Mahindra expects NEMMP 2020 will change the scenario of electric vehicle

Till now the main reason for the tepid performance is lack of government subsidy and poor infrastructure

The conditions for the growth of electric vehicle are not conducive in the country and a lot needs to be done before the electric vehicle industry in the country can see a growth, said Pawan Goenka, executive director and president of the automotive division at Mahindra ad Mahindra ( M&M).

“The performance of our e 20 electric car was poor due to many bottlenecks that impedes the growth of this industry,” he said. M &M is selling around 250 units all over the country whereas the company expected to sell around 100 units per month.

According to him, the primary reasons for the tepid performance were lack of government subsidy and poor infrastructure.

“Certain segment require push from the policymakers for it become mainstream, the electric vehicle is one such sector, states where the government provides subsidy either in the form of lower VAT or registration tax like Delhi and Karnataka have responded well to it,” he said.

Also, the Indian infrastructure scenario was not too favourable for the e20, facilities like charging facilities were inadequate. Mahindra has been able to sell not more than 400 pieces of the car since its launch in March 2013.

Goenka expected that if the National Electric  Mobility Mission Plan 2020 ( NEMMP) is implemented it might play a role in changing the scenario. Under NEMMP, the government is considering to give incentives of Rs 14,000 crore for promotion of electric vehicle.

Expecting that the subsidy offered to the electric vehicles by the government, will result in a surge of demand of Mahindra and Mahindra Ltd, the leading manufacturer of electric vehicles plans to launch  three electric vehicle by the end of the next financial year.“ We have lined up a series of launch of electric vehicles in the coming months starting with the Mahindra Maximmo, which will be launched in next two to three weeks, followed by the electric version of Verito and Halo“ said Goenka. M&M designs, manufactures and markets electric vehicle through it subsidiary Mahindra Reva Electric Vehicles Limited.

Beside that the company will launch different versions of the e 20 by th end of next financial year. Verito, a sedan from the Mahindra stable, which which didn’t perform very well is to be launched in an all-electric version.

The Maximmo is a sub-two tonne mini vun while Halo is an electronic vehicle in the sports car segment. In August, Mahindra nationally launched the e 20 Premium equipped with a host of features like the infotainment system, driver information system, reverse parking camera and assist.