Mahindra Reva’s electric vehicles might be seen making their way to small islands rather than staying on the mainland. The company is planning to tap small land masses as potential markets. The plan came into place after Mahindra Reva shipped some cars to Bermuda recently.
Most islands are frequented by tourists, have short driving distances and according to Mahindra Reva, EVs are easy to maintain which would be appealing to visitors. “It’s going to be cheaper (to run EVs) because anyway islands import energy, and cleanliness will be easier to maintain. Tourism will benefit as islands will be quieter, cleaner and pristine. Maybe over time we will have a lot of people thinking about electric cars on a vacation and then maybe buying them later,” says Chetan Maini, CEO, Mahindra Reva.
The e2o’s 100km driving range would be sufficient for island users, whereas the same range would make mainland drivers anxious. Maini believes, the 150-200 bay islands across the world would provide Mahindra Reva a huge market for its electric vehicles. Targeting this market would give e2o good exposure from potential markets, providing the carmaker a good opportunity to market or maybe even gauge a product’s acceptance level. “We do see this year as an extension into different things,” says Maini. Could there be another unconventional strategy in the making? Watch this space.