Upgrading TATA NANO (World's Cheapest Car)

Wishing for others to fulfill your dreams leads me to boredom.

Get up from that screen and do something about it.

I am 66. I offer my small workshop in New Delhi for any one to work on this project

Bravo! It is good to hear from people with a positive outlook.
I get a bit tired hearing people from a nation which fought toth and nail against the introduction of seatbelts now whingeing about India trying to produce a car for it's masses.

Oh and what was that American car that caught fire if you kicked it up the back end?

Del

"After hitting a wall at 40mph, the vehicle pirouetted around its axis by about 150 degrees and skidded a couple of metres to the left. Its nose folded like a cardboard box, wrapping around the dummy in the driver's seat. The right-hand wheel burst through the floor of the vehicle, crushing the dummy's legs. By the time the car had come to a standstill, the right wrist of the driving dummy was protruding from the burst intersection between the windscreen and side windows."

A person would not have survived the crash.....

http://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2014/jan/31/tata-nano-safety-crash-test-results

Yes I had alread read that .... I can click on links and read, even with these paws.

Of course some countries have some catching up to do, but maybe the answer isn't to produce heavier and heavier cars that look like brick outhouses and guzzle fuel.
Chill out for pities sake. No one is making you buy a Nano same as no one is forcing me to buy a fatuous 4WD SUV.
What is appropriate in one market isn't appropriate in another.
'Patronising' is a nice word boys an girls, can we all spell 'patronising'?

Del

Oh yes the Pinto, that's the one.... wonder if that was better or worse than a Nano in a rear end? (unsubscribes)

Meee...Oouwww

What is that old proverb?...

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"...Cats who live under the British Crown shouldn't fling litter at the country that produced the Pinto..."

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...or words to that effect. And if you consider some of the vehicles produced in the British Commonwealth and the Crown Dependencies, the logic behind that proverb is downright unassailable.

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Bricklin SV-1 (Canada)

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Isetta (built in England among other places)

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Peel Trident (Isle of Man)

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Reliant Robin (England)

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Austin miniMetro (England)

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Austin Maestro (England)

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Bond Bug (England)

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Triumph TR7

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Need we go on?

Reminds me of some of the cars I've owned. The only way to get parts was to find another one of the same model and follow it around.

'Patronising' is a nice word boys an girls, can we all spell 'patronising'?

Not the same way, some of us spell it with a 'z'.

That's a great start but offering your workshop to an international forum that is based on the opposite side of the planet from where the Tata Nano is fabricated is not at all practical. [Particularly since some of us get a little grumpy at times. ]

Contact either a local school or Nano enthusiasts club with your offer of a workshop and your dream. As you find one complication or another in this project come back to us for some advice. [I promise to be less grumpy with my advice.]

Good Luck

Nano enthusiast?

"...Somebody even made a stretched Yugo.

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I suspect a Yugo undergoes a little plastic deformation in tension any time it is driven.... perhaps even just parked. It might not be unfair to say that every Yugo has been stretched.

Why not contact "students of an engineering school" and pose your wish to them.

There's a saying here in the USA, "wish in one hand and .... in the other and see which one fills up first". If you know how to use a search engine, you can fill in the blanks.

If you want something done, get started doing it. Don't wish for it!

You want to build an electric death trap? Why?

"In 2014 a Nano was crashed for NCAP by ADAC in Germany. Despite Tata's claim that it was expecting 4 stars, the Nano actually achieved zero stars.^[40]"

You meant "seeing" 4 stars?

the battery is worth more than 5 of these cars

What about getting some inspiration from the Reva ? It is smaller than the Nano and is an electric car.

It would certainly qualify as a 'death trap' by western standards, where 40 mph is considered a cruising speed. With indian city traffic averaging 5 mph, you can go ahead with your dream. i own a Nano, and the inner space is amazing. Notwithstanding the (justified, perhaps) criticisms here and elsewhere, i love the car. A marvelous piece of engineering.

"... by western standards, where 40 mph is considered a cruising speed..."

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I'm not sure 40 mph is fast enough to be cruising speed....maybe, but just barely if it is. The cruise control on some cars can't be set below a certain speed, somewhere in that general vicinity.

