Tata Punch EV real-world range revealed

The Tata Punch EV is the Indian automaker's latest EV and what's interesting here is that unlike the electric versions of the Nexon, the Tiago and the Tigor, this new Punch EV is based on Tata's gen 2 architecture which helps in maximising space efficiency. More importantly, Tata is claiming a driving range of 421km on a full charge for the long-range version. The real world paints a different picture though. Here is how the Punch EV performed in our comprehensive range test. As per our standard testing protocols, we started the range test in the standard drive mode when the car was turned on. In the case of the Punch EV, it's City drive mode and braking energy regen level at one. Meanwhile, the AC temperature was set between 21 and 23 degrees Celcius during the entire test. We drove the Punch EV within city limits for the majority of the test and the rest on the highway. All things considered, the Punch EV managed to cover a distance of 259.8km before the battery went completely dead and the car wouldn't move on its power. Here are some of the notable observations from the test. Firstly, there is a limp mode in every EV which kicks in when the battery charge drops below a certain level. For the Punch EV, it comes into play at 10 per cent at which point power delivery is reduced and so is maximum speed. The latter is capped at around 55kmph. What's interesting though is that the AC remains effective up until the battery is down to seven per cent charge. The final takeaway from the range test is that the Punch EV achieved 61 per cent of its claimed range which is 421km.