The company already has three products on offer in the market, the e2o, e-Verito and the recently launched e-Supro vans (passenger and cargo).
With each product, Mahindra Electric has aimed at addressing a very real need though the number of EVs sold doesn’t account for even one percent of the total car market in India. It is that vein of thought that has led to the Mahindra Electric e2o Plus. Designed and developed in-house, the e2o Plus can simply be labelled as the four-door version of the e2o.
The Looks
The e2o Plus might boast an unorthodox design that follows the lines of the e2o (two-door) and includes a fair amount of design traits from Mahindra’s MPV/ SUV line-up such as the ‘Mahindra family’ grille.
The inclusion of the rear door and the extra wheelbase meant that the e2o design had to be extended in some manner to keep with the flow. The end result is a ‘stepped’ look along the shoulder line.
The rear has been nicely moulded and the design might not appeal to you immediately, but the practical side of it becomes apparent once you get inside.
Inside the Car
The cabin has a simple layout with a no-nonsense air about it. There is ample legroom and headroom for all four passengers on board, however the narrow body doesn’t allow for too much shoulder room.
The e2o Plus also gets a little bit of boot space, 135 litres to be exact. Mahindra has fitted the e2o Plus with Lithium Ferrophosphate (LiFePO4) or just LFP batteries. The company claims that these batteries are pretty much maintenance free for 5 years. That in turn translates to a 3-year, 60,000km warranty on the e2oPlus.
The seats are nice and comfortable and the air-conditioning is rather effective as well. In terms of features on board, the e2o Plus gets an infotainment system that pairs with your smartphone and the e2o app. The battery packs have been fitted right in the centre and sit right under the front seats to maintain the balance as well as to maintain a low centre of gravity.
Under the hood you will find the spare wheel, and there are two charging points on either side at the rear – one for the regular charge and the other to access the fast charge port.
The one on the left is for a more everyday use type 15Amp charger that can be plugged into any regular socket of the same rating at home. This way, you can fully charge the e2o Plus in around 8 hours.
The other method is to use a Quick Charger (which Mahindra will set up at an extra cost – and yes, it is expensive). This is done through the charging socket on the right side of the car and it can achieve up to 90 percent charge in about 90 minutes, after which it will take similar time to achieve full capacity.
Power
The e2o Plus is available in four trim options and is powered by 3-phase induction motors and comes fitted with 210 Ah Lithium Ion batteries. I drove the top of the line P8 variant that delivers 30KW of power at 3500 rpm and 91 Nm of torque at 2500 rpm. It has a range of 140 km per charge and can hit a top speed of 85km/h.
The P8 version is capable of going from 0-60 km/h in just 9.5 seconds and you also get a rather interesting ‘boost’ mode to aid with overtaking manoeuvres.
As for the three lower trims, the electric motor only generates 19KW of power at 3500 rpm and makes 70 Nm of torque at 1050 rpm. They also have a lower range of 110 km per charge which takes about 14 seconds to do the 0-60 km/h dash.
The Drive
Starting the car involves pointing the key fob at the start button and then pressing it to bring the car to life. There isn’t a sound to tell you that it is indeed on, however the instrument cluster has a notification that flashes telling you that you are now good to go.
My initial reaction was a mixed bag of emotions. I immediately missed the sound of an engine as I only had the whine of the electric motor for company; however, the car’s linear power delivery was noteworthy.
The e2o Plus pulls away rather nicely from standstill and is undoubtedly quick off the mark. Yeah, it won’t set any land speed records, but you don’t need that in a city. Ride quality is decent and if I had to compare it to a conventional car, I would say that it is along the lines of how an Alto 800 feels.
The steering has a nice light feel to it and the car boasts of a 4.35 metre turning radius – which adds to its zippy nature as it allows you.
Our Take
Frankly, the e2o Plus is a car I really wouldn’t mind owning. Mahindra Electric does need to focus on smoothing out some of the rough edges in terms of fit and finish, however on the whole there is really nothing to complain about.
Mahindra has been able to price the e2o Plus rather competitively – at Rs 5.46 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi), you can drive home a mid-level P4 variant of the car.
But if you move to Mumbai, the price jumps by nearly Rs 1.6 lakh, to Rs 7.07 lakh. The most expensive state to own the Mahindra e2oPlus is Andhra Pradesh, where the car costs Rs 7.68 lakh (ex-Hyderabad).
(Vikram Gour is one of India’s renowned automotive journalists and the co-founder of MotorScribes. He can be reached at @VikramGour)
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