Mahindra e2o: An 'electrifying' experience

In an era, where prices of essentials have begun to determine the way a person lives his life, developing products to satisfy man’s urge to lead a decent existence, with few hassles has become imperative. This specially holds relevance with the way cars are built these days and the increasing popularity of electric cars is proof of that trend globally. 

When it comes to India, where buying a car has become a gamble with fuel prices, electric cars might save the day for millions of aspiring car buyers, at least this is the dream for many at the moment. 

One fine day, Mahindra Reva, the electric mobility arm of the $15.9 billion Mahindra & Mahindra (M&M) group, suddenly saw that dream, to try and deliver such a car to discerning, cost-conscious Indian consumers, which it believed would separate the ‘fuel’ question from the notions prevailing car-buying, and thus, the e2o was born – India’s first conventional electric car.

The e2o is a manifestation of M&M’s vision of the ‘Future of Mobility’ which encompasses the ‘5Cs’ framework of Clean, Convenient, Connected, Clever and Cost-Effective vehicle technology. 

The Mahindra e2o (pronounced as E-two-O), is being launched in phases across the country, and when it hit the Bangalore market recently, it was an opportunity to test it, drive it and see how it fared against its more typical, fossil fuel-run counterparts.

Snazzy exteriors

The Coral Blue-shade e2o, which was offered to me for the spin, was impressive from the very beginning. A head-turner, its uber-chic appearance forced onlookers to have a glimpse of it again and again.  
 
I was impressed by its sheer size. For an electric car, the e2o offers a large family car-like feel, with dimensions of 3280 mm x 1514 mm x 1560 mm, being at par with regular hatchbacks. Its high tallboy presence is a welcome sight, especially for taller people.

In description, the e2o has a two-door configuration design. Its side profile consists of large windows and the rear-side passenger window slanting downwards towards the end. The body boasts of panels and bumpers which are colour impregnated and dent resistant and its interior frame and chassis is composed of a welded tubular structure and 3-crumple zones, respectively, which the company says is compliant with European safety standards.

The front of the car appears very classy, rather like a design mostly seen on higher-end vehicles. The large grill, containing the M&M insignia flanked by two rectangular headlights is very elegant and is well complimented by the design of the rear, whose big bumper has a unique look.

Futuristic interiors

The car seemed robust on the outside and while inside I was thoroughly impressed by the thoughtfulness to detailing that has gone in the construction of the interiors, especially that the new Reva e2o comes power-packed with many new interesting features.

The silver and black interior dashboard looks very innovative and advanced. Its circular AC vents and well-placed buttons and knobs add sheen to the inside.  

One of the most impressive features is that the car comes with a 6.2 inch touch-screen, with factory-fitted radio, DVD, Blue-tooth and I-pod connectivity system, along with a GPS navigation system, which considerably helps locating a place or directions to the nearest charging point.

Then there I saw the full digital cluster, electrically operated wing mirrors, keyless entry & start/stop button, projector head lamps, LED tail lamps and reverse camera. Four JBL speakers & two tweeters made the features of the e2o comparable to most high-end cars. Besides, the car offers a lot of space enough for four adults to sit in comfort.

Touted to be an ideal city car and a perfect urban mobility solution, I had planned to drive the car for a reasonable distance within Bangalore. 

I started the car, which gave out a pleasant hum as I hit the gear lever taking it to D-position (meaning drive, idyllic for city-driving). The car hit forward, with a pickup reminiscent of any basic small car, but seemed a lot more refined with lesser drag.  First of all the Reva is built on a technology, unique to Indian automobiles.

Powered by the next generation lithium–ion batteries and a 3-phase induction electric motor, the e2o is fully automatic, which means no changing of gears in bumper-to-bumper traffic.

This was evident when the car was gradually zipping through afternoon traffic. The automatic car made matters a lot easier, especially when I had to drive between crossroads and negotiate between vehicles at signals. In these situations, a regular car would require sudden shifts to be made in the gears, since there would be drastic changes in speeds. But e20o was hassle-free. However, shifting between gear-shift modes (drive, reverse etc), was a little difficult as the lever felt a little tight at certain points.

The e2o boasts of a small turning radius of 3.9 metres, which doesn’t require a power-steering to turn it around. But at certain points the car did feel a little heavy, and an additional feature of a power-steering would have been up to perfection.
Nonetheless, certain features did stand out, such as its unique hill-hold feature which frees the driver of any anxiety when driving up inclines.

I was enjoying the drive comfortably, with the car’s powerful air-conditioning system churning out cool breeze to beat the midday heat. The car has powerful brakes (front, disk: 215 mm and rear, drum: 180 mm) which made the drive more secure, along with its 155 / 70 R 13, low resistance tubeless tyres.

Charging made easy

The e2o is an Electric Vehicle (EV) claimed to be designed for a sustainable zero-emission society and gains relevance in the face of issues like environmental degradation, climate change, energy security and rising oil prices, all of which plague communities globally. Hence, Mahindra Reva has worked towards creating a sustainable technology ecosystem for EV’s, proof of which is the host of technologies created by the company.

Firstly, the regenerative braking feature pumps energy back into the car’s batteries and charges them every time you slow down or apply the brakes, in a way, maintaining charge during emergencies.

Secondly, the ‘Sun2Car’ technology, which has been developed through the creation of personal solar charging units, provides the user with sufficient energy to power an EV for life, free of cost, making it a cost-effective mobility solution.

Also customers can now literally plug in their e2o’s to charge, like they would their cell phones, laptops or tablets, using any 15A power socket available in any home. With just 5 hours required for fully charging the car, the car can be driven over 100 kms, more than enough for the average daily commute.

With the patented REVive technology, there are no more range anxieties. In the rare event of running low on charge, the app on the smartphone can be used to remotely activate the reserve energy.

Years of careful R&D has gone into the development of India’s first conventional electric car.

The Connected Car technology, for instance, is a unique synthesis of energy, mobility and connectivity. The entire genesis of this is the control interface for the vehicle, which can be made available on any smartphone device by merely downloading an application, which then gives the customer the power to remotely manage the car’s several functions.

The car also has 10 on-board computers, providing real-time feedback of the entire vehicle’s functions, doing a daily heartbeat check of the vital systems and sending alerts if anything needs to be fixed.

The Mahindra e2o also carries with it a range of safety features such as ISOFIX child seat mount with ALR seat belts, large front crumple zone, dual side impact beams, hood for pedestrian impact safety and under-seat batteries, ensuring low centre of gravity.

By the time my 7 km drive came to an end, I had started admiring e20o’s engineering and the purpose it has set for itself. An e2o can be had for Rs 5.9-6.2 lakh (onroad Delhi), which, with government support, the company believes may be reduced. It also believes that with a lot of charging stations set up across cities and highways, the car can go places.

But for a car, coming into the market as a major breakthrough, attempting to break all stereotypes and hearsays, the e2o just does that with panache. Its onboard innovations are fascinating and its effort to be a regular car is worth appreciating. And what can be said about its drive: A truly ‘electrifying’ experience.