# Mahindra e20 - A new EV is born!



## Kamleshgk (May 24, 2012)

A new EV was born today!

And it was born in New Delhi, India.

Holla guys,
Am an EV enthusiast from India and am very excited bout this new product that could transform the automobile industry here in India.

This is the first EV car that is mass produced and sold here.
Nissan, Tesla dont have operations here.

Here are the specifications
http://www.mahindrae2o.com/specifications.htm

The cost would come upto $10,100 (Rs 6,00,000)
The range is an acceptable - 100 km (? Miles!) for Indian Cities
Charges in 5 hrs flat. Quick Charge = 25km in 15 mins!
Lithium Ion batteries

It has some kick ass features for the price.

e20 - has a system connected to satellite. 
Thus use an iOS/Android/Blackberry device and stay connected to your e20
Basically use the mobile phone to remotely activate stuff on your car. 
Example - Turn ur AC on the car using your mobile phone remotely.

What if u run out of charge?
Patented Revive technology. Pick up our smart phone and press - 'Revive' button. This remotely provides 8-10 km of backup energy.

10 onboard computers = Energy Management system. Remote debugging of issues, crash reports sent to Mahindra etc. Fixing issues remotely is possible.

The car also has a 6.2 inch touch screen display system (Mp3 player - this screen is connected to main computer system of the car). You can gauge the energy efficiency, how u have driven over the last 6 days, more reports on energy efficiency.

Regenerative braking - As u take our foot of the accelerator pedal, u get energy into your battery.
This is perfect for Indian stop and go traffic.

Other Features - 
Keyless entry, hill mode etc


They are planning to export this to Europe next year.

Am seriously thinking of buying this!

Now i have never bought an EV! Heck, never bought a car in my life!

I would like all the EV masters here to offer me some tips and answer some questions i have!

Some questions i have are
Can the battery pack be upgraded? In future, can we add a new battery pack with improved range? Is this possible in an EV? What if the company says no?
IMO, this is important, so that u can be certain that u will be sure that ur car can meet your needs in the future too. Its like upgrading RAM in a computer!
Apparently there is a 3 year warranty for the battery pack - is this enuf?
Looks like the BMS is included with the infotainment touch screen system provided. Is there anything related to BMS that i need to know?
When i go on a test drive (mostly this weekend!), what are the things i need to look for in an EV?
Any other tips and suggestions?

Id really appreciate responses!
Thanx in advance 

Kamlesh


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## Coulomb (Apr 22, 2009)

Kamleshgk said:


> A new EV was born today!


Wonderful!



> Here are the specifications
> http://www.mahindrae2o.com/specifications.htm


To a Western eye, the stand out limitations are:
1) 19 kW - not very powerful; likely not very quick.
2) 81 km/h (just over 50 mph) - not very fast. This would not work in the USA where there are freeways everywhere.

But in India, that might not be a problem at all, depending on where you live.



> The range is an acceptable - 100 km (? Miles!) for Indian Cities


100 km range is quite good, but beware, these may well be "marketing range", which could be rather different from real-world range.



> What if u run out of charge?
> Patented Revive technology. Pick up our smart phone and press - 'Revive' button. This remotely provides 8-10 km of backup energy.


That's interesting. At first it sounds like they are harnessing the power of the radio beam from your phone to charge the traction battery  (don't even think about how many orders of magnitude there are between these two things). What they must be doing is leaving by default say 20% SOC left in the pack when it reports empty, and they make you consciously decide to use say half of that (down to 10% SOC), which will likely damage your pack's life, by making you use your phone. It's enough of a nuisance that you wouldn't do it all the time (hopefully), but it could get you out of trouble if needed. It would be easy to implement; maybe we'll see this feature in other EVs some day, if they licence (or steal) the patented idea.



> They are planning to export this to Europe next year.


