Mahindra Reva: Gone But Not Forgotten
Mahindra were the first of the big guns to enter the EV space. And then they squandered the advantage;
In an ideal world this month’s cover stars would have been a natural progression of Mahindra’s leadership in the electric car space, dating back to the acquisition of the pioneering Reva Electric Car Company in 2010. “With issues such as climate change and carbon footprint taking centre stage globally, eco-friendly transportation becomes the need of the hour,” said Anand Mahindra, announcing the 55.2 per cent controlling stake, the idea being to combine Mahindra’s manufacturing and engineering expertise with Reva’s innovative EV technology.
Remember, Reva were the first EV start-up in India with the eponymous little EV in 2001 which, for a while, was even the best-selling EV in the world. But in the days before Greta Thunberg, climate change had no takers and EVs were a mere curiosity, plus the cute and quirky Reva was hard to take seriously. That was the first thing Mahindra addressed with the more conventionally styled e2O and later added rear doors the make the more practical e2O Plus. Two battery packs were offered on the latter. The 10.1kWh 48-volt lithium-ion battery was good for 25.4bhp, 0-60kmph in 14.1 seconds and 80kmph top speed.
The 15.1kWh 72-volt battery upped it to 40.2bhp, 91Nm, 9.5 seconds to 60kmph and 85kmph top speed. A 3-phase induction motor was mounted on the rear axle and the space frame chassis along with tall-boy proportions were retained. Driving dynamics were weird but 14-inch wheels and softer dampers put up a brave front when faced with potholes on the city commute. Which was all it could do, what with the ARAI range being 110km for the former and 140km for the latter, 85 per cent charge (on a 15-amp plug point, no wall box chargers in those days) taking 95 minutes. I must remind you that this was state of the art in 2016, just 8 years ago! Mahindra then took the 72-volt battery and shoved it into the Verito (the chopped-up Logan that Renault left behind after exiting their joint venture with Mahindra) and that marked the start of electric taxi fleets. Range was an issue, 110km claimed, but space wasn’t.
Being the only practical EV at that time it was a front-runner for the pivotal Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL) order for 10,000 EVs in 2017, except Tata Motors offered the lowest bid, ₹11.2 lakh including tax and a 5-year warranty, and thus was born the Tigor EV. EESL offered Mahindra the opportunity to match Tata’s bid, which they did and were given 40 per cent of the order, but it was Tata Motors who seized the opportunity and ran away with it.
Why Mahindra squandered their advantage remains a mystery. At the 2020 Auto Expo the eKUV 100 was announced with a 15.9 kWh battery pack, 147km range, and launch scheduled for 2021, but then came Covid and a realignment in strategy where Mahindra-Reva became Mahindra Last Mile Mobility, still based out of Bengaluru, and focusing on electric 3- and 4-wheelers for urban commercial applications. The passenger EV mandate was given to Mahindra Electric Automobile along with a ₹12,000 crore war chest to fund EV initiatives through 2027. A third of that has been spent over the past three years to create this month’s cover stars and thus begins Mahindra’s journey to claw back a segment they practically owned just a decade ago.