The past couple of months have seen considerable action in the electric two-wheeler space in India: Ather Energy announced plans for a new plant in Hosur, Bajaj Auto revealed the new Chetak, and Ultraviolette showcased its performance electric motorcycle. Now Mahindra & Mahindra, through its two-wheeler arm, is getting ready to plug into electric mobility, which will make it the sole OEM in India to have EVs on two, three, and four wheels.
Mahindra is said to be at an advanced stage of unveiling its first electric scooter based on the Mahindra Gusto scooter platform. In April 2017, our sister publication Autocar Professional had reported that a Gusto-based e-scooter was under development. The now-discontinued Gusto 110cc and 125cc scooter models were the most successful Mahindra models on two wheels, compared to the Duro and Rodeo.
According to sources familiar with the latest developments, Mahindra's electric scooter will be revealed before Auto Expo 2020, which opens in early February. The e-scooter, for which ARAI certification is believed to have been received, is expected to be priced around Rs 80,000 in Delhi (including FAME 2 and state government subsidies).
Considering Mahindra owns two electric-scooter manufacturing companies (Mahindrda Genze in the USA and Peugeot Motocycles in France), it was only a matter of time before the company entered the e-mobility field on two wheels.
The upcoming Mahindra e-scooter, which is learned to have inputs from Mahindra Genze, is powered by a 3kW motor, expected to have a range of around 80 kilometres on a single charge, and a top speed of 55-60kph. What's interesting is that even the made-in-Pithampur Peugeot E-Ludix electric scooter has a 3kW motor. Little else on the eco-friendly Mahindra two-wheeler is known at this stage.
Vishal Venugopal
Ved Janve
Azaman Chothia