Hmmm. I'm not sure how a speed limit of 81 km/h would work on the Autobahn. But I guess that een Europe has people that have a commute that rarely goes above 60 km/h. especially as a second or third car.



> Can the battery pack be upgraded? In future, can we add a new battery pack with improved range? Is this possible in an EV? What if the company says no?


It depends on the space available, basically. There should be no technical problems with paralleling a second pack. If the company says no, then you may lose your warranty (depending on local laws).

There is also the problem of the added weight. If you add say 50% more battery capacity, it may make the car 30% heavier, and the brakes may not cope with it. You may need a suspension upgrade too, and the car just might not be strong enough to handle the extra stresses of 30% more mass bouncing around.

So unfortunately, it's no easy thing.



> IMO, this is important, so that u can be certain that u will be sure that ur car can meet your needs in the future too. Its like upgrading RAM in a computer!


Yes, but in a computer, twice the RAM takes up either no more space or occupies a tiny space reserved for it. A traction pack has considerable weight, space, and cost, and needs to be carefully integrated with the rest of the vehicle (with suitable crash protection, suitable cabling, and it will be tricky finding appropriate places to "tap into" the existing wiring, since it will be well protected.



> Apparently there is a 3 year warranty for the battery pack - is this enuf?


It would not wash in the USA, where consumers are demanding 8 years. But no EV available in the USA costs $10k, either. The likely longevity of the battery will be a major purchase consideration.



> Looks like the BMS is included with the infotainment touch screen system provided.


The quality of the BMS is another heavy consideration. Do I trust that the manufacturer has done the right things to protect my battery pack?



> When i go on a test drive (mostl likely this weekend!), what are the things i need to look for in an EV?


I would be looking to make sure that it has enough pick-up for the local conditions. Can I get out of harm's way quickly enough if needed? Will it be able to climb this hill or that carpark ramp? It sounds like it has no transmission, so whatever torque the motor can produce, multiplied by a fixed ratio, is all you have to play with. The 19 kW motor likely isn't a torque monster, so this is a consideration.



> Any other tips and suggestions?


You live in India, so make sure the horn works well and is plenty loud


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## Kamleshgk (May 24, 2012)

Couloumb - Thanx for that brilliant reply!

When we compare the specs of the Leaf to the e20 there is huge difference!

e20 Leaf 
Power	19 kW 80 kW
Battery 48V 24 kWh (how do we convert kWh to Volt?)

Leaf is a real car with 4 doors!
e2o is a car manufactured to get the prices down for the Indian market.

Interesting, when u do a comparison!



> 100 km range is quite good, but beware, these may well be "sales range", which could be rather different from real-world range.


In a country like India, where heat is a major issue Range and battery degradation is a major issue - same case in Arizona, as per various studies, The Nissan LEAFs experience a noticeable drop in battery capacity in the first year. In Phoenix,AZ heat is the overriding factor in accelerated degradation. There are over 100 reported cases of LEAFs with degradation. 
My friend in Arizona was originally getting 100-110 miles per charge. Now after a year and 3 months, he has lost 3 bars of capacity and usually get around 60-70 miles per charge with 100% charge.

Now if this degradation of the Lithium Ion batteries happens in Indian Heat, then the range would be bad!! 
I emailed them bout the cooling that is on the Battery Pack. Lets see what they say!



> That's interesting. At first it sounds like they are harnessing the power of the radio beam from your phone to charge the traction battery (don't even think about how many orders of magnitude there are between these two things). What they must be doing is leaving by default say 20% SOC left in the pack when it reports empty, and they make you consciously decide to use say half of that (down to 10% SOC), which will likely damage your pack's life, by making you use your phone. It's enough of a nuisance that you wouldn't do it all the time (hopefully), but it could get you out of trouble if needed. It would be easy to implement; maybe we'll see this feature in other EVs some day, if they licence (or steal) the patented idea.


haha! Radio Beam is too funny! I guessed that too, a reserve would be used as backup 


You make a very good point bout upgrading batteries, as size and weight of the batteries vary. That was good insight.



