by Johnson
To buy or not to buy the Mahindra E2O electric car? That is the question.
Now that even the government has acknowledged that there will be a multi-million electric vehicle market within the next few years. But the fact is that the Government themselves do not know how this will come about. The government knows one thing, that is is to increase the petrol price slightly, around 5-6 times a year. So much so that in 5 years the price of petrol could be around Rs 138 per liter. It will also indirectly affect the value of our Rupee. Thus if the addiction to oil continues when the price of Petrol is around Rs 138 then the Dollar will be around Rs 100 to 110 although the real price of the Dollar would be less than Rs 20 as they keep printing more Dollars! This will seriously erode any financial stability or improvement as a country. Thus for becoming a stronger economy we have to move away from dependence on Oil and Electric cars can help any country wean away from the Oil addiction!
After the price crosses Rs 100 the rise will multiple quickly and every increase will be painful to the people with a petrol car. Inflation will easily skyrocket, any business depending upon transportation especially food and tourism sectors will experience steep price hikes every year.
So the question is to buy an electric vehicle or not?
Now that even the government has acknowledged that there will be a multi-million electric vehicle market within the next few years. But the fact is that the Government themselves do not know how this will come about. The government knows one thing, that is is to increase the petrol price slightly, around 5-6 times a year. So much so that in 5 years the price of petrol could be around Rs 138 per liter. It will also indirectly affect the value of our Rupee. Thus if the addiction to oil continues when the price of Petrol is around Rs 138 then the Dollar will be around Rs 100 to 110 although the real price of the Dollar would be less than Rs 20 as they keep printing more Dollars! This will seriously erode any financial stability or improvement as a country. Thus for becoming a stronger economy we have to move away from dependence on Oil and Electric cars can help any country wean away from the Oil addiction!
After the price crosses Rs 100 the rise will multiple quickly and every increase will be painful to the people with a petrol car. Inflation will easily skyrocket, any business depending upon transportation especially food and tourism sectors will experience steep price hikes every year.
So the question is to buy an electric vehicle or not?
There is no doubt that the biggest beneficiaries of an electric car are the people who use the car the most. If you travel less than 25 km daily then I would say you most probably need a bike. If you travel more than 25 km a day you will need more comfortable environment and seating than a bike, you will also need a good entertainment system like FM radio, MP3 player to keep you company, which is not possible in a bike. Above all the air conditioner will keep the dirt and smog out and keep you and your clothes fresh. You can also carry more documents with you safely.
Electric Bikes for those who travel around 25kms daily.
Who benefits more from an E2O or an electric vehicle? Is it those people who travel less than 50 km a day? or is it those people who travel between 50-100 km per day?
These are the two main questions that we get from people we interact with on our site. Everybody is excited about the car but are unsure about how its performance will be and if the car will suit their daily routine.
The electric car saves money for anybody who drives the car even for 1 km but the ones to profit the most from it are the people who dive the car the maximum possible distance per day. The more you drive the more profit you make. Meaning those who drive around 90 km daily. The best example is Mr. Ranjan Ray who drives around in New Delhi, he states “When you compare the kilometers and the money spent on traveling that distance, there is simply no match across any segment of automobiles.” He has driven about 5,000 km in just 54 days traveling at an average of 92 km every single day.
Now suppose he had to travel the same distance using a petrol car, which he previously drove gave him an average of 15 kmpl. Thus 5,000 km/15 kmpl = he would need 333 liters of petrol which would have cost him Rs 79.56 per liter. This would have set him back by Rs 26,493 (333 x Rs 79.56). The charging of the car cost him just Rs 5.27 daily. His total electric bill has been Rs 2898.
This shows that in approximately two months he has saved Rs 23,595 (26,493-2898). Thus in a year he will save Rs 159,484. This is almost the cost of a Nano car!
These are the two main questions that we get from people we interact with on our site. Everybody is excited about the car but are unsure about how its performance will be and if the car will suit their daily routine.
The electric car saves money for anybody who drives the car even for 1 km but the ones to profit the most from it are the people who dive the car the maximum possible distance per day. The more you drive the more profit you make. Meaning those who drive around 90 km daily. The best example is Mr. Ranjan Ray who drives around in New Delhi, he states “When you compare the kilometers and the money spent on traveling that distance, there is simply no match across any segment of automobiles.” He has driven about 5,000 km in just 54 days traveling at an average of 92 km every single day.
