Ahead of the launch of Tesla’s electric cars in India, the manufacturer’s supercharger pods have arrived on our shores
American electric car manufacturer Tesla is all set to enter the Indian market soon. The company has already homologated four vehicles for our country, and it has been road testing the Model 3 and Model Y here. Tesla hasn’t yet provided a launch window for its EVs, but we expect them to go on sale sometime during 2022.
Before its EVs make their way to our market, Tesla’s superchargers have been spotted in India. The spy pictures show 150 kW charging pods (V2) with two plugs each (Type 2 and CCS2). Tesla would have to install charging stalls at their future buyers’ homes, obviously, so this isn’t really a surprise.
We don’t know if these are test units or customer units. If it is the latter case, this would indicate that Tesla EVs would likely go on sale in the coming months, i.e., early next year. This is just wishful thinking though; we expect more information to be revealed soon. Also, we’re not sure if Tesla has plans to set up an EV charging network across the country.
As stated earlier, Tesla has been road testing two EVs in India, namely Model 3 and Model Y. The former is an electric hatchback and currently the most affordable model in the brand’s lineup internationally, while the latter is an electric crossover. Although the government of India is pushing for local manufacturing, Tesla is planning to introduce these electric vehicles as CBU imports, at least initially.
The US-based EV manufacturer has been lobbying for lower taxes on imported EVs, in order to help make electric mobility more accessible to buyers in India. Other carmakers, like Hyundai and Audi, have also expressed support for lower taxes on fully imported electric vehicles.
The push for electrification is quite aggressive in India at the moment. Several EV startups have opened shop recently, with more to follow, and existing automakers are also dipping their toes in the electric mobility space. The electric two-wheeler market, in particular, has seen a lot of action this year.
Image credit: Tesla Club India