Born Electric

Mahindra Electric, also known as Mahindra Last Mile Mobility Limited, formerly known as Mahindra Electric Mobility Limited (2016–2023) and Reva Electric Car Company (2010–2016), was an Indian company based in Bangalore that designs and manufactures compact electric vehicles. The company's first vehicle, the REVAi electric car, was available in 26 countries with 4,000 versions sold worldwide by mid-March 2011. Reva was acquired by Indian conglomerate Mahindra & Mahindra in May 2010. After the acquisition, the company launched the electric hatchback e2o in 2013. The company sold electric vehicles in different segments – the electric sedan eVerito, the electric commercial vehicle eSupro (passenger and cargo), and the Treo range of low maintenance, lithium-ion battery-powered three-wheelers. Mahindra Electric became the first Indian car manufacturer to cross 170 million kilometres travelled on its fleet. They now sell the XUV 400, BE 6 and XEV 9e.

History

The Reva Electric Car Company (RECC) was founded in 1994 by Chetan Maini, as a joint venture between the Maini Group of Bangalore and Amerigon Electric Vehicle Technologies (AEVT Inc.) of the US. The company aimed to develop and produce an affordable, compact electric car. Several other automakers also aimed to do so. In 2001 RECC launched the REVA.

REVA is not an acronym for "Revolutionary Electric Vehicle Alternative"; it takes after Chetan Maini's Mother's name.

RECC joined up with several automotive experts to develop components for REVA. Curtis Instruments, Inc. of USA created a Motor Controller for the car. The car had a power pack for which Tudor India Limited supplied customized Prestolite batteries. The Charger for Reva was developed by Modular Power Systems of USA (a division of TDI Power). Later, RECC started manufacturing the charger through a technical collaboration agreement between MPS and the Maini Group.

In 2004, GoinGreen of the UK agreed with RECC to import REVA cars and market them under the G-Wiz moniker.

In 2008 a revamped REVA model was launched called the REVAi. The company started production of a Lithium-ion variant called the REVA L-ion in 2009.

In 2009 at the Frankfurt Motor Show, Reva presented its future models Reva NXR and Reva NXG. During the event Reva and General Motors India declared a technical collaboration to develop affordable EV for the Indian market. As a result of this General Motors India announced an electric version of their hatchback in the New Delhi Auto Expo 2010: named the e-Spark, Reva was to provide battery technology.

On 26 May 2010, India's largest sports utility vehicles and tractor maker Mahindra & Mahindra bought a 55.2% controlling stake in Reva. Following the deal, the company was renamed Mahindra Reva Electric Vehicles Private Limited. Mahindra's president of an automotive business, Pawan Goenka, became the new company's chairman. As a result of the ownership change General Motors pulled out of the tie-up with Reva that was to produce the e-spark.

In Feb 2011 GoinGreen, the UK's exclusive importer of the G-Wiz, announced that it was no longer stocking the model (although it would order them on a 4-6-week lead time when requested by customers).

Before the Mahindra acquisition, Reva had partnered with Bannon Automotive to set up an assembly plant in upstate New York to produce the NXR for the US market.

In 2014, Reva displayed an all-electric sports car concept called Halo. It is claimed to reach 0–100  km/h under 8 sec with a top speed of 160  km/h and range of over 200  km in one full range. The Halo features a large tablet on the centre console that displays various car functions in real time and also performs as a multimedia player.

In 2018, Mahindra showed a concept for a small electric quadricycle called the Atom, with the production version of this auto-rickshaw based 4 wheeler shown at the 2020 Auto Expo. Like the REVAi/G-Wiz the quadricycle will be built in Bengaluru and will join larger EV models like the Mahindra eXUV300 and eKUV100 in the company's range sometime in 2021.

In 2016, the company was rebranded as Mahindra Electric Mobility Ltd. to reflect not just the business line of producing vehicles, but also developing powertrains and integrated mobility solutions.

In 2023, the company was rebranded again as Mahindra Last Mile Mobility Ltd., in a complete merger with parent company Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd.

The Mahindra Electric marque is used for electric SUVs while the Mahindra Last Mile Mobility marque is used for commercial vehicles.

Products

Former products

REVA and REVAi

Mahindra Reva currently produces two versions of the REVAi, an urban electric micro-car seating two adults and two children:

*''REVAi'', equipped with lead-acid batteries, which has a nominal range of per charge and a top speed of .
*'' REVA L-ion'', equipped with Lithium-ion batteries, which has higher acceleration and a nominal range of per charge.

The REVA went on sale in India in 2001 and the UK in 2003. The different versions of the REVA have sold more than 4,000 vehicles worldwide by mid March 2011 and was also available in the following countries: Belgium, Bhutan, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cyprus, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Japan, Malta, Monaco, Nepal, Norfolk Islands, Norway, Peru, the Philippines, Portugal, Spain, and Sri Lanka. Click on Sales and Service Locator The REVA is exempt from most European crash test rules, because its low weight and power registers it in the European "heavy quadricycle" category instead of the "car" category.

In 2005, Reva showcased the REVA-NXG, a two-seater roadster concept car with a nominal range of per charge and a top speed of .

