Auto Expo 2014: Mahindra Group on full charge with EVs

Mahindra & Mahindra seems fully charged on its electric future and after the e2o rollout last year, it has now revealed an electric version of its Verito saloon. The electric Verito takes seven hours to charge fully and just an hour for a fast charge. On full charge, the car can go a claimed 80km and reach a top speed of 85kph. Importantly, this is not simply a concept and Mahindra is expected to launch it in India in the near future, making it the first proper Indian saloon to have electric propulsion. 

Commenting upon the Mahindra Group’s focus to shape the future of mobility, Chetan Maini, CEO, Mahindra Reva Electric Vehicles, said, “l firmly believe that Mahindra is on the cusp of a huge breakthrough in shaping the way we will commute in the 21st century. Electric is undoubtedly the paradigm of the future and Mahindra Reva stands committed to a cleaner environment for the future generations."

Along with the green Verito, emphasizing the Mahindra Group’s growing electric footprint is a clutch of electric vehicles at its stand at the Auto Expo. These include a next-generation two-door sports concept car called Halo, a new variant of the e2o with Quick2Charge technology, and an electric variant of the Maxximo small commercial vehicle.

The Halo, which has been built in India and designed at the Mahindra Reva studio, is Mahindra’s technology demonstrator for the electric global car market. It has a claimed 0-100kph time of less than 8 seconds, a top speed of 160kph and a range of 200km. This next-gen EV gets advanced safety features, dual touchscreen infotainment system and high end connectivity.

Mahindra Reva plans to launch the Halo in both the Indian and international markets and the company will be conducting several market research studies in India and in Europe to gauge customer reaction for an all-electric sports car. The Halo won’t be cheap and the production version is likely to cost Rs. 30-35 lakh when it goes on sale sometime in 2015-16.  

And making its presence felt in the Mahindra Pavilion is the company’s Formula-E Car, which will participate in the FIA-sponsored Formula-E Championship starting in September 2014. The Formula E, which is a new FIA championship featuring Formula cars powered solely by electricity, is expected to serve as a critical platform for R&D into future sustainable electric vehicles.

Photograph (L-R): M&M’s Dr Pawan Goenka, P N Shah, Rajan Wadhera and Chetan Maini with the Halo sportscar in the Mahindra pavilion.