While Mahindra & Mahindra may not have been the lowest bidder for Energy Efficiency Services Ltd’s (EESL) global tender for 10,000 electric vehicles (EVs), it is not out of the running yet.

EESL had recently announced that Tata Motors, which had competition from Mahindra and Nissan, had won the world’s single-largest tender for EVs.

Nissan’s opportunity slipped by at the technical bidding stage, while Tata clinched the deal with a Rs 11.2 lakh quote (inclusive of GST) for an electrified version of one of its models, the Tata  Tigor compact sedan, along with a five-year warranty.

Information revealed by Saurabh Kumar, MD, EESL to our sister publication Autocar Professional shows that EESL will provide Mahindra a slice of the 10,000 EVs if the manufacturer matches Tata’s price. Regarding the development, Kumar said, “If M&M matches the price as quoted by Tata Motors, there is still a possibility of procuring 40 percent of the total order volume from Mahindra.” A deadline has not yet been confirmed for Mahindra to submit a new quote.

The order of 10,000 electric vehicles is expected to be supplied in two stages – the first lot of 500 vehicles is scheduled to be delivered in November 2017 with the remaining 9,500 will be procured sometime in 2018. Mahindra has a chance to supply up to 4,000 units.

The quote that Tata Motors had offered is up to 25 percent better than a similar electric vehicle with a three-year warranty, clearly indicating Mahindra’s eVerito sold in India.

The Mahindra eVerito is powered by a a 72V AC induction motor and generates 41hp of power, also boasting fast charging capability in its top D6 trim. The fast charging allows the EV to charge up to 80 percent of its battery within two hours. It can achieve a total driving range of 100km on a single full charge and a claimed top speed of 86kph.