Reviews

Mahindra Electric eVerito Electric Car : C2 Variant

Basic looking electric car with superb comfort and ride!
Lack of zippiness is noticeable. Not a true EV experience with no statistical data and connectivity.
By Abhishek Uchil on June 30, 2018 10:50 am

SPONSORED
PluginIndia collected a service fee from Mahindra Electric to make this in-depth review possible.
This is not an endorsement. We always strive to be objective.
Video Review
The Mahindra Electric eVerito is the only all-electric sedan on sale in India as of mid-2018. Mahindra has been one of the more forward-thinking manufacturers when it comes to electric cars in India.
The eVerito is a saloon car, also known as a sedan. The car is an important milestone for Mahindra Electric. After acquiring Reva, electrifying the platforms of the existing Mahindra cars was a priority for the company, and the eVerito was showcased way back at the 2014 Auto Expo in Delhi when Mr Chetan Maini was still at the company.

​In November 2017, Mahindra delivered the first lot of eVeritos to the government-operated energy service company Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL), in partial fulfilment of the tender floated by EESL to procure electric cars for various government departments.
​The eVerito is also being deployed on a large scale by fleet companies like Meru. Ola and Uber too will start using the eVerito soon in various cities all over India.
Only the 110 km version of the eVerito was available earlier. But now, Mahindra has also released a 140 km variant for EESL, and this variant is also available for individual customers. This upgraded version may help to address the concerns of potential buyers who suffer from so-called ‘range anxiety’. According to Mahindra, this version offers a range of ‘up to 140 km’ from a single charge.

We did a test ride of the C2 variant (range: 110 km) of the eVerito, and we can confidently say the car can easily go 110 km under normal driving conditions.

​Here are some photos of the eVerito on the beautiful Western Ghats near Pune!

Basic Specifications & Details

  • There are 4 flavors of the eVerito
    • C2 flavor
      • 110 km with a 13.91 kWh battery pack
      • 8 HOURS 30 MIN - AC slow Charge
      • 1 HOUR 20 MIN - DC Fast Charge
    • D2 flavor
      • 140 km with a 18.55 kWh battery pack
      • 11 HOURS 30 MIN - AC slow Charge
      • 1 HOUR 30 MIN - DC Fast Charge
    • D4 flavor
      • 140 km with a 18.55 kWh battery pack 
      • 11 HOURS 30 MIN - AC slow Charge
      • 1 HOUR 30 MIN - DC Fast Charge
    • D6 ​flavor
      • 140 km with a 18.55 kWh battery pack
      • ​11 HOURS 30 MIN - AC slow Charge
      • 1 HOUR 30 MIN - DC Fast Charge 
  • 31KW AC Induction Motor
  • 91 NM torque @ 3000 RPM
So here is our take on the eVerito electric car:

Styling & Space : 5 out of 8

  • [+1] Nice big boot. While it’s unlikely that you’ll be taking the car too far, if you’re taking a weekend journey out of town or if you’re just heading to the mall to do a lot of holiday shopping, the boot size will ensure that you have all the space you need and more.
  • [+1] The seats are quite comfortable and provide good back and under-thigh support.
  • [+1]  The interiors feel super roomy and very spacious.
    • There is ample leg room for all even in the back seats.
  • [+1] The back seat is where the car really shines. There is enough space for three people to sit comfortably side by side.
  • [+1] The styling and look has a 90's boxy appearance for a retro feel, but looks are always subjective and vary from person to person.
  • [0] There is a raised bump on the floor at the back. This bump is typically caused by the exhaust rooting, but there’s no question of that in an electric car. The bump is totally unnecessary and gives away the fact that the eVerito is a retrofit.
  • [0] Besides the giant ‘e’ next to the ‘Verito’ sign and the tiny sign that says ‘electric’ on the back of the car, there is no way to distinguish the eVerito from any other petrol car. This may be a positive feature for people who prefer their cars to look as normal as possible, but as someone who likes his car to stand out, I was disappointed with the bland and banal looks of the eVerito.
  • [0] The car is being offered in only 1 colour for individuals: white. Say goodbye to the cheerful reds, green and yellows of the e2o!​​

