There are two electric vehicle models under the ₹30 lakh ex-showroom price in the Indian market that are mildly off-road capable: the Tata Harrier EV’s Fearless+ QWD 75 variant and the Mahindra BE 6’s Batman Edition. The former one is available with the ex-showroom price of ₹26.49 lakh and the latter with the cost of ₹28.49 lakh. Let’s have a closer look at each of these mid-off-road EV cars.
Tata Harrier EV’s Fearless+ QWD 75
The Harrier EV’s Fearless+ QWD 75 from Tata Motors comes with two electric motors on each axle: one on the front axle is an induction motor that acts as a secondary motor, and the second one on the rear axle is a permanent magnet synchronous motor, which is the primary motor with a single-speed automatic transmission and features an all-wheel-drive drivetrain.
Its combined power output of both electric motors is 235 bhp, and peak torque is 504 Nm, which helps the vehicle to accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h in 6.3 seconds. It can reach the maximum speed of 180 km/h. Equipped with a 75 kWh lithium-ion battery pack, which gives the ARAI-certified range of 622 km. Support a DC charger up to 120 kW that takes 20 minutes for 10 to 80 percent charging.
Besides the all-wheel drive configuration, the features that make it an off-road sport utility vehicle are the three terrain responses that are Rough, Sand, and Rock Crawl. The first one is tailored for the deep mud trails, waterlogged ruts, and clay-heavy tracks; the second for loose desert sand dunes and riverbeds; and the third for steep, jagged rocky surfaces, river crossings, and extreme broken obstacles.
It comes with a 600 mm water wading depth, meaning the vehicle can easily pass waterlogging of up to 60 centimeters thanks to the high-grade IP67 dust and water protection ratings and Ultra-Glide Suspension, featuring independent multi-link in the rear to ensure smooth driving even in rough terrain.
Mahindra BE 6’s Batman Edition
The BE 6’s Batman Edition from Mahindra & Mahindra gets a permanent magnet synchronous motor with single-speed automatic transmission in the rear axle, featuring a rear-wheel-drive drivetrain. The PMSM generates the power of 282 bhp and 380 Nm, which make the 0 to 100 km/h acceleration possible in just 6.7 seconds, and its maximum speed is 202 km/h.
Equipped with a 79 kWh lithium-ion battery pack giving the ARAI-certified range of 683 km, it supports DC chargers up to 140 kW, which take 20 minutes for 0 to 80 percent charging. Inside, the dashboard is equipped with a Qualcomm 8295 Snapdragon chipset-powered dual 12.3-inch display and a 16-speaker Harman Kardon premium sound system.
Despite being a RWD configuration vehicle, compared to the Tata Harrier EV’s Fearless+ QWD 75, it generates 47 bhp more power, which helps overcome the heavy resistance and clear steep obstacles, and 120 Nm less, meaning it may struggle to overcome obstacles if running at low speed.
Features that make it off-road capable are a ground clearance of 207 mm, which is quite high and helps in easily passing the rough terrain, and semi-active suspension, which absorbs heavy bumps efficiently and prevents the chassis from bottoming out on rough roads.
Also features Hill Hold & Descent Control, which prevents the vehicle from rolling back on an incline and also ensures safe braking on a downslope; and a 360-Degree Camera View that helps in spotting hidden rocks around the front bumper.