> The quality of the BMS is another heavy consideration. Do I trust that the manufacturer has done the right things to protect my battery pack?


What sort of things would u look for in a good BMS? Could u point me to any links? 




> You live in India, so make sure the horn works well and is plenty loud


haha! never thought bout that  Guess u have seen the chaos here 
Thanx, i shall check that!

Thanx for the reply. I appreciate the time taken.


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## Ziggythewiz (May 16, 2010)

Looks like a fun little car. I wonder what the price would be without the state subsidy.

About the battery pack, with an expected life of 3 years I'd want to know what the replacement cost is. One great thing about the 8 year warranties is that even if the OEM replacement cost is high, you could probably roll your own much cheaper 8 years from now. In just 3 I don't think the price will change much and my quick calcs say it would take around $8k to replace that pack DIY.




Kamleshgk said:


> Patented Revive technology. Pick up our smart phone and press - 'Revive' button. This remotely provides 8-10 km of backup energy.





Coulomb said:


> That's interesting. At first it sounds like they are harnessing the power of the radio beam from your phone to charge the traction battery  (don't even think about how many orders of magnitude there are between these two things). What they must be doing is leaving by default say 20% SOC left in the pack when it reports empty, and they make you consciously decide to use say half of that (down to 10% SOC), which will likely damage your pack's life, by making you use your phone. It's enough of a nuisance that you wouldn't do it all the time (hopefully), but it could get you out of trouble if needed. It would be easy to implement; maybe we'll see this feature in other EVs some day, if they licence (or steal) the patented idea.


I'd call that very poor wording. They should have used the word 'unlock' and not 'remote'. If the power were provided remotely you could just type on your phone a few times a day and never plug in!

While a good feature, a patent shouldn't even be allowed for this. Too much prior use of the basic function and an obvious extension to the cell phone. No doubt the USPTO would stamp that in a heartbeat.

I inadvertently had to use this function in my car yesterday. I was trying to use time at the stoplight productively by making a charge adjustment I needed and accidently activated the low voltage cutoff. I had to adjust that cutoff to let me have my power back.


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## Kamleshgk (May 24, 2012)

Ziggythewiz - Thanx. I shall double check on the replacement battery cost.


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## Coulomb (Apr 22, 2009)

Ziggythewiz said:


> While a good feature, a patent shouldn't even be allowed for this. Too much prior use of the basic function and an obvious extension to the cell phone.


Oh, don't get me started on the evils of patents, especially obvious patents like this one.



> No doubt the USPTO would stamp that in a heartbeat.


Really? Then there is some hope for the world!


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## Coulomb (Apr 22, 2009)

Kamleshgk said:


> What sort of things would u look for in a good BMS?


Alas, it's hard to tell the quality of a BMS without poring over the design drawings, and you aren't likely to find those.

You want it to do its job - preventing over and under charging of the cells, and cutting back current if the temperature gets too high.
You'd also want it to balance your pack for you.
You'd want to be sure that it won't discharge any cells much if left unused for some time, and not discharge any cells more than the others.
You want it to be safe - no unfused wires running around.
It should be able to handle a cell going open circuit without blowing up.
Ideally it should be watching the state of health of your cells, and let you know if there are any problems.

But as I said - short of having the design drawings and being able to understand them and understanding the design issues, you aren't going to be able to tell from the glossy brochure or a test drive that it is doing all these things.

I'd like to think that a car manufacturer would be able to get all these things right. So as long as the rest of the car seems to be of good quality (things fit, paintwork looks good, nothing seems cheaply cobbled together or flimsy), or if the manufacturer has earned a reputation for quality, then you basically have to take it on faith that the BMS is well designed. Unfortunately.

The alternative is to wait till other buyers have had time to prove the design. There are those that say you should never buy version one of anything, since there will always be problems that are ironed out and are fixed by version two.