Performance & Ride : 6 out of 8

  • [+1] Excellent suspension that will give you a superbly smooth ride. This is especially useful on India’s bad roads. During the monsoons, you’ll no longer have to worry about potholes.
    • ​The front axle has MacPherson-type shock absorbers with a wishbone link, whereas the rear axle has an H-section torsion beam with a deflection coil spring which absorbs jerks and offers a very comfortable riding experience.
  • [+1] Steering is flexible, and manoeuvring the car in traffic or on the open road shouldn’t be a problem.
    • However, in tight spaces like parking garages, the steering feels a bit stiff and imprecise, and because the car is a sedan, finding your way to a parking spot is more difficult than it should be.
  • [+1] The air conditioning is excellent. Even on the lowest setting, the cabin became cool in minutes.
    • ​No AC vents in the rear. It’s unlikely that you’ll need them, but they would have been a nice addition in a car this size.
  • [0] The motor and battery combination seems just too weak for a car of this size. Consequently, the car can feel sluggish to drive at times. A more powerful motor-battery combination which would have given us about 150 km range and 120 km/h speed would make this more desirable.
  • [0]  "Boost mode", which you use to send a little more juice to the motor from the batteries to perform an overtake manoeuver or zoom ahead of everyone else when the traffic light turns green, is a bit sluggish in this car. In the considerably lighter e2o, it felt peppy and fun. Here, it seems to exist for the sake of existing. There is no real difference in power.
  • [+1] The eVerito still cruises upto 90 kmph quiet happily with no fuss on the highway.
    • ​​90 kmph is the top speed we were able to achieve on the highway
  • [+1] The eVerito's low centre of gravity afforded by the battery means that it grips very well.
  • [+1] The eVerito never feels difficult to control. In fact, through a series of corners in the mountains, it changes direction very well.

Efficiency & Range : 3 out of 6

  • [-1] The 72V * 189 Ah (13.91 kWh) battery is too small for an electric sedan, which
    ​weighs 1664 kgs.
    • A car of this size can surely accommodate more batteries. A range of 250 km is definitely called for to make it attractive for consumers.
  • [+1] Calculated efficiency of around 130 Wh/km is fantastic for a day trip of 90 km which had hilly climbs, downhills and highway driving.
    • Compare this to The Model 3 average efficiency of 160 Wh/km, the eVerito is a much more efficient electric car for it's size.
  • [+1] Test ride in Hills : Baner to Pavana Dam Top  back to Baner = 45 km (watch video above)
    • A distance of 45 km on country roads
    • Did not use AC as weather was great and we were not sure about the efficiency.
    • There were few ghats and one major ghat just before we reach Pavana top.
    • The eVerito's battery did not drain as rapidly as we expected, while climbing hills. So that was a good sign.
    • Measured efficiency reading at end of this section = 166 Wh/km
  • ​[0] Downhill ride in Hills : Pavana Dam Top to bottom = 12 km (watch video above)
    • ​​We expected more regen in this stretch.
    • We took the e2o on the same route and we could literally see the SOC percentage go up, as we got down the hill.  But here the SOC % was constant throughout our descend. That was strange as the eVerito is a heavier car and we expect more kinetic energy to be converted into electric energy.
    • Measured efficiency reading at end of this section = 156 Wh/km
  • [+1] Test ride on the highway : Pavana Dam Bottom to Baner = 33 km (watch video above)
    • A distance of 33 km on awesome highway roads
    • Many times, we used the Boost mode and also went upto 90 kmph
    • Measured efficiency reading at end of this section = 130 Wh/km
  • [+1] Climbing hills did not drain as much battery as we expected.
    ​