Now suppose he had to travel the same distance using a petrol car, which he previously drove gave him an average of 15 kmpl. Thus 5,000 km/15 kmpl = he would need 333 liters of petrol which would have cost him Rs 79.56 per liter. This would have set him back by Rs 26,493 (333 x Rs 79.56). The charging of the car cost him just Rs 5.27 daily. His total electric bill has been Rs 2898.
This shows that in approximately two months he has saved Rs 23,595 (26,493-2898). Thus in a year he will save Rs 159,484. This is almost the cost of a Nano car!
Many people make the mistake of comparing the E2O with the Nano or Alto. What they dont account for is with Nano or petrol cars the cost of fuel is not added. While with E2O you pay for the fuel when you buy the car and from then onwards its almost free.
Many people compare this car with the Rs 300,000 Alto and Rs 170,000 Nano which is like comparing a Mango with a Pear. The comfort of driving a clutch free (manual) car and the comfort of driving an automatic car is unparalleled. You just cannot compare the two! This is especially true in city traffic. Also with both your hands on the steering wheel and not busy changing gears continuously the driving becomes safer too. This is why in the developed part of the world people don’t drive manual cars other than race car drivers who push their cars to limits which are almost beyond the cars themselves. But for a family car the automatic version is much more safer and pleasant to drive.
Then there is also the noise and vibration aspect. In a petrol car there are certain vibrations that are developed due the the action of the engine. This vibrations though quite unnoticeable travel through the accelerator pedals, the body of the car and even the steering into our body and create a kind of “jet-lag” especially while traveling long distance. Most of the people do not even realize this effect of vibration on their bodies. With E2O this aspect is removed completely and the only vibrations felt are those of the road surface. Bigger wheels are even better to negotiate this. That is why most expensive cars have wheel size that are bigger than 16 inches.
For more detailed comparison (when petrol price was lesser) you may read here:
http://www.pluginindia.com/blogs/e2o-vs-swift-alto-wagonr-i10-santro-nano
For more detailed comparison (when petrol price was lesser) you may read here:
http://www.pluginindia.com/blogs/e2o-vs-swift-alto-wagonr-i10-santro-nano
E2O makes a best Gift for you college going kid.
The Mahindra e2o is one of the best gifts you can give your kids. They wouldn't come to ask you for petrol money to refuel their car, they will just have to plug it in. Thus their car use will not burn a hole in your pocket. Another thing the car will teach your kids is to plan their life around the car's fuel (battery)! This is a lesson no father can teach their son in words. Most of the time the children learn to do the planning part of their life by their own experience.
The vehicle will enable your college going kids to travel the length and breadth of India opening up his horizons and learn about the country and grow as a person. The kid will be able to take decisions and learn how to fix a flat Tyre. Things you learned much later in life. The e2o is a safe vehicle so they cannot over-speed in it, will always be driving under the speed limit and driving safe.
In most other cars people look outside India to find a better car. But e2o is one of the rare occasions that India has beaten the world and developed a quality electric car that cost only US$ 13,000 (1$=Rs 59). Nano has been another achievement that highlights the frugal aspects that are traditionally ingrained in Indians as individuals.
The vehicle will enable your college going kids to travel the length and breadth of India opening up his horizons and learn about the country and grow as a person. The kid will be able to take decisions and learn how to fix a flat Tyre. Things you learned much later in life. The e2o is a safe vehicle so they cannot over-speed in it, will always be driving under the speed limit and driving safe.
In most other cars people look outside India to find a better car. But e2o is one of the rare occasions that India has beaten the world and developed a quality electric car that cost only US$ 13,000 (1$=Rs 59). Nano has been another achievement that highlights the frugal aspects that are traditionally ingrained in Indians as individuals.
The biggest advantage of e2o over all other car in the world is Chetan Maini who started the development of the Reva electric car and is still connected with the Electric car's development in Mahindra unlike other Car Companies like Toyota or Honda and even Tata who just deploy just a team to build EVs. These teams do not feel that they are creating some art... for them its just another day's work but with Chetan Maini, electric cars is his passion. He would implement the best for the car and nothing else. e2o is a first generation car and I would say the car is one of the best 1st Generation car EVER produced in the history of Automobiles. Reva cannot be considered its predecessor as Reva was a just two seater car running on Lead Acid Batteries. In e2o everything has been redesigned from scratch.
Thus I advice all people to go in whole hardheartedly and buy the e2o electric car at the earliest you will not regret it. Over the next few years they plan to place charging points on highways so that one can travel inter-state and enjoy their weekends in holiday spots in another states of India! Exciting times ahead for e2o car owners...
Of course if you cannot afford the electric car buy the next best thing – the electric bike.... And don't forget to smile every time the government you voted into power hikes the price of petrol!