Tata Punch.EV Recalled To Fix Rear Brake Problem
Tata Motors launched the facelifted Punch.EV in India in February this year. Available in five broad trims, it now has a starting price of Rs 9.69 lakh, ex-showroom. The electric SUV has since been selling well here. The latest reports indicate that Tata Motors has silently issued a recall for the new Punch.EV to fix an issue with its rear brakes.
This information comes from a Team BHP discussion thread. In it, a user who owns the new Punch, says that he has received communication from Tata Motors regarding the recall. ‘Tata has issued a recall for the new batch of Punch.EV 2.0 models’- he says. The user further explains that the recall aims at replacing the rear brake caliper and related components, urgently.
This owner says that the dealer wanted to fix the brake-related issues during the first free service. The staff couldn’t complete the same then due to the owner’s busy schedule. Since then, the dealer has been calling the owner, reminding him of the urgent nature of the recall and the replacement.
We haven’t received any official communication from Tata Motors about this recall and are not sure as to how many vehicles are affected by the same. The actual nature of the issue remains unclear. All we know is that it has to do with the rear brakes.
Speculations suggest that the current rear brakes on the facelift may not be strong enough to hold the car when parked on inclines with the parking brake engaged and the recall could be trying to address the same.
The Nexon EV used to have such issues in its early phase adds more credibility to these guesses. An official comment from the manufacturer will likely give us more clarity in the coming days.
It is interesting to note that the ‘urgent recall’ comes within a few months of the car’s market debut and at a time when Tata Motors is quite active with its promotional campaigns.
The new Tata Punch.EV is available with Battery-as-a-Service (BaaS) option, which brings the upfront cost down to Rs 6.49 lakh, ex-showroom, for the base variant. Under this scheme, the battery rent would be Rs 2.6 per kilometre.
On the design front, the new Punch.EV gets subtle updates. It gets a revised front fascia- new bumper, redesigned trims, lighting and more. The new Punch.EV rides on 16-inch alloy wheels and also gets new exterior colours. The rear now gets new connected LED tail lamps, and a restyled bumper. The facelift has a ground clearance of 195 mm and water wading capacity of 450mm.
The interior retains the familiar dashboard layout and comes with a dual-tone colour scheme. It gets new trims and finishes for a more upmarket feel.
Higher variants come equipped with features like a 10.25-inch touchscreen, 10.25-inch digital driver’s display, ventilated front seats, wireless charging, connected car technology, 360-degree camera, and more. The safety quite is also quite solid.
The facelift is offered with two battery packs 30kWh and 40kWh, both larger than those of the model it replaced. The 40 kWh unit uses prismatic cells for increased packaging efficiency. In both versions, the car comes with a single front-mounted electric motor. The 40kWh battery has an ARAI range of 468km per charge while the smaller battery is rated at 365km.
The electric motor is capable of making 129hp and 154Nm on the 40kWh variant. The smaller battery version has an output of 88hp and 154Nm. The more powerful version is claimed to do the 0-100 kph sprint in under 9 seconds. Fast charging support has also been improved. 20-80 percent charging teakes just 26 minutes over a 65kW charger.