Charging : 6 out of 9

  • [+1] The EV community was not happy when Mahindra refused to offer a DC quick charge port for the classic e2o or e2o Plus P6 users for 5 years.  At last, with the eVerito, even the lowest variant has DC quick charging! Yay!
  • [+1] One more point for the eVerito to adhering to the connector standards mentioned in the Bharat AC001 and DC001 specifications for charging.
    • AC charging connector is IEC60309 
    • DC charging connector is GB/T
  • [+1] The eVerito can be fast charged in about 1 hour and 30 minutes. If you have a three-phase power supply at home and are willing to shell out a few extra lacs for a quick-charge unit, you will be able to charge your car in no time at home! This is a massive advantage over the e2o, which can only be slow charged.
    • ​Although we would not recommend DC fast charging every day, as the heat generated in the battery due to fast charging can cause battery degradation.
    • Ensure you slow charge overnight regularly, with an occasional DC Fast charge.
  • [+1] Quick charge points are springing up everywhere in India, and if they are added to major highways, taking 300–400-km-long trips will actually be a viable proposition in an electric car like the eVerito.
  • ​[0] Both the charge ports, the slow AC charge port and the fast DC charge port, are on the sides of the car unlike in the e2o, where the charge port is in the rear and can be locked to ensure that people cannot disconnect the charging cable while the car is charging. This is a problem because someone may try to steal the eVerito’s charging cable (AC) if the car is left unattended. It’s a minute possibility, but it may still happen.
  • [0] The car takes about 11 hours (@ rate of 2.2 kw) to charge if you’re using slow AC charging. The e2o, in comparison, takes about 5 hours, which is more convenient because you can charge the car fully overnight like a mobile phone. The charge time on the eVerito should have been kept to a maximum of 8 hours.
    • ​Most new generation electric cars support fast AC charging from 7 kW to 22 kW
    • The eVerito has no fast AC charging and only charges at 2.2 kW which is abysmally slow.
    • This can be frustrating especially if you want to take your car outside cities and there are no DC Fast charging stations. Charging @ 2.2 kW will mean around 10-15 km of range per hour, which is terribly slow.
  • ​[0] Unlike the e2o, there’s no regen indicator. This means you can’t tell when the car has entered regen mode.​
  • [+1] ​Included in the eVerito purchase price is travel charger to plug into a 15 amp socket
  • [+1] ​REVive feature - Patent to Mahindra Electric, this technology helps negate range anxiety by giving you a few additional kilometers in case you run out of charge. You can access REVive by contacting Mahindra from the eVerito's instrument cluster

Interiors & Dashboard layout: 8 out of 11

  • [+1] The state of charge to the left and the display are really cool. When the car is fully charged and you turn it on, the metres rapidly fill up, making the display look amazingly futuristic.
  • [+1] The eVerito retains the e2o’s all-digital display. This may come as a relief to tech enthusiasts and electric vehicle lovers, who are not particularly fond of analogue displays.
  • [+1] The temperature-control buttons are arranged in the centre of the dashboard in an interesting avian design. This design choice may be a bit odd or ugly for some people’s tastes, but I thought it looked more interesting compared to the e2o’s more conventional layout.
  • [+1] Mahindra has used the same gear lever from the e2o. It makes upgrading from e2o to eVerito easier.
    • The gear lever was never one of the e2o’s best features anyway. It was boring and amateurish looking. In the more capacious and conventional interiors of the eVerito, it looks even more out of place and tacked on. This is my opinion.
  • ​[0] A separate display on the dashboard shows you whether the car is in ‘Forward’, ‘Neutral,’ ‘Reverse’, or ‘Boost’ mode. This may be a positive feature for some people who didn’t like the amount of information crammed into the e2o’s display. Personally, I thought it was an unnecessary addition, especially since the eVerito’s display is less cluttered now that the efficiency and state of charge metres have been moved to the left and right of the display respectively.
  • ​[0] Because the car is a retrofit, it needs a key to start. You have to insert the key into the keyhole underneath the steering wheel and turn it to switch the car on. Looking at the dashboard display is the only way to know if the car has been successfully switched on because, obviously, there is no sound of an engine turning. Being forced to use a key after using the e2o’s nifty ‘start-stop’ button seems like a sad step backwards.
  • [0] You need to press another button marked ‘Drive’ to actually be able to start driving the car. This extra step seems totally unnecessary. Was it forced in by Mahindra just to sell extra buttons?​
  • [+1] The AC controls are intuitive and you get used to it immediately.
  • [+1] Seatbelts are height adjustable! This was a pain point in other Mahindra eletric cars.
  • [+1] The LCD touchscreen entertainment system is not available in C2 variant, but in D6 variant only
    • ​Makes sense to offer options.
    • Fleets might not need the LCD touchscreen entertainment system
  • [+1] Noise from AC compressor is much more muted compare to the e2o
Picture
Dash
Picture
Funky looking AC panels

