Hi,
I’m the founder of our website - https://pluginindia.com, which would be a hangout place for the fledgling EV and clean tech community in India.
I have used the Mahindra e2o (i named her EVA) for 7 months now and have covered 5000 km and have absolutely enjoyed the following aspects:
a) First thing u notice, how **quiet** the e2o is. She really is quiet, especially when the AC is turned off. That is because there is no engine noise. You hear a faint whine of the electric motor.
b) You step on it then you observe that there is **good acceleration** due to the instant torque but you **don’t feel the vibration** and they don’t hear the noise. Its just a **smooth acceleration.** All EVs are like this and I was pleasantly surprised that the e2o was this silent.
c) The **range estimation** is very accurate provided we stick to using the ’F’ (Forward) mode and not accelerating in an inefficient way.
For example we traveled from Baner to Amanora Town Center in Pune - a distance of 22 km. The charge on EVA while starting was 98km. We drove with the AC on all the time and FM radio playing. When I got back the range left was 50km. So it used up 48km worth of energy for a distance of 44km. It consumed 4km worth of range for the AC and the electronics.
d) EVA is such a pleasure to drive with the **automatic transmission** especially in stop and go traffic.
d) Very good braking system. We got down from 60 to a virtual standstill in bout 4 seconds. We reached a top speed of 84 kms in the Mumbai-Pune old highway. Unlike the internal combustion engine cars, EVA does not make any **fuss/noises** when stretched to its limits. That’s bcos there are no moving parts apart from the motor.
e) I hardly use the Boost mode. I stick to forward most all the time, I only use the boost mode if I need to go beyond 65kmph. The **Forward mode is more economical.*
f) All u need is a 15A socket to charge her.
g) A **techie’s dream** - 7 inch touch screen - GPS Navigation, iPod, USB, SD Card, Bluetooth, DVD, Reverse Camera, Mobile phone integration - even luxury sedans don’t have these features.
h) Almost 0 maintenance vehicle. All we need to change is brake oil and tire checkups once a year. Also the Mahindra Authorized Service guy told me to better to check for air pressure of 35 ps. Its better add some air once a month in the tires.
i)No Power Steering. The lack of power steering is not noticed when changing lanes or slowing down during a turn etc. But its noticed when at lower rev’s.
j) Scratch & **Dent proof body** - a plus in Indian chaos. Just the other day, a Hyundai Verna guy scrapped past me. He was in a hurry. We stopped and he apologized. I saw a deep dent and a white scratch on the black Verna. There was nothing on EVA. Am sure that guy spent close to 20k to repair the scratches. This again illustrates the superiority of plastic over metal for Indian city driving. Great job Reva!
k) An all digital car - where EVA gets various software upgrades that can give added functionality in the future. This again is a first. Your car grows with age. :)
*YOUTUBE Video - Pune to Lavasa*
I even took the car to Lavasa which is 55 km from my home in the mountains. We discovered some interesting findings:)
Here is a video blog:
https://youtube.com/watch?v=BltPapD0pcw
*More info at PlugInIndia.com*
You can find more detailed review with photos, inputs and cost details every month in my website
https://pluginindia.com/1/post/2013/09/why-i-got-the-mahindra-e2o.html