Mahindra Electric, part of India’s USD 18 billion Mahindra Group, which has always been a pioneer with respect to the development of electric vehicles in the country has unveiled today a comprehensive technology and product roadmap keeping in mind its next generation of Electric Vehicles (EV) dubbed as EV 2.0.
Currently, the brand owns Mahindra Reva which is into the development of fully electric vehicles like E2O and also an electric variant of the ubiquitous Verito.
Mahindra Electric which focuses on mobility powered by sustainable resources has been doing so for the past decade with reasonable success. With many environmental groups sharing concern about general levels of pollution around the world and many Governments acting towards the same, many manufacturers have already started researching for alternative energy solutions. In the recent Goods and Services Tax introduction guidelines too, the Government of India has incentivized the industry by categorizing it in the taxation bracket of only 12% much lesser than the 28% suffered by conventional vehicles.
With these in mind, the company is planning to invest in next generation of Electric Vehicle technologies suitable for last mile connectivity simultaneously focusing on improvement in range offered, higher speeds and connected car technologies.
Also, to increase adoption of its electric cars, Mahindra Electric has been actively interacting with its stakeholders in both private and public sectors. It is also clearly focusing on setting up relative infrastructures, enticing fleet operators and delivering mobility.
Speaking on the Mahindra’s EV roadmap, Dr. Pawan Goenka, Managing Director, Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd. & Chairman, Mahindra Electric, said, “The time has now arrived for EVs to become mainstream and Mahindra has the right technology and products for India. We will actively engage with the Government, both at the centre and the state, municipal bodies and other private players for setting up a robust EV ecosystem. We are also ramping up our investments towards developing the next generation of EV technologies and products that will cater to the smart cities of tomorrow.”
According to Mahesh Babu, CEO, Mahindra Electric, “At Mahindra Electric our focus goes beyond just developing electric vehicles as we strive towards investing in next generation technology solutions and globally competitive products, to drive faster adoption of electric vehicles. With EV 2.0 we have laid out a clear roadmap for electric mobility in India, at par with our global counterparts and are future ready to set out for the next phase of our EV journey”.
The roadmap talks about investments to increase production, charging infrastructures and better, more efficient electric powertrains and battery technologies. Earlier this year, Mahindra Electric adopted a more aggressive stance in electric mobility when it moved from being an electric vehicle manufacturer to a provider of next generation mobility solutions. In line with this, the company also underwent a change in nomenclature to Mahindra Electric Mobility Limited.
It is heartening to see the Indian company make rapid strides in alternative energy solutions and be a pioneer rather than a follower. We wish Mahindra all success in this endeavour.