Tata Safari Spotted With Green Numberplates – Safari EV Incoming?

Tata Safari EV spied India feature

A Tata Safari EV was spotted recently on Indian roads, but this particular model seems to be the result of an aftermarket EV conversion

Tata Motors is currently the leader in the electric car market in India, thanks to Nexon EV and Tigor EV. The homegrown carmaker is planning to launch a few more electric cars in our country in the near future, including Curvv EV and the production version of Avinya. Speculations suggest that Tata Altroz EV and Punch EV could also launch soon.

Surprisingly, a Tata Safari EV was recently spied in Jodhpur, Rajasthan! The Safari SUV is currently the brand’s flagship passenger car, and its electric version would be quite an interesting proposition. However, before you get excited over it, this does not seem to be the manufacturer’s own test mule.

This particular model seems to have begun its life as a regular 2021 Tata Safari XZA+, with a 2.0-litre turbo-diesel under the hood. The green numberplates suggest that this now gets an RTO-approved electric powertrain. Perhaps this particular model sports a third-party electric conversion kit, but we’re not sure if the kit is in development or an already commercially-viable product.

Tata Safari EV spied India

EV conversion kits have been gaining popularity as well in recent years. Companies like GoGoA1 and Northway Motorsports are offering EV conversion kits for select two-wheelers, passenger cars, and even commercial vehicles. Offering one for a premium SUV would be a smart choice, especially with the age limit on ICE cars in the Delhi NCR region.

Developing an EV conversion kit is an extremely expensive process, so this likely isn’t a one-off model. We expect more information to be available soon, and the EV kit will likely have some impressive specifications. The SUV doesn’t feature any other noticeable design changes over the stock SUV.

This doesn’t seem to be Tata’s own test model as it doesn’t have red numberplates. That said, we do expect the brand to introduce electric counterparts to Harrier and Safari SUVs in the future, inspired by the Avinya concept.

Picture credit: @thatguywithweirdusername