Tata Tigor EV Owner Saves Rs 5.4 Lakh By Repairing Battery Instead Of Replacement
Car buyers in India, despite the increasing penetration of electric vehicles in the market, are still skeptical about a few concerns. Of these, one of the biggest is the cost of battery repair and replacement. Generally, the battery of an electric vehicle is the most crucial and expensive part, and if it needs to be replaced, it can cause a huge hole in the pocket. Recently, one such Tata Tigor.ev owner was quoted Rs 6 lakh for a battery replacement for his hatchback. However, instead of paying that amount, he got it repaired for Rs 55,000.
Recently, an owner of a Tata Tigor.ev faced a serious issue with his car. What happened was that his vehicle became immovable and was taken to the Tata Motors dealership. He was then told that the battery of this Tigor.ev was now dead and would need a complete replacement. They then proceeded to quote him Rs 6 lakh for the battery replacement.
Soon after, the owner of this particular Tata Tigor.ev took his vehicle to Yanti, an AI-powered EV Battery Intelligence and Revival start-up founded by Romesh Gupta. The company helps EV owners with battery diagnostics, rejuvenation, and optimization using data-driven insights to help restore battery performance.
As per the founder and managing director, Romesh Gupta of Yanti, on day 1, the vehicle was brought to Yanti, and they ran an isolated test on the battery. For this, the battery pack of the vehicle was isolated from the car to make sure that it was safe to work on it. After this, it was found that the internal string voltages of the battery showed signs of life.
The team at Yanti also noted that there was a severe imbalance between the cell groups, which was the probable root cause of the battery's malfunction. This imbalance was causing charging irregularities that led to the “Zero volts” reading at the charging port.
On days 2 and 3, the team started performing controlled charging on the affected cells. The voltage on the cells was gradually increased to 76.65V across a 21-cell string. It was then found that there were no abnormal heating or thermal events, which indicated that there was a stable recovery.
Following this, on days 4 and 5, the team at Yanti started the active balancing process. For this, they used a 15A active balancer, which is a device that equalizes voltage across the cell groups. This step helped in correcting the discrepancies and ensuring uniform voltage levels across the battery pack. Each cell was then brought to its designated upper cut-off voltage.
The battery pack was then allowed to rest for a period to ensure thermal stability. It was later rechecked for voltage drift, which was found to be at normal levels. Then, on days 6 and 7, the battery was tested for its capacity. Yanti was able to achieve an 84 percent recovery rate, which means that the repaired battery regained 84 percent of its original capacity.
Finally, the battery was reconnected to the car’s battery management system (BMS). It then underwent a series of real-world performance tests under various driving and charging conditions. It was reported that the battery cleared all performance benchmarks and was deemed fit for continued use.
The initial cost of the battery replacement quoted by Tata Motors was Rs 6 lakh. However, the entire repair was done by Yanti for Rs 55,000, which helped the owner save Rs 5.4 lakh. This case shows that battery revival and repair are viable alternatives to full replacement in certain scenarios. Such repairs help in extending battery life, reducing waste, and improving the affordability of EVs.
It has to be noted that there are a few things owners opting for such battery repairs should keep in mind. The first is that if the battery and vehicle are under warranty, getting them repaired from Yanti or other companies could void the warranty. Also, if the battery after the repair catches fire or fails, the manufacturer will deny any liability.