Mahindra e2o Plus City Smart review

It seems to be the season of cleanliness. From the pavilions of the Paris Motor Show to the corridors of Delhi’s courts, everyone is thinking about just one thing – a cleaner environment. From a purely Indian perspective we’ve always had the old Reva (since 2001 to be precise), an electric car developed by Bengaluru based Maini Group in collaboration with US based Amerigon Electric Vehicle Technologies (AEVT). The company was subsequently acquired by Mahindra & Mahindra in 2010, and in three short years the e2o was launched in 2013.

Cut to the present, and we are are poised for the launch of another  new e2o. Christened e2o Plus City Smart this new all electric city car is a four-door (and therefore more practical) version of the e2o but also with a host of updates.

What’s new?

The e2o Plus basically carries over the same space frame body structure and the tall and boxy styling. On the outside, the most distinctive, and visible, change to the e2o is the addition of rear doors (that’s what the ‘Plus’ in the name signifies). Although much smaller, Mahindra has used door handles similar to those on the KUV 100.

Also, the e2o Plus City Smart’s visage is different from the regular e2o since the former now gets Mahindra’s signature front grille and projector headlamps. At the tail end of things there are a set of newly designed LED lamps and an integrated spoiler. Mahindra has also kitted out the e2o Plus City Smart with 14-inch alloys, the regular e2o gets 13-inchers. This also accounts for the slight improvement in ride quality of the new car over the regular version, but we’ll get to that bit in just a minute.

What else?

On the inside things are not much different either, when compared to the old car. The seats sport an electric graphic design and the 6.2-inch touch screen Blaupunkt infotainment system features an android interface, which basically means the system functions just like any normal android tablet.

The company has also launched a REMOTE android app. The app is meant to take connectivity between the user and the vehicle to the next level and allows the to remotely lock/unlock the car, turn the AC on/off and also view the battery’s charge status and range.

How quick?

The car is available with two powertrain options, the first of which is a 48V battery that helps the electric motor produce 19kW (equivalent of 25.4bhp) at 3500rpm while the second is a 72V battery that helps the motor to put out 30kW (equivalent of 40.2bhp) at 3500rpm.

The latter more powerful of the two options however is available only with the range topping P8 variant. All other variants – there are three more, get the less powerful 48V powerplant. In both cases the motor used is a three-phase induction motor mated to an automatic transmission.

Mahindra claims a 0-60 kmph run in 9.5 seconds and a top speed of 85 kmph for the more powerful of the two e2os and 14.1 seconds to 60 and an 80 kmph top speed for the less powerful version.

However, more than outright performance, in an electric car, the major concern is always range. To that end Mahindra has tried its best to optimise the battery consumption in a bid to endow the car with a better range. On a full charge the 72V battery pack gets a range of 140km, while the 48V pack is capable to run 110km on a full charge. While a full charge takes much longer, an 85 per cent quick charge takes 95 minutes claims Mahindra.

Fun to drive?

When I drove the 72V e2o Plus, I was quite amazed at how the little car sprung to life with the push of the pedal. Like any electric car, the e2o is a direct drive, so power is available from the moment you step on the throttle pedal, its 91Nm of peak torque kicking in from the get go. As a result the car feels quite darty and therefore fun to be in.

The new e2o also gets a boost mode, which basically gives extra power while accelerating. Much like in an F1 car. Ok, perhaps that is a bit of an exaggeration, but it’s needless to say that the car is a lot more fun to drive around in boost mode, and it is especially handy while overtaking. There is a price to pay however for all the fun because the boost function drains the battery much faster, thus reducing the vehicle’s range.

On the handling front, it pockets a few points, courtesy a spectacularly small turning circle (4.35 metres) and the agility brought about by its compact size. But having said that, the car’s tall stance and soft set up mean that dynamic ability isn’t its core strength. Ride quality on the other hand is better than what we’ve experienced in the past on the regular e2o. With no difference in the suspension setup between the e2o Plus City Smart and the e2o, it is the larger wheel size that is contributing to the improved ride, which is fairly compliant and absorbs road shocks quite well at speeds of up to 60kmph. Beyond that, things get bouncy.

The e2o comes with a pair of discs up front and a pair of drums at the rear. The car also gets brake energy regeneration, which, unfortunately, robs the brakes of any feel. Bite from the brakes too, while adequate for city use, isn’t as sharp as we would have liked it to be.

Good value?

With all state subsidies and FAME incentives in place for electric vehicles, the Mahindra e2o Plus City Smart carries a sticker of Rs 5.46 lakh, ex-showroom in Delhi. That is certainly less than what we would have predicted, but it’s still pricey to become a mainstream transport solution for the average consumer. At that price point consumers can choose from a wide variety of more spacious and more practical (from a range perspective) cars.