Tata Motors' unveiles all-electric versions of the Ace and Indica

Tata Motors has confirmed that the rumors of an all-electric Tata Ace and the all-electric Tata Indica are true. In an unveiling in India this past week, the company took the wraps off of two lithium-ion battery-powered EV prototypes based on the Ace work truck and the Indica sedan (pictured). As we heard earlier this year, the Indica EV will first be sold in the Norweigian market next year because the Scandanavian country "has the necessary infrastructure in place to run electric cars which India lacks," as Tata Motors President Ravi Kant put it. Indians will get their own chance to buy the car in about 24 months. According to the Business-Standard, the all-electric Indica has two battery packs which can charge in eight hour and go around 110-120 miles on a charge.

Better Place all-electric Renault delayed?

Bad news for fans of the Better Place plan - maybe. According to a report on an Israeli business website, Renault executives at a conference in Geneva have said that the electric car bound for Israel, to be franchised by Shai Agassi's Better Place, will be delayed by a year. However, the website also states 2011 as the new launch date which is basically when Renault has originally said it would happen. Perhaps it is just a matter of it happening at year's end rather than the beginning. No reason for the delay was mentioned but, if real, it could have something to do with newly-announced cost-cutting measures that will see the departure of 6,000 Renault employees. Of course, it might just be that the company already has its hands full preparing the six different liquid-fueled Megane III models it says will be available. Based on a slightly lengthened 2010 Megane III (pictured above), the electric version of the car was to be sold in other countries as well. Hopefully the French automaker won't wait too long to deliver on its earlier promise. Israel is a relatively small market and there are other electric car competitors getting ready to grab up precious market share.

BMW CEO confirms city car with electric option

From user omolody on Flickr.

We've heard consistent rumors since last year that BMW was considering entering the tiny car market with a new electric car. This entire time, BMW was to decide on the fate of the city EV by the end of the year, and it seems that they have. BMW CEO Norbert Reithofer has confirmed that the Bavarian automaker will indeed go smaller, though we are not so sure it will wear the blue and white badge. Rather, the new vehicle could wear the Isetta badge made popular on microcars from the past. "It'll be a car with a completely new look, with two engines available. One will be a very efficient combustion engine and the other will be a purely electric model," says Reithofer. Speculation is that the electric model will get over 200 miles per charge. We don't know what internal combustion engine is slated for the Isetta, but BMW has plenty of experience with small and efficient engines from its Motorrad division. We like the way this is going.