Geneva Motor Show before the launch at the second half of the year.
Electric cars are the future
The world is embracing electric mobility at a very rapid pace. There are several countries that have already made electric cars as mainstream along with the fuel/gas powered ones and have a powerful infrastructure to host this development.
Though all the markets might not have proper arrangements to host a full-fledged electric mobility wave, the development is on its way and many initiatives have already been taken. You can get more details about all the available models on Autoportal.com.