A case in point: my first impressions of the Mitsubishi iMiev were not very positive. Nothing concrete, just impressions. I saw a 2012 model tonight at an EV meeting, and it seems to have improved a lot. It now feels more solid and ready for the real world. Again, this is all subjective, but I'd feel a lot more comfortable buying a 2012 model (if I had the money) than the first model.


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## Ziggythewiz (May 16, 2010)

Coulomb said:


> Oh, don't get me started on the evils of patents, especially obvious patents like this one.
> 
> Really? Then there is some hope for the world!


I meant stamp of approval. They'll stamp anything more innovative than existing. If your product can exist in a specific context that's worthy of at least a half dozen patents. Rounded corners? How unique! I could NEVER think of something like that! APPROVED.


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## Kamleshgk (May 24, 2012)

Coulomb said:


> Alas, it's hard to tell the quality of a BMS without poring over the design drawings, and you aren't likely to find those.
> 
> You want it to do its job - preventing over and under charging of the cells, and cutting back current if the temperature gets too high.
> You'd also want it to balance your pack for you.
> ...


Thanx again for the detailed explanations of the BMS. So BMS is something u observe as u use it and its hard to judge it while buying it.
I see. I shall keep looking for people blogging bout it.



> In a country like India, where heat is a major issue Range and battery degradation is a major issue - same case in Arizona, as per various studies, The Nissan LEAFs experience a noticeable drop in battery capacity in the first year. In Phoenix,AZ heat is the overriding factor in accelerated degradation. There are over 100 reported cases of LEAFs with degradation.
> My friend in Arizona was originally getting 100-110 miles per charge. Now after a year and 3 months, he has lost 3 bars of capacity and usually get around 60-70 miles per charge with 100% charge.
> 
> Now if this degradation of the Lithium Ion batteries happens in Indian Heat, then the range would be bad!!
> I emailed them bout the cooling that is on the Battery Pack. Lets see what they say!


Also what do u think bout Battery Degradation? 
This Nissan Leaf story is scaring me as India is HOT!!!!
The range is already at a low 100 kms and degradation of that is not a good thing.
What sort of cooling would be ideal? Air cooled or liquid cooling?

Thanx again - man - u just rock. ur knowledge of EVs and how they work is really impressive.
Curious - What EV do u own?

p.s
i work in the computer software industry, so i completely understand that 2.0 > 1.0
So my head is telling me to wait for a better model!


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## Ziggythewiz (May 16, 2010)

You can't really worry about heating or cooling for an OEM battery pack. That's all done internally and unless you want to rebuild the car you can't really mess with it.

You have to accept what they've done as is. I'm sure their 3 year warranty accounts for the heat in India, but don't expect anything beyond that.


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## Coulomb (Apr 22, 2009)

I missed this question earlier:



Kamleshgk said:


> Battery 48V 24 kWh (how do we convert kWh to Volt?)


You can calculate energy capacity (kWh) by multiplying voltage by capacity in amp-hours and dividing by 1000. But they haven't given the amp-hour capacity or the energy capacity. A quick search didn't find either. That's something you could ask at your test drive.


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## ruckus (Apr 15, 2009)

Ok, I will probably get lambasted for this one, but when you say Mahindra it reminds me of my all-time-favorite Hero scene using an International tractor (sold as Mahindra in India).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yKQGMvU82t4

Yes, they are not EV - yet.  But maybe in the future..

I bale hay with the same tractor every year..


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## Karter2 (Nov 17, 2011)

Coulomb said:


> I missed this question earlier:
> Quote:
> Originally Posted by *Kamleshgk*
> _Battery 48V 24 kWh (how do we convert kWh to Volt?)_
> ...


 I think he was asking about the Leaf battery at 24kWhr..
..Which is 360 volt, which means its a 67Ahr capacity pack


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## Ziggythewiz (May 16, 2010)

He was trying to compare the two packs, but Mahindra only gives the voltage, range, and weight numbers and from that it's just a guess.


