[naut]

Originally Posted by cool_dube

Sorry but I am not sure what is being referred to as the "grid" here?

"Grid" is the power grid that we all draw the power from. Today, apart from power generating stations, nobody can feed power into the grid.

Another question I had (I was watching the web-cast as well) was on the "REVIVE" concept wherein the E2O can be "remotely" charged in case of an emergency. Any idea how could this be accomplished?

Even I was amazed as to how this was possible. Then I looked at the brochure . Quoting from it

"..Moreover, with our unique patented REVive® technology, in case your e2o is low on energy, you can use the app to activate a reserve charge that can get you going again. Experience convenience at your fingertips.."

Looks like, they are purposefully under quoting the range to enable this! Smart marketing ain't it?

[MotoNanu]

Originally Posted by naut

"Grid" is the power grid that we all draw the power from. Today, apart from power generating stations, nobody can feed power into the grid.




Even I was amazed as to how this was possible. Then I looked at the brochure . Quoting from it

"..Moreover, with our unique patented REVive® technology, in case your e2o is low on energy, you can use the app to activate a reserve charge that can get you going again. Experience convenience at your fingertips.."

Looks like, they are purposefully under quoting the range to enable this! Smart marketing ain't it?

Well there is actually a technical aspect to it as well. It is not advisable to let the battery drain out 100% especially in automotive batteries. This not only puts the car/ occupants in danger (e.g. stalled in highway) but also the subsequent charge cycle shall put heavy load if it were to charge from 0%.

Thus, like conventional speed limiters, the battery drain is also limited to say 95% or so. Only when critical situation demands, the remaining 5% can be unlocked so that the immediate purpose is solved. This is not advisable under routine usage but under critical circumstances (medical emergency etc.), this can help out.

Also, I would be interested to know the definition of State of Charge by Mahindra which indirectly means distance to empty. Is the current charge shown as a percentage of maximum charge capacity or the maximum charge it can hold? The interpretation would be different in both the cases and would give a false calculation about the distance to empty.

[cool_dube]

Originally Posted by naut

"Grid" is the power grid that we all draw the power from. Today, apart from power generating stations, nobody can feed power into the grid.

Got it! If so, why does this "solar panel feeding into the grid" concept has to be limited to E2O owners? If conceptually this is feasible then anyone who can manage to install a solar panel can contribute to the "grid" and get a payback in some form (subsidy in his/her elec bill?)

So as of now, there seems to be no provision for a car-roof-mounted solar panel which will directly contribute to charging of the car battery. Is that correct?

Originally Posted by naut

Looks like, they are purposefully under quoting the range to enable this! Smart marketing ain't it?

You bet! Mr. Maini made is sound as if additional charge will flow in to your car by magic on the press of a button. This is like switching to the "reserve" mode in old Bajaj scooters

[naut]

Originally Posted by cool_dube

Got it! If so, why does this "solar panel feeding into the grid" concept has to be limited to E2O owners? If conceptually this is feasible then anyone who can manage to install a solar panel can contribute to the "grid" and get a payback in some form (subsidy in his/her elec bill?)

So as of now, there seems to be no provision for a car-roof-mounted solar panel which will directly contribute to charging of the car battery. Is that correct?

Yep, I think the Mahindra's are looking at it as a Mobility solution rather than just a car. If they try to sell just a car, this is doomed to fail. That's what they kept stressing all through the presentation today!
The mobility solution according to them involves not just the car, but the charging infrastructure (using renewable sources such as Solar energy), feeding excess power to the grid et al.

You are absolutely right, such an infrastructure can be used by others without an electric car as well! Most importantly it requires our power grid to be ready and Govt's policy towards this to change. Precisely why it's a long shot.

Given that PV cells can last for several decades, they will definitely outlast the useful life of a car. So, it makes sense to separate the two. However, theoretically, car roof mounted PV cells could give you an infinite range (provided you have sunny days all through).

You bet! Mr. Maini made is sound as if additional charge will flow in to your car by magic on the press of a button. This is like switching to the "reserve" mode in old Bajaj scooters

So true! For a moment I was like and then I read the brochure.

[speedmiester]

Compared to the old Reva the E2O is well priced and the features list is quite long for a car.

The E2O comes with
-Inbuilt infotainment system with GPS and bluetooth
-Projector headlamps
-Automatic transmission with hill hold
-Remote start and remote AC
-Keyless entry
-Power windows
-Electric Mirrors
-Follow-me-home Headlamps
-Reverse Parking camera & Assist
-Rear Defogger

Mahindra has done a very good job by offering the E2O with a lot of features.
compared to other petrol hatchbacks at this price.

Booked a test drive, hope to see how it fairs compared to the old Reva.

I only wish they could have doubled the range of this car and I would have bought without even a second thought. My weekly drive to Mysore is around 150-160Kms and the extended range could have taken care of it.

According to the first drive report on Overdrive/Moneycontrol, Mahindra claims the battery life is good for around 150K kms which means a lifetime of a minimum of 5years.

Overall Mahindra and Reva have addressed a lot of issues and offered a competent product in E2O. My only grouse is the limited range of 100Kms. For people who hardly travel out of city this car would make perfect sense.

[GTO]

Guys,

Please keep in mind that the 100 kms range is under 'ideal test conditions' (similar to ARAI FE numbers). If you use the air-con, electronics (stereo, GPS etc.) and encounter rush-hour traffic, that'll easily drop to 70ish kms.

Also, as the battery ages, the range will further come down.

Nevertheless, a majority of Indian drivers commute <50 kms per day. The e2o's range easily meets daily requirements for most of us.

