The automobile major Mahindra &
Mahindra group, which took over Bangalore-based Reva Electric car company a couple of years ago
and renamed it as Mahindra Reva, has launched an all-electric four-seater car ‘Mahindra e2o’ (electric 2 oxygens).
The Mahindra e2o has gone on sale from 18
March 2013 starting from Delhi. It will be made available in a phased manner at
select Mahindra dealerships in the country. The car is priced at Rs.5.96 lakh (on road Delhi, after 29 per cent subsidy from the state in the form of exemptions from road tax and VAT). The company,
however, did not declare the life span and the replacement cost of the
battery. But unconfirmed reports said the battery will run for about three years and the new one will cost Rs1.5 lakh.
Mahindra e2o, is powered by next
generation lithium–ion batteries and a 3 phase induction electric motor. The car is fully
automatic (no gear and clutch) and designed mainly for city driving. Shorter
turning radius makes sharp turn easier and the hill-hold feature frees the
driver of any anxiety when driving up inclines. The body is made of a special
ABS (an auto grade plastic) that makes the car lighter and makes it dent and
scratch resistant. It can accommodate four adults (earlier Reva car could take
two adults and two kids) and has a driving range of 100 kms per charge. Should
be enough for short range driving in a city.
Powering the car
Since the Mahindra e2o can be changed from any 15A power socket available in any home, users can literally
plug in the car like they would their cell phones, laptops or tablets. The
company claims that the car gets fully charged in just five hours for a drive
up to 100 km. In a rare event of running low on charge, one can use a
smartphone app to remotely activate the reserve energy that can get the car
going for some extra kilometres. The other features of the car include: a 15.5 cm
touch screen, with factory fitted GPS navigation system, radio, DVD, Blue tooth
and iPod connectivity. The regenerative
braking feature in the Mahindra e2o also pumps
energy back into the car’s batteries and charges them every time one slows down
or applies the brakes.
The writer is a car enthusiast. Can be contacted on dilipmaitra@gmail.com
Electric cars are the new obsession in automotive world but still people are insecure about their future as companies are still unable to make batteries which can give desired high mileage.
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