Mahindra Reva Electric Vehicles has introduced a new electric vehicle, the Mahindra e2o, priced at 596,000 rupees (about $11,000) after the government subsidy.
The Mahindra e2o replaces company’s previous electric vehicle model, a two-seater called REVAi and will be the most cost efficient car to own in India.
Mahindra e2o will be produced at Mahindra Reva’s recently inaugurated plant in Bangalore, which has a production capacity of 30,000 cars per year.
The Mahindra e2o is an electric vehicle designed as an urban mobility solution for a sustainable zero-emission society and gains relevance in the face of issues like environmental degradation, pollution related health concerns, climate change, energy security and rising oil prices, all of which plague communities globally.
Powered by next generation lithium–ion batteries and a 3 phase induction electric motor; the Mahindra e2o is fully automatic and designed for city driving. This means no changing of gears in bumper-to-bumper traffic. With a small turning radius, it makes every sharp turn a delight. Its unique hill-hold feature frees you of any anxiety when driving up inclines. Special ABS body panels, make it dent and scratch resistant.
All of this is coupled with enough interior space to accommodate four adults and a driving range of 100 km (62 miles) per charge which is enough to satisfy the needs of the most discerning customer. The car’s top speed is in the 81 km/h (50 mph).
The Connected car technology of Mahindra e2o is a unique synthesis of energy, mobility and connectivity and it has multiple industry leading firsts to its credit. The entire genesis of this is the control interface for the vehicle, which can be made available on any smartphone device by merely downloading an application. The application then gives the customer the power to remotely manage several functions of the Mahindra e2o.
For example the smartphone application can help lock the car by simply sending it a lock command and activate the car’s air-conditioning remotely. The trip planner in the application integrates the distance to empty information from the Mahindra e2o into the maps and help plan each journey with the current charge.
With 10 on board computers, the Mahindra e2o provides real time feedback of all the vehicle’s functions does a daily heart beat check of the vital systems and sends alerts if anything has to be fixed.
Apart from telling you that your Mahindra e2o is locked or that the cabin is at a pre-set temperature with the air conditioning turned on, the Mahindra e2o is also capable of telling you that you have forgotten to switch on the mains to charge the car, in spite of plugging it in. Furthermore, this intelligent EV is capable of monitoring how efficiently you drive and can even provide details of your drive efficiency over the past six days in graphical form. The Mahindra e2o congratulates you when you achieve 100% driving efficiency and also give tips on improving the efficiency.
The Mahindra e2o can charge from any 15A power socket available in any home. With just 5 hours required for fully charging your Mahindra e2o – your trusted car will be ready to be driven over 100 km (62), more than enough for the average daily commute.
With the patented REVive technology there are no more range anxieties. In the rare event of running low on charge, you can use the app on the smart phone to remotely activate the reserve energy that can get you going again.
The Mahindra e2o comes with a 15.5 cm (6.2 in.) touch screen, with factory fitted GPS navigation system, radio, DVD, Blue tooth and I-pod connectivity. Locating a place or directions to the nearest charging point is now at your finger tips.
The full digital cluster, electrically operated wing mirrors, keyless entry & start/stop button, projector head lamps, LED tail lamps, reverse camera, 4 JBL speakers & 2 tweeters makes the features of the Mahindra e2o comparable to most high end cars.
The regenerative braking feature in the Mahindra e2o also pumps energy back into the car’s batteries and charges them every time you slow down or apply the brakes.
The stylish Mahindra e2o will be available in six attractive colours – Arctic Silver, Coral Blue, Eco Green, Oceanic White, Spanish Red and Sunfire Yellow.
Mahindra Reva has also worked hard to create a sustainable technology ecosystem for EV’s, proof of which is the host of technologies created by the company, inspired directly by its vision of the future of mobility. The ‘Sun2Car’ technology, which has been developed through the creation of personal solar charging units, provides the user with sufficient energy to power an EV for life, making it a very cost-effective mobility solution.
To support the electric vehicles, M&M has set up over 250 charging stations in different cities, 95 in Delhi alone.
Over the next five to six years, India plans to spend up to 138.50 billion rupees to boost the market for electric cars and plans to have about 5.0 million to 6.0 million of such vehicles–which includes two-wheelers, three-wheelers and small trucks apart from passenger cars–on the road.[wzslider height=”400″ lightbox=”true”]