Mahindra takes e-way with Treo

From Left: Mahesh Babu, CEO, Mahindra Electric & Pawan Goenka, Managing Director, Mahindra & Mahindra
Image: Nishal Lama for Forbes India

Mahindra Electric, the electric vehicle (EV)-manufacturing unit of Mahindra & Mahindra, launched Treo, an electric autorickshaw, at its facility in Bengaluru on November 15. The vehicle has been built from scratch and is not an adaptation of an existing platform, says Mahindra Electric CEO Mahesh Babu. It will be sold in two variants capable of accommodating either three or four passengers.

“There are 4 million three-wheelers across India. So imagine the potential electric vehicles could have in last-mile connectivity,” says Pawan Goenka, Mahindra & Mahindra’s managing director.

Automakers in India are betting that the EV ecosystem that is gradually coming together will see accelerated growth in the coming years.
 
The Treo is powered by a 5.4 kW battery housed in an IP 67-rated box (for water and dust resistance). The lithium ion battery is expected to provide a range of 130 km per charge for the variant that takes three passengers. For the owner-driver, the cost per kilometre is expected to be as low as 50 paise. This variant is priced at ₹2.22 lakh ex-showroom in Bengaluru. The four-passenger variant is called TreoYaari.