Mahindra eKUV-100 The Electric Car
The trend of Electric vehicles is emerging out of awareness regarding the safety of the environment. Environment lovers and some scientists emphasize developing and using vehicles which does not pollute the environment by the emission of harmful and toxic gases or which does not use fuels extracted from crude oil or coal to save them from reaching the verge of extinction in the near future.
The e20 and e20 plus were EVs axed by the company by the throwback of safety norms but Mahindra refused to look down with the aim of launching EVs. Mahindra Electric has announced its lineup of electric vehicles in Auto Expo 2018 and few of these vehicles would be launched by the end of the year 2019. One out of the batch is Mahindra eKUV-100 which was first seen at the expo. Mahindra eKUV-100 would be the first electric vehicle launched by Mahindra in India.
First Look
The first impression that eKUV-100 makes is no different from the normal KUV-100, perhaps there are negligible changes made in terms of looks in the new eKUV-100. Changes can only be found at fenders and some portion of interiors. The front fender has got filler caps on both sides, out which one is for regular charging and the other is for fast charging.
Power source
Instead of swapping components from the flagship eVerito brand decides to use new components and make the EV from scratch without bringing eVerito into the frame. The powerhouse for the EV is 15.9kWh lithium-ion battery which churns the 40 kW motor and develops torque of 120 Nm. The battery can be fully charged in 5 Hr 45 min using the regular charger and within 55 min by the fast charger. The full charge of battery can charge the EV for 120 km which was 140 KM if the battery was not changed from 18.5 kWh to 15.9 kWh. The weight of the EV is more than its elder sibling with an internal combustion engine and that too by 65 Kg.
Specifications
| Length | 3700mm |
| Width | 1735mm |
| Height | 1655mm |
| Wheelbase | 2385mm |
| Kerb weight | 1200kg |
| Power | 40kW at 3820rpm |
| Torque | 120Nm at 3000rpm |
| Battery type | Lithium-ion |
| Battery capacity | 15.9kWh |
| Range | 120km (claimed) |
| Charging time | 5hr 45min (regular) / 55min (fast charger) |
Driving pleasure
The test drive of the eKUV-100 prototype reveals the following: The EV eKUV-100 is said to be super smooth and with a smooth transition to the actuation of coasting regenerating and braking regenerating system can be easily felt. The EV manages to put a little thrust over the car before 60 Kmph and then loses the charm and lowers down the acceleration. Overall the car is pretty smooth on the run and does not make much noise.
Price and Release Dates
The eKUV-100 is exclaimed to be available to the market by the end of 2019 or in early 2020 for the price of Rs.8 to 10 lakhs. The price is justifiable by the lower operating costs and savings done by not using petrol or diesel as fuel.
