- The company will be launching a new research and development (R&D) centre in Bengaluru in the next 18-24 months
- It has partnered with group firm Ssangyong Motor to deliver powertrains by this year in South Korea
According to a report by Livemint, Mahesh Babu, chief executive officer of Mahindra Electric Mobility will supply electric vehicle (EV) powertrains to international markets. These markets include South Korea and Europe.
The report said that in South Korea, the company has partnered with group firm Ssangyong Motor to deliver powertrains by this year. It will enter Europe soon. He added that the powertrains are being manufactured in the company’s Bengaluru and Chakan (Pune) plants.
Growth will clearly come from EVs
The company intends to use its experience of completing 200 million kilometres on Indian roads to bring about innovation in the EV market. The report said that the company said that the above 200 million-plus eKilometres done by Mahindra’s electric vehicles have helped to save over 22,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions in India. When asked whether EVs will replace combustion engines, Babu said that both will co-exist for some time. He added that growth will clearly come from EVs.
Babu also said that though EVs are presently 30-50 per cent more expensive to buy, the operating expenses for it are lower. This will help to break even in five years. He added that Mahindra Electric aims to be the leading company to provide customised electric mobility solutions through cutting-edge technology.
R&D centre in Bengaluru
Babu also said that the company will be launching a new research and development (R&D) centre in Bengaluru in the next 18-24 months. From the 650 engineers of the company, 450 of them are involved in R&D as per Babu.