Reliability : 3 out of 4

  • [+1] The eVerito, comes with a five-year or 100,000 km warranty, so you can drive worry free for a long time!
  • [+1] The battery and motor technology are proving to be reliable so far.  Electric Car users with Lithium-Ion batteries have done more than
             1 Lakh km and battery is still going strong.
  • [0] Mahindra does not give you the option of leasing the battery. This is a big disappointment for people who would prefer to avoid paying for the battery.
  • [+1] Mahindra provides all-India roadside assistance, so you needn’t worry about a breakdown.

Safety : 1 out of 4

  • [-1] When you ask consumers to pay so much for the car so much, why not add every safety essential?  Not having airbags in every variant is an unacceptable omission.​
  • [+1] The eVerito is a strong car with Side intrusion beams, Collapsable steering columns​ etc.
  • [+1] Auto lock of doors while driving is a nice touch.
  • [0] No Anti-lock braking system (ABS), which is a safety anti-skid braking system on the eVerito

Pricing and Availability : 4 out of 4

  • [+1] The car is available in most of the major Indian cities where EV's are being sold (Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore, Pune etc.)
  • ​[+1] All the versions of the car cost about 11 to 12 lac rupees. That puts the car in the same price range as Maruti Ciaz or the Honda City.
    • However, a crucial difference is that whereas the latter cars run on petrol or diesel and cost as much as 4 to 5 rupees per km to run, the eVerito is fully electric and costs only about a rupee per km to run.
    • Also, if you have a solar power setup at home, you could run the car virtually free of charge.
    • And don’t forget that when it comes to ICE cars, the bigger and more complex the car is, the more moving parts it has, and the more it costs and service and maintain. … However, bear in mind that these petrol cars are costly to run and maintain, whereas the eVerito is much cheaper to run and maintain.
  • ​[+1] ​Running cost of less than 1 rupee/km.​

Long Term Ownership Details

  • According to our estimates after observing the battery usage patterns among electric car drivers in India, the eVerito's battery may need replacement after 7-8 years if little DC fast charging is practiced
    • If DC fast charging is used every week, a life of 4–5 years for the battery may be expected.
  • At 12 units per full charge and 110 km, the eVerito C2 is indeed super economical to run!
  • Service provided by Mahindra for electric cars is still sketchy. About 60%–70% of e2o owners have had poor service experiences.  With competition heating up and Tata electric cars coming out soon, Mahindra badly needs to up its game.
  • Mahindra has clout and presence all over India. Theoretically, you will be welcome to charge at any of their dealerships, and it’s good to have that kind of backing.

Final thoughts

So who is the eVerito meant for? It’s more conventional in every way than the e2o, which makes it less palatable to EV lovers. At the same time, this conventional design, in addition to the better overall space and comfort the eVerito offers, is a step in bringing EVs closer to the mainstream.
People who own an petrol vehicle and are looking to make the transition can look at this car as a viable option. It looks no different than a normal petrol car, and its sedan size allows it to offer many of the advantages of other cars in this segment without the same hassle of maintenance and fuel costs.
The eVerito is cheaper and easier to run and maintain, and large families can take advantage of this. You can drop your kids off at school and your spouse at work every day without worrying about mounting fuel costs. Or you can stuff copious amounts of luggage in the boot and take a weekend trip out of town to a hamlet a hundred kilometres away.
​Further, if you get the quick-charge-capable version of the car, you’ll be able to take advantage of the rapidly burgeoning network of DC charging stations.
So long as you’re willing to look past the high sticker price and see the big picture in terms of maintenance and fuel savings, the options are seemingly limitless.
This is a great electric car for basic city commuters!  
Thank You!
The PluginIndia review team would like to thank the following people for being very nice and co-operating with us in order to work on this review.
  • Mr Subankar from Mahindra Electric
  • Sahyadri Motors Showroom, Baner, Pune 

Other Links
e-Verito website
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