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## Karter2 (Nov 17, 2011)

Yes, it can only be a guess , but by any normal estimates it would have to be a similar capacity to the Leaf if it has a similar range.. ( but less weight maybe ? )
IE:- 20 kWhr (ish).. ?
but they are very different pack configurations, with the Leaf having a much higher voltage.


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## Yabert (Feb 7, 2010)

My guess is they only are 16 Lifepo4 cells with a capacity of around 13-14 Kwh. 51.2v 260Ah???

I based my guess on picture and on recharge time who is 5 hours from a 220v 15A socket (220 x 15 x 0.85 x 5h = 14Kwh). But all this contradict with the supposed weight of 100 Kg.


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## Ziggythewiz (May 16, 2010)

The Leaf's range is 100 miles in optimal conditions. This one is 100 km.

If it were LiFePO4 the warranty would probably be more than 3 years. 

They're probably using something with less life and higher density like everyone else.


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## Kamleshgk (May 24, 2012)

ruckus said:


> Ok, I will probably get lambasted for this one, but when you say Mahindra it reminds me of my all-time-favorite Hero scene using an International tractor (sold as Mahindra in India).
> 
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yKQGMvU82t4
> 
> ...


Hilarious!!!!!!


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## Kamleshgk (May 24, 2012)

e20 
Power 19 kW 
Battery 48V 
-------------------------------------------
Leaf 
80 kW
24 kWh (how do we convert kWh to Volt?)
--------------------------------------------

So is this formulae correct?

The power P in kilowatts (kW) is equal to the current I in amps (A), times the voltage V in volts (V) divided by 1000:

P(kW) = I(A) × V(V) / 1000

For the e20 i will need to get the amp-hour capacity.

Let me check with them.


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## Kamleshgk (May 24, 2012)

Yabert said:


> My guess is they only are 16 Lifepo4 cells with a capacity of around 13-14 Kwh. 51.2v 260Ah???
> 
> I based my guess on picture and on recharge time who is 5 hours from a 220v 15A socket (220 x 15 x 0.85 x 5h = 14Kwh). But all this contradict with the supposed weight of 100 Kg.


Yabert - Something fishy here? 
Am visiting them this Saturday, what else do u want me to ask them!?


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## Kamleshgk (May 24, 2012)

Ziggythewiz said:


> They're probably using something with less life and higher density like everyone else.


Sorry am an electrical noob.

So the battery pack with less life sounds scary. 
Is there any way of finding out the density?
If this is the case, Do u think, 3 years warranty is a risk for buyers?


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## Karter2 (Nov 17, 2011)

Ziggythewiz said:


> The Leaf's range is 100 miles in optimal conditions. .


 Ahh ! ..but that is "salesman " miles !

Here is more "sales man" talk from the nissan site..


> Nissan LEAF adopts a lightweight, compact, high-capacity lithium-ion battery that achieves double the energy density compared to a conventional EV battery (such as used on the Nissan Hypermini, which was first released in February 2000). Delivering 24 kWh battery capacity and maximum power output of more than 90 kWh, a full charge provides a driving range of 200 km (on JC08 mode).


sounds Impressive ! ..but 120Whr/km is really stretching belief ??


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## Ziggythewiz (May 16, 2010)

Karter2 said:


> Ahh ! ..but that is "salesman " miles !


Yes, but what else would you compare to the new salesman's pitch? You can't compare real world of an existing product to claimed ideal range of a future one.



Karter2 said:


> 120Whr/km is really stretching belief ??


More sales speak...my bug uses 130 wh/km cruising at 72 km/hr. The leaf I'm sure has better aero and if you don't tie a speed to that range you can say almost anything you want.


