Mahindra Reva ready to share EV technology with others

This should be interesting news for the fledgling electric vehicle segment in India. According to a report in ET, Mahindra Reva has said it is ready to license electric vehicle technology to other carmakers.

The outgoing CEO of Mahindra Reva, Chetan Maini, has been quoted in BusinessLine as having said, “We have developed EV ‘kits’ that comprise a full suite of integrated electric vehicle technology solutions, including the know-how for developing drivetrain, battery pack, HVAC (heating, ventilating, and air conditioning) and telematics for remote diagnostics.”

By using the kits, original equipment manufacturers can reduce development costs and even the time required to market the product, he added.

Maini also revealed some of Mahindra Reva’s plans. He said the electric variants of the Verito sedan and the Maxximo mini-van from M&M will be launched soon. The four battery-powered Maxximo electric vans were recently handed over to the Agra Development Authority to be used along the clean, green Taj Mahal Zero Emission Corridor. Abroad, a European version of Mahindra Reva will be launched shortly, he added.

This move from Mahindra follows what Toyota has been doing in the global market. Earlier in January there was news of Toyota Motor Corp. willing to share its 5,700 patents related to hydrogen fuel cells with other auto companies without charging a royalty fee, hoping to speed the introduction of technologies that the Japanese automaker has put its weight behind. Tesla, in some sense, can be credited for beginning this process. In June 2013, Tesla Motors Inc. Chief Executive Elon Musk had announced that they were going  to freely license Tesla’s electric car patents to other automakers to help advance the development of electric-powered vehicles.

Maini is also echoing what the industry is expecting from the Union Budget. He expects the Budget to provide stable long-term subventions to boost electric mobility. Till now, there has been no incentive for the electric vehicles industry from the Centre though, a few State governments have provided some tax benefits.

If this year’s budget does pay heed to the auto industry’s expectations, we can finally expect some headway in the electric vehicles segment in our country. 

Keep following us through the day for a better perspective on what the auto industry is expecting from the UB 2015. 

Source:ET