Jayem E-Neo Spied — Looks identical to the Tata Nano

Remember the Tata Nano-based Jayem E-Neo electric car, the development of which started about 3 years ago?

Well, it was spotted in its completed form earlier this year before COVID-19 poked its head into India and the dreaded lockdowns were enforced.

Several months have passed and the Jayem E-Neo has been spotted again. The undisguised unit was seen driving about at Akurdi, Pune. Looking exactly like the Nano, the EV had a fully-digital centrally-mounted instrument cluster.

Originally intended for fleet operations in the country (400 units of the car were supposed to be handed over to Ola Electric), mostly for last-mile connectivity, the EV is a product of a partnership between Tata Motors and Jayem Automotives.

As part of their agreement, Tata Motors supplies Nano body shells to Jayem Automotives which then assembles them and fits an electric drivetrain to make it the E-Neo.

The car has a 48 V electric system, a 17.7 kWh battery pack that powers a 17 kW (23 HP) electric motor. With the battery topped up, the EV can do 203 km (max) which reduces to 140 km if all seats are occupied. The top speed is limited to 85 km/hr.

With the government bullish about promoting electric cars, and with the popularity of EVs rising everyday, the Jayem E-Neo, if launched, could well become the most affordable electric car on sale in India and sell in decent numbers.

Hopefully it will make its market debut in 2021. However, until an official confirmation comes from Jayem Automotives, nothing is concrete.