Mahindra Reva bets big on Metro Rail projects

CEO says company exploring role of electric vehicles in public commuting and goods transport

Mahindra Reva Electric Vehicles Private Limited, a part of Mahindra Group, is studying the feasibility of providing feeder services at metro rail stations with its eight-seater electric Maxximo (e-Maxximo) vans, according to its chief executive officer Arvind Mathew.

“We are exploring the role of EVs (electric vehicles) in public commuting and goods transport. Right now, we are working with various state governments, including Delhi and Hyderabad, to see whether providing feeder services at Metro stations with EVs will make sense. This, however, is still in the planning stage,” he said, adding that the company had already taken up a pilot project at the Taj Mahal zero-emission corridor with four e-Maxximos.

Announcing the launch of the all-electric, fully-automatic electric car Mahindra e20 in the Hyderabad market on Tuesday, Mathew said the launch of FAME (Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of EVs) scheme by the Union ministry of heavy industries and enterprises would provide the necessary impetus to the EV ecosystem.



The FAME scheme, which envisages spending Rs 795 crore over the next six years to promote the electric vehicle industry in India, offers incentives on electric and hybrid vehicles of up to Rs 29,000 for bikes and Rs 1.38 lakh for cars.

“The market for EVs is now looking up and a lot of global OEMs (original equipment manufacturers) are keen to bring their products to India,” Mathew said.

Mahindra Reva, founded in 1994 as the Reva Electric Car Company, was a JV between the Maini Group of Bengaluru and AEV LLC of the US. In May 2010, the Mahindra Group acquired a majority stake in the company, which was then renamed Mahindra Reva Electric. It has so far sold 5,500 units of Reva, and is currently selling 100 units each month.