M&M launches electric vehicle pilot to support National Electric Mobility Mission

photo : Motoroids

Image courtesy: http://www.motoroids.com

In a drive to promote electric vehicles (EV) in Indian market, automobile major Mahindra & Mahindra (M&M) has introduced its first pilot EV project.

The initiative is part of the Indian government’s National Electric Mobility Mission Plan (NEMMP) announced two days ago. The government has allocated Rs 1,000 crore for promoting EV sales in India.

As part of the project, Mahindra & Mahindra has handed over four battery-powered Maxximo Electric Vans to the Agra Development Authority. These electric vehicles will be used used to ferry tourists along the clean, green Taj Zero Emission Corridor.

Developed by Mahindra Reva, the Maxximo Electric Van is the first such vehicle to be made in India.

In addition, M&M will also provide charging stations, technical assistance, spare parts and additional service support for this project.

The Maxximo Electric Van is an 8-seater, zero-emission, van powered by lithium-ion batteries. The fully automatic vehicle can cover 100 km on a single charge and has a top speed of 65 kph.

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The vehicle is suitable for all weather conditions and will be production-ready by FY-2016.

Introduced in 2013, the NEMMP lays out a comprehensive roadmap for the electrification of the road transport sector in India.

The project aims to grow sales of electric vehicles to 6-7 million units a year by 2020.

Sabeena Wahid
[email protected]