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## Kamleshgk (May 24, 2012)

Very good interview with the creator of the Mahindra e20

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dboguoxd8GU

And a decent review
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GgdDpzeIrF4


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## PStechPaul (May 1, 2012)

Seems like a good concept. I like the specs which are given in this video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nd9vAXPREK4&NR=1&feature=endscreen

So it's a 19 kW or maybe 28 kW (38 HP) motor with Li-Ion batteries capable of 100 km range and top speed of 105 km/h (65 MPH). I think it charges in 5 hours at 15 amps. It uses an induction motor with regen. And it uses solar power but apparently only from the carport with solar panel roof. So let's analyze these figures. 

I will use a weight of 1000 kg, speed of 50 km/h, and a 2% slope. Other factors I will use the defaults in my http://enginuitysystems.com/EVCalculator.htm. So I come up with 120 Wh/km (193 Wh/mile) and 6 kW (8 HP). For 100 km range that is 12 kWh of batteries. For 12 kWh at 15 amps and 5 hours that indicates a system voltage of 160V. The solar panels appear to be about 2m x 4m so 8 m^2, and at 175 w/sqm (16 w/sqft) for the most efficient, it will give about 1100 watts. 5 hours gives only 5.5 kWh so that's about half of the 12 kWh I had estimated. But it's in the ballpark, so to speak, and not unreasonable. 

It may be possible to put about 1 sqm (175W) of solar panels on the roof and hood of the car, so that would give about 15% more, and 175 watts would give you about a mile of range for each hour in the sun. Maybe 2 miles if you drove at 30 k/h (19 MPH) on a level road. That would perhaps be enough to drive to safety if you were stranded in the desert. It would provide continuous power to drive at about 3.3 k/h (2 MPH), so you could go 24 miles in 12 hours of daylight in the desert. But without A/C you would probably cook in that time! Anyway, this is a bit OT. Just rolling around some concepts...


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## Karter2 (Nov 17, 2011)

Paul, the system voltage has been stated several places as 48volts.
And the recharge was mentioned as... " can be recharged from a 15A socket"
...which in India means 240 volt , 15 A supply, IE, a 3+ kW charger ( max)
so, with a little efficiency loss, a 5hr recharge would put it close to your 12kWhr pack estimate.
Another review here. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oe9oSxWBIlU


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## PStechPaul (May 1, 2012)

Oops! Somehow I missed the entire second page.


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## Kamleshgk (May 24, 2012)

PStechPaul said:


> Seems like a good concept. I like the specs which are given in this video:
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nd9vAXPREK4&NR=1&feature=endscreen
> 
> So it's a 19 kW or maybe 28 kW (38 HP) motor with Li-Ion batteries capable of 100 km range and top speed of 105 km/h (65 MPH). I think it charges in 5 hours at 15 amps. It uses an induction motor with regen. And it uses solar power but apparently only from the carport with solar panel roof. So let's analyze these figures.
> ...


Is there anyway we can find out the power of the battery pack in kW-h?
They say that its 48V, but have not specified the Ampere Hours value. I emailed them and they is no response 

The sales guy in the Mahindra dealership told me that the solar panels came with a battery, the solar panels charge the battery pack and u can charge the car from the Battery pack. They will come to your home and install it for u. Apparently the car charges in 7 hours for full range and u run on pure sunlight )

Is that possible or is that sales talk?


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## Kamleshgk (May 24, 2012)

Here is a comparison table of electric car battery and power data for some popular and old models.

EV1 (last gen)
The NiMH batteries, rated at 77 amp-hours at 343 volts = (26.4 kWh), gave the cars a range of 160 miles (257*km) per charge
Motor = 102*kW - 149 newton-meters of torque

GM Volt - 2011
Battery - 16*kW·h at 45 A·h
Electric Motor = 111*kW - (370*Newton meters) of torque.