Mahindra e2o

The Mahindra e2o, previously REVA NXR, is an urban electric car hatchback manufactured by the Mahindra Group. The e2o is the REVA G-Wiz successor and was developed using REVA's technology. The REVA NXR electric concept car was unveiled at the 2009 Frankfurt Motor Show. Export production was initially scheduled for 2012. Production was initially scheduled for late 2010 with deliveries slated for early 2011. The e2o was launched in India in March 2013 at a price of ₹5,96,000 () after a 29% government subsidy granted by the state of Delhi. The e2o was also launched in Mumbai, Bangalore, Pune, Ahmedabad, Hyderabad, Chandigarh, and Kochi. Mahindra also launched the vehicle in the UK but later, in May 2017 withdrew from the market.

The electric car has a lithium-ion battery pack that takes five hours for a full charge, and with a weight of , delivers a range of and a top speed of . The product was eventually pulled from the market following the launch of its four-door successor.

e-Verito

The e-Verito was launched in 2016 and was Mahindra's second electric car. Based on the normal Verito, which was an evolution of the Mahindra Renault joint venture Dacia Logan, it features a 21.2 kWh battery with a claimed range of 181  km.

Commercial vehicles (current)

Treo Plus, Treo Yaari and Treo Zor

In Nov 2018, Mahindra Electric launched the Treo range of three-wheelers, powered by Lithium-ion technology. The range consists of the Treo, an electric auto and the Treo Yaari, an electric rickshaw. The Treo auto boasts an ARAI-certified driving range of 170  km and has a typical driving range of 130  km on the Mahindra Treo after 3 hours and 50 minutes of charging. The certified range on the Treo Yaari is 130  km it can hit a typical driving range of 85  km after 2 hours and 30 minutes of charging. Both have a direct drive transmission type, and the Treo has a peak power of 5.4 kW and a peak torque of 30 Nm. The Treo Yaari has a peak power of 1.96 kW and a peak torque of 19 Nm.

Both the Treo and the Treo Yaari have a wheelbase of 2050  mm and a turning radius of 2.9 m. The Treo range has a vehicle kerb weight between 340 and 350  kg, while the Treo Yaari range has a vehicle kerb weight between 265 and 275  kg.

Mahindra Electric recently signed an MoU with TWU (Three Wheels United), a social enterprise providing affordable financing for autorickshaw drivers and Smart E for supplying a total of 2,000 Treo units in 2020.

Current models

XUV400

Mahindra unveiled the XUV400 electric on 8 September 2022, which is based on Mahindra XUV300. The new Mahindra Twin Peaks logo, reserved for Sport Utility Vehicles, is used but in copper and also unveiled XUV400 Special Edition in November 2022, Mahindra claimed a range of 456  km on a single charge as per Indian driving cycle (MIDC). When plugged into a 50 kW DC fast charger, the batteries can be charged from 0-80 percent within 50 minutes. When charged via a 7.2 kW/32A outlet, it takes 6 hours 30 minutes for 0-100 per cent charge while the same is achieved in 13 hours when using a standard 3.3 kW/16A domestic socket.

The Mahindra XUV400 also features three driving modes - Fun, Fast and Fearless - that adjust the steering and throttle response as well as the level of regenerative braking. Mahindra claims that the XUV400 is capable of single-pedal driving where the regenerative braking takes care of the deceleration. And it will launch in early 2023.

BE 6 and XEV 9e

In November 2024, Mahindra launched 2 all-electric SUVs, the XEV 9e and the BE 6 in India as part of its new BEV range with deliveries starting in early 2025.

Born Electric and XEV

Born Electric (BE) and XEV are electric SUV Sub-brands under Indian automobile manufacturer Mahindra.

In 2022, Mahindra unveiled 4 all-new electric SUVs under 2 brand names, XUV and BE. XUV.e8, XUV.e9 and BE.05, BE.07, BE.09 at Mahindra Advanced Design Europe (MADE) in Oxfordshire, United Kingdom. BE.RALL-E was unveiled in Hyderabad on 11 February 2023. Global Pik-up and THAR.e concepts were unveiled in 2023 in South Africa.

INGLO modular platform or INGLO-born electric platform.

On 26 Nov 2024, Mahindra launched 2 all-electric SUVs, the XEV 9e (formerly XUV.e9) and the BE 6 (formerly BE.05) in India as part of its 'Born electric' BEV range with deliveries starting in early 2025.

Future

Mahindra has planned to introduce the BE.07, BE.09, XEV.e8, Global Pik-up truck, Thar.e, along with the XUV 400 facelift (electric version of XUV 3XO), Scorpio.e and Bolero.e.

Mahindra Electric and Formula E

A Formula E car was showcased by Mahindra Electric, as part of the Mahindra Group, at the 2014 Auto Expo in Delhi. Mahindra Electric's team worked closely with Mahindra Racing, the racing division of Mahindra Group, to get the Formula E cars ready for the first race of the inaugural FIA Formula E Championship, which took place at Beijing in September 2014. Mahindra Racing Team is the only Indian team to race in the inaugural Formula E championship. Following a successful first-ever Formula E race in Beijing, Mahindra Racing explored the possibility of bringing the electric-powered car series to India in the 2016–2017 season.

Besides creating a mark on the global e-racing scene, the knowledge and technology from such Formula E cars will be used for commercial electric cars
with performance characteristics usually seen in cars with high-performance internal combustion engines.

See also

* Electric vehicle industry in India

References

External links

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Vehicle manufacturing companies established in 1994
Car manufacturers of India
Battery electric vehicle manufacturers
Mahindra Group
Manufacturing companies based in Bengaluru
Electric vehicle manufacturers of India
Car brands
1994 establishments in Karnataka
Indian companies established in 1994