[Contrapunto]

The e2o website seems to indicate it is available only in NCR. Also the price seems to indicate some tax exemptions given by the Delhi government.

I just hope that other state governments prove just as wise. Given the pollution in our cities, and that our regular day-to-day city commute is rarely more than 50-60 Km, this make perfect sense. In fact I would be happy to exchange my current "small car" for an e2o once it launches, and provided the pricing works out as attractive as the Delhi one.

My logic is simple-40 Km drive a day- 10 Kmpl mileage= 4 ltrs. of petrol= Rs. 280 per day= Rs. 92400 per year (330 days running). Even if you deduct an estimated Rs. 10,000 of charging cost, the value proposition is compelling. Also, its automatic, and will save my knee, which is priceless :-)

[mjothi]

Now, the price is out here.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/b...w/19040907.cms

The vehicle, which uses a lithium ion battery and promises a run of 100 kms on a single charge, has been priced at an aggressive Rs 5.96 lakh (on-road), which perhaps makes it the world's cheapest electric car. Electric cars selling in the West -- which have failed to cut much ice in the market -- are priced much higher like the Nissan Leaf (33,000 Euro or approximately Rs 23 lakh), Mitsubishi i-MiEV (Rs 25 lakh) and Renault Zoe (Rs 17 lakh).

[oxyzen]

Originally Posted by rock75

Some people might buy it for novelty, otherwise it is going to be a dud!

Close to Rs 6 lac for a car that runs max 100 km on one charge and takes 5 hours to charge fully is too much. I don't see any utility in it. What is the price of battery?

You can add a lot more things to your list like lack of performance, lack of space etc etc. But the major point lies with the running cost & maintenance of the car.

Here are some rough calculations. Not sure if it is corret.

220v 15 ampere socket required to charge the battery - Assuming it requires 10amp, power consumption is 220X10=2200 Watt = 2.2 KW

5 hours to fully charge the battery. - 2.2X5= 11KW hr

that sums up to ~50Rs/100Km
50paise per km. Which is nothing.

What matters is battery life & battery cost.

[vivekvivek2001]

Originally Posted by rock75

Some people might buy it for novelty, otherwise it is going to be a dud!

Close to Rs 6 lac for a car that runs max 100 km on one charge and takes 5 hours to charge fully is too much. I don't see any utility in it. What is the price of battery?

On the contrary rock, it's a very good price for the existing E-cars in the world.
1. Li-On batteries are very expensive. They're a lot lighter than Lead acid batteries but the trade-off is their price. Li-On batteries are, however, dropping their prices slowly.
2. A range of 100kms is pretty decent considering 4 adults. That's good engineering on the selection of a motor and control circuit.
3. 5 hours to charge is pretty quick. There are E-cars which take 8-12 hours and don't provide a good range (They do reach good speeds).


But I see the target audience for this product primarily amongst women home maker (I'm not a sexist. I'm just practical) for shopping and grocery runs. Of course, I've been wrong aplenty before

[ananth_iy]

Friends, I have a question. I have been looking at all the videos of the e2o and I find that you seem to have to leave the hatch open to charge the car! What that means is nothing of any value can be left in the car and the bigger and more menacing problem - God save you from the mosquitos the next day morning! Am I missing something? Did Mahindra actually think I would want to leave my hatch open all night or all day at the office?

And God! I forgot the rain an the weather in general!

[naut]

Originally Posted by ananth_iy

Friends, I have a question. I have been looking at all the videos of the e2o and I find that you seem to have to leave the hatch open to charge the car! What that means is nothing of any value can be left in the car and the bigger and more menacing problem - God save you from the mosquitos the next day morning! Am I missing something? Did Mahindra actually think I would want to leave my hatch open all night or all day at the office?

And God! I forgot the rain an the weather in general!

I think they would have taken care of this aspect. Found a couple of things on their website which hint that rear hatch need not be opened for charging.

1. Check out this video: somewhere in the middle there is a reva which is getting charged which has a charging point behind the number plate area

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a229MWmiTBQ&sns=em

2. Also check out the brochure on their e2o site, that also has a pic where in the hatch is not open while charging.

Unfortunately both show charging mechanisms which are different from each other. Which one is used in the actual production car, needs to be seen.

[guyfrmblr]

They have launched this car finally. I was tired of seeing the test cars daily in Jigani-Bommasandra area from past one and half years. This car can achieve decent speeds quickly. It has overtaken my car many times when I'm cruising at 75 kmph on Hosur road.

[ananth_iy]

Originally Posted by naut

I think they would have taken care of this aspect. Found a couple of things on their website which hint that rear hatch need not be opened for charging.

1. Check out this video: somewhere in the middle there is a reva which is getting charged which has a charging point behind the number plate area
http://www.Youtube.com/watch?v=a229MWmiTBQ&sns=em

2. Also check out the brochure on their e2o site, that also has a pic where in the hatch is not open while charging.

Unfortunately both show charging mechanisms which are different from each other. Which one is used in the actual production car, needs to be seen.

I believe one is the 15amp charging and the other is the quick charging (450 amp?). That's how I interpreted the videos. And we need to leave the hatch open for 15amps i.e. home charging!

[anekho]

Got to say, this is one Indian car launch that I've honestly been really excited about. The pricing is fair IMO for the level of equipment the car comes with, their small-ish annual production, and the direct savings in fuel cost that the owner will enjoy.

Very, very sensible daily drive. I could definitely see myself owning one for the daily commute + something exciting for those weekend jaunts. Can't wait to give one a go.