[wheelguy]

Sub-9 lakh EV? Mahindra just pulled a rabbit out of its hat. Awaiting Nexon EV's launch, now another car added to the watchlist.

This car or Ora R1 can possibly replace my Nano. If not these two then have to stretch to Nexon EV. These cars will suffice for my current usage.

[wheelguy]

Mahindra will be unveiling the production-ready e-KUV100 at the 2020 Auto Expo next month.

Mahindra has already confirmed that it will be unveiling the final-version of the eKUV100 at the 2020 Auto Expo and will be keeping its starting price under the Rs 9 lakh mark. Now, ahead of the upcoming launch, a test mule of the eKUV was spotted while it was on test in Chennai.

Source: Rushlane
Image Credits: Saravana Pandian

[ohaak]

Few concerns: The battery pack appears to be quite low in the first picture just like the Kona. I hope ground clearance fares better than the Kona. While Mahindra announced MESMA connected platform a while ago, no products have been released till date on the platform. It makes me wonder if it is still under R&D. I drive a e2o+ in the city and that system has no intelligence at all. Even battery deterioration and range degradation are calibrated at workshop. The eKUV100 again appears to be a bare minimum and not aspirational if news outlets are to be believed. Mahindra appears to be planning the next generation platform for the XUV300.

On the other hand, Tata claims that the NexonEV has ground clearance of 205mm and it is built on their next generation Ziptron platform. https://nexonev.tatamotors.com/features/

At this juncture, I am more inclined to buy an aspirational product as opposed to fleet focused bare minimum products.

[wheelguy]

Mahindra KUV100 Electric (eKUV100) caught on video testing before the launch at Auto Expo 2020.

https://youtu.be/S9maNZZfm04

What is set to become India’s cheapest electric car, the Mahindra KUV100 EV, was caught on video by EVW reader Srinidhi in Chandapura, Hosur Road. Our reader reports that the vehicle could keep up with petrol and diesel cars doing highway speeds.

Mahindra has developed its raised hatchback since the time of the showcase, and it will take the place of the e2o Plus which was discontinued last March. The updated specifications will include a 15.9 kWh Li-Ion battery powering a 40 kW motor (53.6 hp) that develops 120 Nm of continuous torque. It would take 5.5 hours to charge the battery completely while through DC fast-charging, it would come down to an hour. The final range will be about 140 km in the real-world. Another aspect that will improve over the petrol-powered KUV100 NXT is the handling, the eKUV100 theoretically should be nicer to drive as the battery is mounted to the car’s floor that lowers the centre of gravity.

Link

[volkman10]

The price for the Mahindra eKUV100 will be Rs 8.25 lakh (post FAME II subsidy)

Claimed range per charge is 147km. About 53PS and 120Nm on tap. Fast charging up to 80 percent in 60 minutes.




Link

[TusharK]

Mahindra has launched eKUV100 electric SUV at a price of Rs. 8.25 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi).



The eKUV100 has a blanked-off grille with chrome inserts, wraparound headlamps and a dual-tone bumper that houses a set of fog lamps. The car's charging port is located on the passenger side front fender.

The eKUV100 is powered by an electric motor that has an output of 54 BHP. It comes with a liquid-cooled battery that is claimed to offer a maximum range of 150 km on a single charge. The battery has a claimed charging time of 5 hours 45 mins using a regular charger. With a fast charger, it can be recharged in 55 mins.

Link to Team-BHP News

[Storm2.0]

When manufacturers are upping the game by launching more practical eVs with longer range Mahindra is still stuck at 150 km . Whats wrong with your R&D team? I amused to see that a brand which pioneered on bringing eV to the market is left behind by all the other manufacturers. After its long presence on eV market I expected something more practical from Mahindra.

[GTO]

So it's ugly, slow & has a limited range. Why doesn't Mahindra understand that EVs - at their nascent stage - have to sell on appeal . Such half-hearted efforts are an example of how Mahindra completely lost its first-mover advantage by buying Reva.

[Stribog]

Originally Posted by GTO

So it's ugly, slow & has a limited range. Why doesn't Mahindra understand that EVs - at their nascent stage - have to sell on appeal . Such half-hearted efforts are an example of how Mahindra completely lost its first-mover advantage by buying Reva.

I think in this case they are looking at the pricing aspect to get into the volumes (whatever volumes electric cars can drive) and purely a second car to go from home > work > home.

When your nearest rival costs Rs 17l onroad (Nexon), this might tempt those moving from the likes of a Nano or Kwid (as a second car, not primary car)

Use these as a testbed when they launch something like the XUV300 electric which would be their first real shot at the segment. I for one though welcome any movement in this segment, nascent as it is.

[wheelguy]

Originally Posted by Storm2.0

I amused to see that a brand which pioneered on bringing eV to the market is left behind by all the other manufacturers. After its long presence on eV market I expected something more practical from Mahindra.

No it is not Mahindra which first brought the EVs to our market.

It is Chetain Maini's Reva Electric Car Company(RVECC) which first brought electric cars to India way back in 2001, then came the first Li-ion powered electric car of India in 2009.

Later on, the company was acquired by Mahindra, Maini worked with Mahindra as a CTO and then as a CEO, before leaving to form SUN Mobility, and Lithium Urban Technologies.

Mahindra Electric as we know today is due to the lot of foundational work done by Chetan Maini.

[SKC-auto]

The only good thing about this car is liquid cooled battery. For an individual buyer it costs over over 10 lakhs ex showroom if Mahindra wants to sell. Another 5 lakhs you get Nexon with double the battery and all the gadgets.

[bronco]

The Mahindra e2oPlus has been launched in India at a price of between Rs. 5.46 - 8.46 lakhs ex-Delhi (post state subsidy and FAME incentive).

I see this as a replacement for e2oPlus and e-Verito. For the price of e2oPlus one gets bigger and better built car. I wish Mahindra had given range around 200kms.

[GTO]

Originally Posted by Stribog

I think in this case they are looking at the pricing aspect to get into the volumes (whatever volumes electric cars can drive) and purely a second car to go from home > work > home.

Agreed partially. It is definitely well-priced. But history has shown us that customers won't buy compromised EVs with poor performance + range, especially from Mahindra. They've had EVs before at slightly lower & slightly higher price points, yet all of them bombed.

[sreeharipv]

By the looks of it this is a 100 km real world device. This is only useful as a grocery getter and nothing else. The sweet-spot is at 250 km real world when it makes economic sense for the fleets.

[ohaak]

This is a stop gap arrangement until they are about to rollout better products on the MESMA platform. I don't see which market segment needs this product. Fleet still go for the eVerito despite higher cost for better passenger comfort. Again for fast charging, this is a different plug than the Tata, Hyundai and MG ones.