Mahindra to Hike EV, Battery Production Capacity

Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd. says it will double its output of electric vehicles by mid-summer to 1,000 units per month.

Mahindra produces an array of electric hatchbacks, sedans and vans at its factory in Maharashtra. In 2019 the company plans to debut a next-generation EV that will be able to travel 350 km (217 miles) per battery charge.

The company says it is about four years away from introducing a high-end EV being developed Pininfarina, the Italian design firm it acquired two years ago. Mahindra also reportedly is developing an electric three-wheeler.

To support the upturn in EV production, Mahindra also is increasing its batterymaking capacity. The company targets a 20% reduction in manufacturing costs for EV batteries and traction motors.

Mahindra currently imports cells and assembles them into batteries at a facility in Bengaluru at a rate of about 500 packs per month. This week Mahindra began ramping up a battery production at a new plant in Chakan, Pune. That factory is expected to reach monthly output of 5,000 batteries by the end of 2018.