Tesla Model 3 Launch in India Delayed

Source: Auto Car India

Due to Tesla Model 3's lack of ground clearance to deal with India's poor roads, Tesla's Model 3 electric vehicle (EV) may not be the company's first automobile to be launched in the country. Road testing has shown that the Model 3's 140 mm ground clearance is insufficient to clear several of India's speed breakers.

The Model 3 apparently bottomed out on 160 of the 200-speed bumps it attempted to pass, according to the Indian arm of IDIADA Automotive Technology, which tested it. As a result, the engineering firm has advised Tesla to re-engineer the Model 3's suspension to improve ground clearance to 165 mm, a 25-mm increase.

Surprisingly, ground clearance–or the lack thereof–is nearly universal among electric vehicles that place their hefty battery packs low. On speed breakers, the Mercedes-Benz EQC scrapes its belly, and we saw the same thing with the Tata Nexon EV on a moderate off-road path. While both of those electric vehicles are SUVs, the Tesla Model 3 is a sedan.

The problem is exacerbated by customized EVs like the Model 3, which are developed around larger wheelbases to take advantage of the packaging freedom that electric vehicle designs provide. Low clearance and a lengthy wheelbase combine to provide a bad ramp break-over angle, which isn't ideal on India's terrible road surfaces.

Air suspension is available on higher-end Tesla cars, such as the Model X crossover, which allows you to adjust the ride height at the press of a button. The Audi e-Tron and e-Tron Sportback are the only EVs on the market in India that comes with air suspension as standard, while the Jaguar I-Pace provides it as an optional extra.

As a result of this development, the Model Y crossover might be the first Tesla to be imported into India. One of the four models undergoing homologation for the Indian market is the Model Y. That's all for this post. Stay tuned to CERadar for more such content.