Mahindra set to invest heavily in electric mobility in India
Mahindra Electric has revealed that it has plans develop and invest heavily in electric mobility in India. The product roadmap, which the company is referring to as EV 2.0, involves investing and developing technology which delivers a longer driving range and higher speeds in electric cars, and in connected car technologies. The company also stated that it is setting up infrastructure for charging stations and fleet operations.
Pavan Goenka, the managing director of Mahindra & Mahindra and the chairman of Mahindra Electric, stated that the company will work with the central and state governments, municipal bodies and private companies to set up a strong ecosystem for EVs in India.
Mahindra Electric has stated that EV 2.0 will also see the development and local production of "new high-end electric powertrains, motor controllers, systems integration and battery technology." By doing so, the company will be able to significantly bring down the price of its electric cars in India.
According to a report from TOI, the company is looking to ramp up its monthly electric vehicle production capacity from 200 units to 5,000 units, over the next two years. According to another report from Live Mint, the company will increase the monthly production capacity of battery packs at its Bengaluru facility from 500 to 800 and then to 1,000 units over next couple of months.
Additionally, Mahindra has also set up a similar facility at its Chakan plant, and together, the capacity will be at 5,000 battery packs per month. Goenka also said that the brand is working with Italian design house, Pininfarina, which it acquired late in 2015, and Ssangyong to develop high-end electric cars for international markets.
Mahindra currently sells four electric vehicles in India -- the e2o, e2o Plus, e-Verito and the eSupro. However, it will use this investment to introduce more electric cars in the Indian market, one of which, could be a Mahindra XUV Aero. For more details on that, stay tuned to OVERDRIVE.