Nissan Leaf
Battery - 24 kWh battery pack --> range of 100 miles
Motor = 80*kW and 280 newton meters of torque

Tesla Model S base model
Battery - 40 kW-h range of 160 miles
Motor - 270kW for 440 newton meters of torque

Mahindra e20
Battery - 48V 
Motor - 19kWh for 53 Newton meters of torque

The e20 is grossly underpowered!!!


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## PStechPaul (May 1, 2012)

19 kW (25 HP) is a bit marginal, but for such a small vehicle designed for city use it should be adequate. Somewhere I thought I saw 28 kW (38 HP) which should make for a fairly peppy car. I think most of the commercial EVs are overpowered. 19 kW will push a 3000 lb car up a 3% grade at 55 MPH. And that is continuous rating, I assume, so you can get 2x to 3x for short bursts, maybe 10-20 seconds, for accelerating or short steep grades. And the E2O probably isn't half that weight unless it is stuffed with four Sumo wrestlers. 

As for the pack specifications, 12-15 kWh seems about right, so at 48 volts it would be 250-300 Ah, which are common lithium cell sizes. An 800 kg (1800 lb) vehicle going 66 k/h (41 MPH) on a 2% slope takes about 106 Wh/km so a 12 kWh pack could provide about 100 km at 80% DOD. And at 38 kW (2x19kW) the car should accelerate 0-40 in less than 4 seconds. Quite adequate for a city driver and OK for country roads. It's not really designed for interstate highway use, although it might be OK for short distances.


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## Kamleshgk (May 24, 2012)

PStechPaul said:


> 19 kW (25 HP) is a bit marginal, but for such a small vehicle designed for city use it should be adequate. Somewhere I thought I saw 28 kW (38 HP) which should make for a fairly peppy car. I think most of the commercial EVs are overpowered. 19 kW will push a 3000 lb car up a 3% grade at 55 MPH. And that is continuous rating, I assume, so you can get 2x to 3x for short bursts, maybe 10-20 seconds, for accelerating or short steep grades. And the E2O probably isn't half that weight unless it is stuffed with four Sumo wrestlers.
> 
> As for the pack specifications, 12-15 kWh seems about right, so at 48 volts it would be 250-300 Ah, which are common lithium cell sizes. An 800 kg (1800 lb) vehicle going 66 k/h (41 MPH) on a 2% slope takes about 106 Wh/km so a 12 kWh pack could provide about 100 km at 80% DOD. And at 38 kW (2x19kW) the car should accelerate 0-40 in less than 4 seconds. Quite adequate for a city driver and OK for country roads. It's not really designed for interstate highway use, although it might be OK for short distances.


ah! Thatz reassuring!
Thanx for the reply


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## Kamleshgk (May 24, 2012)

Hey PSTechPaul,

In a country like India, where heat is a major issue Range and battery degradation is a major issue - same case in Arizona, as per various studies, The Nissan LEAFs experience a noticeable drop in battery capacity in the first year. In Phoenix,AZ heat is the overriding factor in accelerated degradation. There are over 100 reported cases of LEAFs with degradation. 
My friend in Arizona was originally getting 100-110 miles per charge. Now after a year and 3 months, he has lost 3 bars of capacity and usually get around 60-70 miles per charge with 100% charge.

Now if this degradation of the Lithium Ion batteries happens in Indian Heat, then the range would be bad!! 

I emailed them bout the cooling that is on the Battery Pack. Lets see what they say!

what do u think bout Battery Degradation? 
This Nissan Leaf story is scaring me as India is HOT!!!!
The range is already at a low 100 kms and degradation of that is not a good thing.
What sort of cooling would be ideal? Air cooled or liquid cooling?

Whatz ur opinion on this? 
What are the questions, i should be asking Mahindra bout Battery warranty and degradation. 
Apparently they r giving a 3 year warranty.

p.s
appreciate any response.


