Rumour: Mahindra says no to 'exclusively-electric' cars

According to media reports, Mahindra Electric has decided to not develop any more 'exclusively-electric' cars for the Indian market. Instead, Mahindra will now focus on developing conventional vehicles that can be electrified easily.

At present, the e2o Plus is the company's only exclusively electric car. Mahindra is now planning to make some updates with respect to the safety features of the car. These updates will include the addition of airbags and ABS in order to make it compliant with the upcoming passenger vehicle safety norms in the country.

In the future, Mahindra Electric will be trying to introduce electric powertrains in regular Mahindra models - similar to what it did with the Verito sedan, which was converted to a pure electric vehicle called the eVerito. However, the company cannot do so with the remaining model line-up. Most of the Mahindra vehicles currently on sale are relatively heavier in weight. This makes them unsuitable for feasible electrification. Therefore, the company needs to make some serious changes in the cars' structures to make them lighter, making the whole exercise time consuming and thus, impractical.

Mahindra has now decided to design its upcoming mainstream models to be compatible with electric powertrains from the scratch. This will help in easier and quicker electrification of the vehicles. Moreover, since the same vehicles will be available with multiple powertrain options (diesel, petrol, electric, etc.), the economies of scale will be enhanced, which will in turn, help the automaker to price the products more competitively.

Source: Autocar India