Mahindra E2O to get power steering

In our official review of the Mahindra E2O, we had mentioned that it is difficult to park due to the lack of a power steering unit. City roads are where the little electric vehicle is expected to spend most of its life and the heavy steering makes driving quite a tedious affair.

However, prospective E2O owners need not worry about this problem anymore. Mahindra seems to be gearing up to introduce power steering in the car. There is also some good news for existing E2O owners. Their cars can be fitted with the power steering unit as well.

Going by a conversation between Shiju Alex and the Mahindra Reva Electric Vehicles on the company's official Facebook page, the power steering-equipped E2O is just around the corner. The addition of the power steering unit should make the car significantly lighter to drive and park.

Mahindra Reva has struggled to sell the E2O due to the limitations associated with battery-powered vehicles. Additionally, the non-availability of direct government subsidies on the car has meant that it is significantly pricier than similarly sized petrol and diesel-powered hatchbacks sold in India. The company has tried to make owning the E2O a little easier by offering schemes like "Goodbye Fuel, Hello Electric", but has not been able to make any impact on the market.

Now however, the future of the electric car could be brighter. The Government is planning to offer subsidies on electric cars under the National Electric Mobility Mission Plan (NEMMP). If things go to plan, this scheme could be implemented as early as August this year. This, in turn, is expected to make buying the E2O cheaper.