Ever since they acquired the homegrown electric car-maker Reva, Mahindra has been taking measured attempts to bring electric cars to the attention of mainstream car-buying public in India. The launch of e2o Plus is another step in that direction.
Despite being a significant step up from the original Reva, the e2o failed miserably without creating any sort of impact in the Indian market. It's high sticker price aside, what kept customers away from the car was its diminutive size, impractical two door layout and limited range. With the e2o Plus, a test mule of which we spotted at the beginning of this year, most of those limitations have been acted upon if not completely addressed.
Changes to the front are minimal with Mahindra modifying the e2o's grille to be more in line with the rest of its portfolio. Of course, two additional doors mean increased length and an unique kink in the window line, thanks to e2o's quirky design. At the rear, conventional horizontal taillights have been ditched in favour of vertically-stacked LED units. It does look a bit disproportionate but we have to admit that the e2o Plus looks and feels mature than the regular e2o.
The interiors are carried over from the two-door version but the e2o Plus gains features like a Blaupunkt Android touchscreen infotainment system, reverse parking camera and power windows for all four doors. More importantly, the rear seat looks abundantly spacious from the pictures released and test drives by popular automotive journalists have confirmed that belief.
There are four trim levels on offer - the fleet-exclusive P2, P4, P6 and P8.
All but the top-end variant are powered by a 19 kW electric motor with a torque rating of 70 Nm. With a claimed top speed of 80 km/h and an operational range of 110 km, the battery pack takes 6 hours to charge from a regular 16A power socket while a 3-phase 32A setup can charge the car to 95% in just 75 minutes.
The P8 variant gets a 40 kW motor with a larger battery pack and a torque output of 91 Nm. The claimed top speed of this variant is 85 km/h. While regular charging is said to take 9 hours, the car can be charged up to 95% in just 90 minutes using a similar fast-charging setup as stated above.
The e2o Plus is priced between ₹5.46 Lakhs and ₹8.46 Lakhs ex-showroom Delhi after considering all government subsidies. Given the fact that a similar amount can get us cars like the i20, Baleno, Ameo and even some variants of EcoSport, the e2o is still pricey for what it offers.
Unlike the e2o, the e2o Plus is definitely better equipped to impress the environment-conscious urban commuter with pockets deep enough to afford multiple cars. The question is, how many of them are actually out there?
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