[TusharK]

Mahindra recently unveiled two new electric SUVs, the BE 6e and XEV 9e. While both models are yet to receive their NCAP safety ratings, Mahindra conducted a live crash test of the XEV 9e in the presence of the media.



The crash test was performed at Mahindra’s Passive Safety Lab in Tamil Nadu. The SUV was subjected to a 40% frontal offset deformable barrier crash at 64 km/h.

The XEV 9e’s occupant cell remained intact after the crash. The airbags were also deployed following the impact of the barrier.

Video of the crash test

The XEV 9e’s battery was tested for its integrity and durability under different conditions. A nail penetration test was conducted on a live battery cell to see if it could withstand physical damage.

A fully charged battery was also subjected to a fire resistance test to confirm its structural integrity and see how it reacts to extreme temperatures.

Finally, a live battery pack from the XEV 9e was crushed using a 22-tonne truck. The ‘crush test’ is designed to check the structural integrity and functionality of the battery pack after subjecting it to severe abuse.

Source: HT Auto

Link to Team-BHP News

[ItsMeTheCarBoi]

Live crash in front of the media ?

Nonetheless, the car seems to have held up well. Pillars are intact. 99.9% another 5 star rated Mahindra .

[ferrarirules]

Originally Posted by TusharK

Mahindra recently unveiled two new electric SUVs, the BE 6e and XEV 9e. While both models are yet to receive their NCAP safety ratings, Mahindra conducted a live crash test of the XEV 9e in the presence of the media.

We received these videos including a 22 ton truck pull today morning in our EV group. Mahindra has pulled all stops to market this. They are here and they are here with a bang.

They just need to follow up all this with mostly niggle free product and better managed waiting periods

[tbppjpr]

Self confidence about the safety standards of our Indian car manufacturers is really commendable these days.

I have always worried about the risks associated with the battery during crash and seems like the tests conducted here on the batteries have cleared most of my doubts.

Kudos Mahindra

[100BHP]

Kudos to M&M for raising the awareness about battery safety thru such programs.

Water, fire, pressure of momentum of heavy weight & forces during an accident are few of the main villains for a battery pack & ite safety.
Government should also make some standards for battery safety ratings !!

[the.dogfather]

I feel there is a lot more work when it comes to marketing EVs vs ICE cars. People still do not trust that they can move to EVs.
I know many of my friends who say that they would not buy an EV as the range is not sufficient, but do not remember when they drove out of the city. With the highways improving, there are many who are hitting the highways for inter city drives, but the numbers are still not too high and majority of road users only use a car for daily commute.

The second worry they have is always the safety aspect of it, saying EVs catch fire, while they do, I feel they get much more attention than ICE fires. An extensive test and demonstration like this will help bring in more trust.

With the XUV400 not making much impact in the market, I had assumed that Mahindra has lost the race, but with these wild card entries, they have made sure they portray that they are better than the competition.
While it remains to be seen how these vehicle perform on road, with the born EV platform, range, and 400V architecture, they surely have arrived in style.

[comprakash]

Well done! Mahindra is doing an incredibly excellent job in the safety department.

[GauRanVid]

Link of BE 6E pulling the truck

https://youtube.com/watch?v=W85rHifo...WdsUVNvs9zR45Z

[Prado]

In addition to these, torture tests on cell and battery pack were demonstrated live in front of the media including

Nail penetration test: "A live battery Cell was subjected to a nail penetration test, proving it can withstand physical damage without catastrophic consequences, ” stated the company. This test demonstrated the battery's ability to withstand penetration without causing a major safety hazard.

Fire resistance test: "Mahindra today exposed a fully charged battery to open fire, confirming it maintains structural integrity and does not lead to Fire or explosion under extreme temperatures,” stated the company. The fire resistance test proved the battery's capacity to withstand extreme heat without catching fire or exploding.

Crush test: "In a dramatic demonstration, a 22-tonne truck was driven over a live battery pack. Despite the severe abuse, the battery retained its structural integrity, electrical function, and charging capability,” stated the company. The crush test involved driving a 22-tonne truck over a live battery pack. This extreme test demonstrated that the battery could maintain its structural integrity and functionality even under immense pressure.

See news report below.

https://auto.economictimes.indiatime...v-9e/115726165

Not covered in the report is a Drop Test, which is reported to have been demonstrated as well, where the fully charged live battery pack is dropped from a height of 10m.

[arvindmanju]

That’s a great move by Mahindra and it is confidence inspiring.
The team has really put their head through in bringing this product to market. Kudos to the entire team.
I think this should clear up lot of doubts for the potential customers on the fence to decide on purchasing these EVs.

Great job!

[SwiftDrophead]

This product release has been absolutely stunning so far. Mahindra cooked really hard when it came to turning these cars from concept to production. Kudos to them for carrying out demonstrations in front of the media. These cars seems to be absolutely killer cars in terms of looks, performance, road presence, features and now safety too!

[PSOPS]

Mahindra is spending a bomb in the promotion of the BE range. Hope it will standup to the expectations of all. Presume this is the first time that anyone is showing a crash test live infront of Media for a vehicle launch.

Each of these test dummies are super costly.

[07CR]

Originally Posted by the.dogfather

I feel there is a lot more work when it comes to marketing EVs vs ICE cars. People still do not trust that they can move to EVs.

Off topic:

I am one of those. With this kind of range and package I might reconsider my EV buying decision. What I am more concerned is with the battery performance over the years. Considering current WLTP range is 550kms , will it stay same after years of charging and discharging cycles in say about 4 years ? I guess it will decrease just like our cell phones, and that is where my concerns lie.

[wooka]

WLTP ranges are pretty practical.
Also, these are LFP batteries. They're giving a very generous lifetime battery warranty. The expectation is that it will hold tons of charge. Velusamy said so during the launch video - I've taken a crop from the video. Samsung cropping does funny things - well it's grabbed Velu with the slide.

Attached. Looks like between 85 and 90% after 2000 charge cycles, which I don't see anyone reaching in less than, at 1 charge per 2 days, 4000 days, 11 years, annual ageing perhaps not factored in.

But how would they have got these results? They'd have to deep charge and discharge a battery pack every day multiple times a day (absolute max torture test) as accelerated wear testing. And yet, it'd take them no less than two hours to charge and at least 2 to discharge at 0.5C charge rate, about 6 cycles a day, I'd like to believe they've been testing these packs for a few years to get those numbers. Not one person on this forum is going to put their cars through that.

And anyway, LFP is pretty solid when cooled well. With fewer moving parts, I'm sure the EVs will have more uptime than the average ICE counterpart.

P. S. - I doubt we all will be charging at 0.5C rates. We'll have AC 11 KW chargers at best with the occasional or planned DC pitstops here and there. Long story short - our wear rates may actually be better.

[ankan.m.blr]

Originally Posted by wooka

But how would they have got these results? They'd have to deep charge and discharge a battery pack every day multiple times a day (absolute max torture test) as accelerated wear testing. And yet, it'd take them no less than two hours to charge and at least 2 to discharge at 0.5C charge rate, about 6 cycles a day, I'd like to believe they've been testing these packs for a few years to get those numbers. Not one person on this forum is going to put their cars through that.

And anyway, LFP is pretty solid when cooled well. With fewer moving parts, I'm sure the EVs will have more uptime than the average ICE counterpart.

P. S. - I doubt we all will be charging at 0.5C rates. We'll have AC 11 KW chargers at best with the occasional or planned DC pitstops here and there. Long story short - our wear rates may actually be better.

I believe the battery & related tech is from Byd and it's Byd who has been testing their battery performance even much before M&M decided to import.