Mahindra claims 50 paise/km running cost for e2o

  • Mar 19, 2013
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Mahindra's e2o to bring down running cost to 50 paise per kilometre

Mahindra e2o

Nine years after the country's first electric car REVAi, Mahindra Reva has launched a second generation four-seat hatchback called the e2o that it says will bring down the running cost to 50 paise per kilometre. 

"It's a world class innovation. Electric cars are not new to the world, but the e2o is the embodiment of the shift to the new league for the Indian automotive industry. It also shows that markets like China and India would be a tipping point for such world class technologies of the future," said Mahindra & Mahindra Group chairman Anand Mahindra at the launch. 

Mahindra Reva, a part of the $15.9 billion Mahindra Group, priced the e2o at Rs 5.96 lakh (on road price) in the national capital on Monday. The car would be sold in eight major cities in the initial phase. Mahindra Reva aims to sell around 400-500 cars in the Indian market each month. The company claims that driving e2o for an average distance of 1,200 km/month would lead to savings worth Rs 70,000 every year. 

"The customers would get huge incremental benefits on running the electric car. Besides cutting down on harmful emissions, the running cost would be as low as 50 paise per kilometre," Pawan Goenka chairman of Mahindra Reva Electric Vehicle, said. 

Since it launched the REVAi in 2004, the Reva Electricity Car Company, which changed its name to Reva Mahindra after the Mahindra Group acquired a majority stake in 2010, has managed to sell all of 2,500 cars so far. The company is hoping this time around more customers will be drawn to this emission-free and eco-friendly car attracted by the incentives state governments offer. 

Mahindra e2o

In Delhi, the electric car carries a 29% rebate in the form of VAT and sales tax exemption along with a 50% exemption to road tax given by the state government to popularise sale of such emission-free vehicles. This helps compensate for the higher ticket price of the car.

Giving his take on the future of the car, Sumit Arora, associate director, Synovate Motoresearch, a global market research firm said, "It may not be the right time for the success of a pure electric car in India. The lack of charging infrastructure and power scarcity may make it unviable car for potential customers. Adding to it, the 'range anxiety' of limited driving options on a full-charged battery would add to the woes of such customers. 

Companies have been working to make it a success and I believe that Mahindra's must be working to put the right environment in place to provide power backup and other option for the success of e2o." 

The e2o uses next generation lithium-ion batteries that allow the car to cover a distance of 100 km per at full charge with a top speed of 82km/hour. 

Like all electric models the world over, the e2o uses a battery pack that requires charging from an external power source. It can be plugged to a 15-ampere power socket - that's like charging a mobile phone. The car would be fully charged in around five hours ideally consuming 10 units of electricity. The e2o will replace the REVAi compact that has been phased out.

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