Tata Motors showcased the all-new HBX (Hornbill) concept at the 2020 Auto Expo earlier this year. While the production version of the HBX is scheduled to be launched by the end of this year or very early next year, Tata Motors will also launch an electric version of the car in the future. The Hornbill EV will be the most affordable vehicle from Tata’s line-up and will sit below the Nexon EV and upcoming Altroz EV. Here is a rendering that exactly shows what HBX EV will look like.
The rendering image on ElectricVehicleWeb, shows a rendering image that indicates what the upcoming car will look like in real life. Pratap Bose, the design head of Tata Motors has already commented that the HBX concept looks 95% similar to the production version. It means that the EV variant will also look extremely similar and will not have too many changes. We have already seen Tata turning their regular Nexon to an electric vehicle version and there are no many changes in the terms of looks. The manufacturer will follow a similar strategy for the HBX and the EV version too.
Since the electric vehicles do not have a combustion engine, they do not require air dams and grille to feed air to the engine bay. It allows manufacturers to eliminate the use of the grille completely and make the vehicle look very futuristic. Further, the HBX EV shown in the rendering image gets LED DRLs at the front while the main headlamp cluster is positioned down below just like the Tata Harrier. It adds a very aggressive look to the car.
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The Tata HBX Concept utilises the ALFA platform that also underpins the Altroz. This platform can be used in various ways and can also support electric cars. The details like the battery power and electric motor are not known yet but Tata is likely to offer a fair range of up to 250 km on the car. It will also get an option of fast charging and regular charging through ports at home. The car will also offer a range of connected features similar to the Nexon.
The price of the batteries used in electric cars is expected to come down in the future. This will ensure that electric cars do not cost as much as they do right now. With the cost coming down, they do seem like ideal vehicles for daily usage. Since EVs are much cheaper to maintain and use, they will become much more popular in the future.
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