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Does city traffic in India really average just 5 mph over appreciable amounts of time with the exception of severe traffic jams?....or is it always a severe traffic jam?

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Regular 5mph traffic would have me opt for a bicycle or motorcycle or horse.

OK, it was perhaps an exaggeration, but my intention was to bring things into perspective...

1. i use my Nano for city driving. i hire a cab when going out of town. i have seen youngsters drive the Nano on highways too, maybe @60 mph. i wouldn't dare, but then i am 70 years old.

2. There are head-on crashes everyday here, usually on intercity highways. Fatalities are normal, regrettably, mainly due to lack of discipline in driving. However, as many fatalities occur in SUVs (Toyota, Mercedes, BMW, Audi etc) as in small cars like the Nano.

3. Indians are philosophical about such things, leaving whatever happens to the supreme being above, rather than trusting safe vehicles and disciplined driving. i would go inter-city by car only if it is unavoidable.

i just want to encourage the OP somewhat. Please excuse me....

I didn't intend to suggest I was offended, and I certainly didn't intend to chastise. I haven't been to India, and I was just curious if you were speaking literally or if there was some hyperbole in there.

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I appreciate your clarification.

Gosh, no, i did not take it as a criticism. Sorry if i came across as if i did... unfamiliarity with the nuances of a foreign language you see. i cherish my new-found friends on CR4, and have always been very cordially treated. Thank you all.

Pity that you haven't seen India, you must visit if an opportunity arises, you will be most welcome. It is a beautiful country, of many hues, a rich and ancient culture, sometimes humorous contradictions ... (like this godman with a cellphone..perhaps a direct line to God?)

I'd like to visit India. Something like a cross country train trip, like in the movie The Darjeeling Limited is appealing.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rdHkRkwJvww

Now you know why crash testing is the least of our worries

Anyway. we are in good company. Here is a cameo from Paris, France. One of my favourite cities.. Paris traffic

However, disciplined traffic seems to have its own problems too..

Chinese traffic jam

Reminds me of a murmuration of starlings; there seems to be a degree of agreeable coordination.

Probably harrowing for non-local drivers, but in comparison to some other cities, it looks down-right civilized.....I'm thinking of the traffic in Rome specifically. I'm not sure even the seasoned locals ever get used to the wild traffic....at least that is what I gathered from the bewildered look on the taxi drivers face, when just after negotiating a harrowing traffic circle, I suggested "Un po 'più veloce, per favore?' (A little faster, please). He seemed quite relieved when he realized I was joking around.

I appreciate your idea. In fact my idea was to combine, Nano's body, Reva's elecrical and electronics and Li-ion battery packs like those in Tesla "Tesla does not use single-purpose, larger format cells. Tesla uses thousands of lithium-ion 18650 commodity cells. 18650 cells are small, cylindrical battery cells, which are usually found in laptops and other consumer electronics devices. (quoted from wiki)" . In fact chinese equivalent of 18650 cells are very economical, readily available, and almost equally good.

My initial idea was to convert Nano into a hybrid (like Toyota Prius), but looking at the technological success of Tesla, I thought why not leap frog. Tesla, if successful (which I doubt - due to kind of resistance it is facing in USA - from auto industry, distributors network and politicians - and I think they will be soon joined by Saudi Arabia, because that country will become pauper if gasoline goes out of business) will be a game changer. Since you are in Bangalore, an innovative city, discuss it with like minded persons. I am prepared to chip in some resources (including some money). We can approach Mr. Ratan Tata. After all it is his inspiration which brought Nano and recently its upgraded version with power steering.

i regret that i don't know anyone in the automotive sector. Moreover, Tatas are supposed to be doing something on this. While i appreciate your enthusiasm, i must say that in this field which requires approvals from everyone and his brother, only a very, very large company can do something. However, my best wishes to you and may you succeed in finding someone who shares your vision.

philosophical...

Sorry it is not anything other than Safety comes LAST and increasing the figure on the bank passbook is the FIRST.

Why would you think a very high paid officer drive his two wheeler when he has a car, to his closeby office. Saving, saving and saving.

Gajanan Phadte