How to win a Mahindra E20 for free or live with it for a week

Mahindra is planning to launch the Mahindra E20 on March 18 and has started some marketing buzz around the car, the highlight of which is a contest that allows you to win a Mahindra E20 on the day of the launch. So just how do you go about winning one?

Mahindra is inviting people to its Mahindra E20 website where you can take part in the contest within the next six days and get a chance to win a Mahindra E20 on the day of its launch. All you need to do is ask some socially relevant questions and the kind of questions and number of questions you ask is what will decide the winner. The grand prize in this contest is a base variant of the Mahindra E20. Also read: Mahindra confirms e20 electric car launch on March 18

How to participate to win a Mahindra E2O

Log in to the Mahindra E20 site with your Facebook ID. Ask a question – something that is not related to politics, religion or controversy. It should be generic, focusing on work-life balance, infrastructure, education system, health care, environment or transport. The best questions get selected and made into a short film.

The questions will be judged based on which of them is most relevant for today’s times – a question that can solicit an answer that will lead to a better future. The question will also be judged on how intelligent it is and it needs to have a positive tone to it, rather than a negative tone. Winners for this contest will be announced on March 17, 2013.

Live with the Mahindra E2O for a week before buying it

After the launch of the car, Mahindra is also planning on keeping a fleet of about 150 Mahindra Reva E20s in New Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore, where potential customers can pick up the car and use it for a week to see if driving an electric car suits their needs. The biggest issue that buyers of electric cars have is range anxiety – whether or not an electric car can take them around the city on their regular routine. This move would help address the concerns of potential customers.

The Mahindra E20 is not going to be cheap when launched. The base variant is likely to be priced at around Rs. 5.5 lakh (higher than previously thought), going up to Rs. 6.5 lakh for the fully-loaded variant. Mahindra was planning to benchmark the E20 against the Hyundai i10 (automatic variant) – and when you look at that price point, and considering the E20 has got no subsidies in the last Union Budget, this is a price point you can expect. Also read:Mahindra Reva NXR exclusive spy shots

The car itself is loaded with technology and is as good as any automatic hatchback that you would buy (such as the Hyundai i10, Honda Brio and Maruti A-Star). The only concern being the range. Running costs are likely to be 1/10^th that of a petrol car, and would definitely be a good choice for those buyers who drive less than 50 km a day. The Lithium ion batteries the car comes with can apparently survive up to 5000 charge-discharge cycles, which means it would easily last at least five years (if you consider real-world multiple charge situations) before needing replacement.

Initially the Mahindra E20 will be launched in Mumbai, New Delhi and Bangalore only, before going to other cities as and when the charging infrastructure improves for electric cars.  Also see: Mahindra Reva NXR video