Mahindra working on performance electric cars
Electric vehicle development has gathered serious momentum in the country, particularly after the Indian government's 2030 ultimatum. Mahindra though has pretty much been at the forefront with its various electric only initiatives â€" be it acquiring majority stake in the erstwhile Reva Electric Car Company and developing the e2o and e2o Plus or becoming the first and only Indian manufacturer to compete in Formula E. In fact, Mahindra is pretty much the only mainstream car maker in the country to offer electric cars currently and also sells its eVerito sedan apart from the aforementioned hatchbacks.
As reported by The Times of India, Mahindra is now set to take its EV program to the next level and is working on three all-new electric cars apart from electric versions of its existing products. The interesting bit here is that all three models in question will be high performance models. The three new models are currently under development and are expected to be launched around 2019-2020. Readers might recall, Mahindra had showcased its first ever all-electric sportscar, the Halo at the 2014 Auto Expo in New Delhi, which had elicited a huge response. Back then Mahindra had claimed the Halo will clock the 0-100kmph dash in under 8 seconds, apart from boasting a 160kmph top speed and a 200km range.
While the Halo could be one of the models Mahindra is looking at launching as a performance electric car, specifications could get even better by the time the car is launched. That said, it is obvious that Mahindra's learnings from its Formula E program, where the manufacturer has been doing really well, will help it create electric cars boasting some serious performance levels. Pawan Goeka, MD, Mahindra and Mahindra had also confirmed earlier this year that Mahindra will launch an electric-only version of its smallest SUV, the KUV100 in the next couple of years. This, is in addition to the confirmation that Mahindra will launch an electric version of every new SUV and crossover it launches in future. Apart from looking at launching more and more EVs in the coming years, Mahindra is also working on reducing charge time for its electric cars. It also hopes batteries will get more affordable in the coming years, which should help in making electric cars more affordable.