How Did Tata Harrier.EV Pull A 23 Ton Tank: Explained [Video]
Tata Motors has managed to impress a lot of people with the launch of the Harrier.ev. Recently, during the promotional event of this electric SUV organised at the Buddha International Circuit, one of the most impressive feats performed by the Harrier.ev was that it managed to easily pull a 23-ton bulletproof tank. Now, if you are a Tata fan, then you might be wondering how this incredible stunt took place. Well, here's the explanation for it.
In the viral clip, a Tata Harrier.ev prototype can be seen pulling a WHAP 8X8, which, for those who may not be aware, has been developed jointly by Tata Advanced Systems Limited (TASL) and the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) of India. We can note that the Harrier.ev was effortlessly pulling this armoured vehicle, which weighs in the range of 23–27 tons.
How did the Harrier.ev pull this armoured vehicle?
To the untrained eye, the above stunt of pulling this extremely heavy armoured vehicle may seem super impressive. However, when we take a deeper dive, it becomes clear that this feat is not as astonishing as it has been presented. The main reason behind this is that the 23–27-ton armoured vehicle seen in the video is not an actual tank, which uses metal tracks.
Rather, the WHAP 8X8 uses rubber tyres, and it is an amphibious vehicle which can be driven on road and also can float and propel through water. So, according to calculations, the rolling resistance on a 23-ton armoured vehicle on rubber tyres is around 1580 N. And the minimum power to pull this vehicle and drive at the speed of 20 kmph or 5.56 meters per second is just 11.78 horsepower.
Even if the speed is raised to 30 kmph or 8.33 meters per second, the power needed will be 17.7 hp. This means that even a vehicle like the Tata Nano, which was the least powerful four-wheeler in India with 38 hp, can pull this armoured vehicle. (Suddenly this stunt seems very stupid, right?)
The only thing impressive in this stunt is the Wheeled Armoured Platform (WHAP) 8X8. As stated, it is an amphibious vehicle which comes equipped with wheels and an all-wheel-drive system. It is capable of driving on roads as well as floating on water. The WHAP 8X8 comes powered by a 600 hp water-cooled diesel engine and can reach a top speed of 100 kmph on road, and its range is around 500–600 km.
It can carry a driver, a commander, and 10 personnel. As for the protection, it gets STANAG Level 4, which protects it against 14.5 mm armor-piercing rounds, artillery shell splinters, and mine blasts. The WHAP 8X8 also comes with a 30 mm automatic cannon and a co-axial 7.62 mm machine gun. It can also be equipped with smoke grenade launchers and optional anti-tank guided missile (ATGM) launchers.
Tata Harrier.ev
As for the impressive stuff from the Tata Harrier.ev, the main highlight of this electric SUV is that it is an all-wheel-drive vehicle. The SUV comes powered by a dual-motor setup making 313 PS and 504 Nm of peak torque. A video showing the brute force generated, leading to its quick 0–100 kmph acceleration time of 6.3 seconds, was shared online. In this clip, the Harrier.ev was able to pull off a tablecloth without letting any cutlery on the table fall.