Tata Punch EV BaaS Explained: Price, Payment Plan

For a long time, Tata Motors has been the best-selling brand as far as electric cars are concerned. To stay ahead in the race, the Indian carmaker introduced the BaaS scheme with one of its best-selling electric cars, the Tata Punch EV. With BaaS, the Punch EV is a significantly more affordable electric car than its counterpart (without the BaaS unit). If you want a Punch EV with BaaS, here is a detailed description of the Tata Punch EV BaaS, including the price and payment plans.

What is BaaS?

BaaS, which is short for Battery as a Service, is a business model wherein you can buy an electric car and use its battery as a paid service on a rental basis. Meanwhile, the service provider ensures the proper battery maintenance and replacement if required. So, instead of owning the most expensive part of your electric car, its battery, you use it as a service. This is why it is called Battery as a Service.

In the BaaS model, there are two ways to use the battery as a Service. One is swapping a discharged battery with a fully charged one at the swapping station. However, this method is generally used for commercial electric vehicles. Second is paying a monthly fee to the service provider to use the battery. The monthly fee depends on the number of kilometres you plan to drive your electric vehicle in a month.

Tata Punch EV BaaS Prices

So far, Tata has revealed the BaaS price of only the base Smart variant of the Tata Punch EV. With BaaS, the Punch EV Smart with a 30 kWh battery pack costs Rs. 6.49 lakh + Rs. 2.6/km. However, Tata charges for a minimum monthly running of 1,800 km. Therefore, you have to pay at least Rs. 2.6 X 1,800 = Rs. 4,680 every month. Moreover, to drive 1,800 km in a 30-day month, you need to drive 60 km every single day.

Moreover, a key point is that the per-kilometre charge does not include RTO tax, Insurance, TCS, or other statutory taxes. You will have to pay taxes on the full vehicle value because the battery is part of your vehicle.

Value Additions

The Tata Punch EV comes with the following benefits:

• Lifetime warranty on the battery pack for the first owner. However, if the car is resold, the warranty is reduced to 8 years / 1,60,000 km for the second owner. Note that the 8 years / 1,60,000 km is calculated from the day the vehicle was bought as a brand-new model.
• The standard vehicle warranty – 3 years or 1,25,000 km (whichever is earlier).
• Assured buyback value: 60 percent of the car’s value after 3-years, or 40 percent of the car’s value after 5-years. The assured buyback is available on a payment basis with BaaS.
•  A free 3.3 kW charger, while a 7.2 kW wall box AC fast charger is available at an additional cost.

Final Thoughts

Tata has taken a progressive step by introducing the Tata Punch EV with BaaS. With BaaS, the Punch EV is an appealing deal for budget-conscious buyers looking for a premium electric compact SUV. All the same, while weighing up the Punch EV with BaaS, it is important to estimate your monthly running costs, as Tata charges a minimum monthly fee for 1,800 km. So, you benefit the most with Tata Punch EV BaaS only if you drive around 60 km every day.

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