The electric vehicle segment in the country is clearly heating up, and Mahindra who was once the pioneer in the market has been a little out of action in the past few months. This has majorly happened because e2O & e2O Plus, both couldn’t meet the required safety standards and the products had to be shelved.
However, even if there has been little activity from Mahindra in the electric market, that is because it has been busy developing its next set of EVs. The first one in its new range of electric offerings will be the eKUV100, which it had displayed as a concept back at the 2018 Auto Expo.
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.
The test mule was partially covered in camouflage, hiding the elements which will make the electric KUV stand out from its standard cousin. The vehicle bore a red number plate and missed out on a tail-pipe, confirming that it indeed was a test mule of the eKUV100.
While technical details about the electric KUV are scarce at the moment, what can be confirmed is that with addition of a battery pack, the eKUV will land up weighing higher than the standard KUV. For the same reason, we believe Mahindra will be re-tuning its suspension and steering system. More details regarding the power-train and range are expected to come out closer to the Auto Expo.
Post launch, the eKUV100 will become one of the most affordable electric car on sale in India. The Nexon Electric is expected to be priced around the INR 14-15 lakh mark, while the ZS EV from MG will mostly cost around Rs 18-20 lakh.
Mahindra might have an advantage in terms of pricing but what will be critical for the product’s success is its driving range. Other vehicles like the Kona/ZS EV provide a healthy ~350km real-time driving range. If KUV’s driving range gets restricted to 120-150km, customers could develop range anxiety and might opt for some other product.