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## adder (Oct 16, 2012)

Here is a review from one of the india automotive forums
http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/official-new-car-reviews/134857-mahindra-reva-e2o-official-review.html

It takes 11.5 seconds to reach 37mph/60kph not sure if this is slower then the older G-whiz/Reva that came with Li-On batteries which also had more range.


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## Kamleshgk (May 24, 2012)

adder said:


> Here is a review from one of the india automotive forums
> http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/official-new-car-reviews/134857-mahindra-reva-e2o-official-review.html
> 
> It takes 11.5 seconds to reach 37mph/60kph not sure if this is slower then the older G-whiz/Reva that came with Li-On batteries which also had more range.


Thatz the best review of the e20 one can possibly read

Here is the youtube video of the acceleration of the e20
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cp8tGJecdG4


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## PStechPaul (May 1, 2012)

It certainly seems adequate, although perhaps not for high speed interstate highway travel as we have become accustomed to in the US. It should be no problem if people learn to drive cooperatively rather than aggressively, and that should also reduce "accidents", which are usually caused by impatience, anger, and distraction. 

BTW, to embed videos, use this method:





 
[ YOU TUBE ] Cp8tGJecdG4 [ /YOU TUBE ] (remove spaces)


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## Kamleshgk (May 24, 2012)

Thank you - my American friends - all for your inputs on the Mahindra e2o.

I got the Mahindra e2o and have been using it for a month or so. 
I named her EVA  (yeah like eeeeeeeVa in the movie Wall-E  ) 

I wrote a blog - there are photos as well.
http://mahindrae2o.blogspot.in/2013/08/mahindra-e2o-beginning-of-paradigm-shift.html

I luv the car - EVA is quiet, peppy for Indian cities and makes head turn for some reason. I enjoy the instant torque and regenertive breaking which really adds up some range in chaotic start/stop traffic in Indian cities.

There is some sort of positive energy around a car that runs on electrons than grimy oil.

I envy people in America. There are so many EV models to chose from.

More electric models are going to be launched next year and hope we too can see the EV revolution unfold here in India


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## PStechPaul (May 1, 2012)

Seems like a nice little car at a reasonable price. We should have more options like this in the US, and not be so concerned about keeping the high speed and high power that make our EVs more expensive and less efficient. We really need to deprecate our dependence on individual vehicles for daily transportation, and build an infrastructure that allows for more efficient ways to live and work and travel. We would all be a lot safer if most vehicles were small and unable to be used for drag racing and aggressive driving on public roads, and if the majority of freight transport would be handled by rail rather than huge trucks which are less efficient and cause many deadly accidents.


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## Kamleshgk (May 24, 2012)

PStechPaul said:


> Seems like a nice little car at a reasonable price. We should have more options like this in the US, and not be so concerned about keeping the high speed and high power that make our EVs more expensive and less efficient. We really need to deprecate our dependence on individual vehicles for daily transportation, and build an infrastructure that allows for more efficient ways to live and work and travel. We would all be a lot safer if most vehicles were small and unable to be used for drag racing and aggressive driving on public roads, and if the majority of freight transport would be handled by rail rather than huge trucks which are less efficient and cause many deadly accidents.


Hey Paul - The e2o is one of the cheapest Lithium-Ion based electric cars in the world at the rate of $11000 to $13000. 
The Tesla Model S costs an approximate $60000. The Nissan Leaf costs around $30000. The newly launched BMW i3 electric costs around $40000.
So here we have Indian engineering being delivered at the fraction of the cost. 

But its cheaper due to a lot of reasons anyway. A 10kWh battery pack which is used here wont suffice for a car like Nissan Leaf or the BMW i3. Mahindra have made this car as light as possible so that they can run it on less. Like the ABS plastic material, less boot space, 2 doors, narrow space, a less powerful motor etc.
And i doubt American consumers would accept such limitations
.
But still a sub $20000 EV in the USA will hit the sweet spot. There is definitely a market for that for people who just want to get from Point A to B within a range of 30-40 miles.


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