Mahindra & Mahindra are the only company who has been working the most on electric-powered vehicles for quite some time now and have electric vehicles running on the road. The company is now looking to take this further by introducing electric versions of some other models like the XUV500 and the Scorpio.
The electric vehicle department of the Mahindra & Mahindra, Mahindra electric, which was earlier called Mahindra Reva, will be working on replicating the two of the most popular SUVs in the company’s portfolio into electric vehicles. Certain reliable sources even claim that the company will be investing a whopping Rs. 300 to Rs. 400 crore in this project.
Mahindra presently offers the e-Verito and e2o Plus in the Indian market, which are the only popular electric vehicles in the country. However, given the fact that the country is weak in its infrastructure and raw materials to sustain the production of EVs, it would be difficult to keep the prices of the electric versions of Scorpio and XUV500 low. Chances are that it might be priced above the conventional petrol and diesel cars.
Mahindra Electric may take around a couple or more years to get these new electric cars on the road as India does not have the optimum infrastructure to sustain mass production of EVs. However, these are two things that may assist the production and acceptance of EVs. Firstly, if the Government intervenes and introduces any such law or mandates, it might be possible. Secondly, given the mindset of Indian buyers and how much they are obsessed with mileage, an electric drive range of over 150 kms will be well appreciated.
The Mahindra Scorpio, once launched, may get a price tag of around Rs. 12 lakhs while the XUV500 may be priced at Rs. 15 lakhs.