Mahindra XUV300 Electric SUV spied for the first time ahead of its 2020 launch

Mahindra launched the all-new XUV 300 in the Indian market earlier this year. The sub-4meter compact SUV takes on the likes of Tata Nexon, Ford EcoSport, Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza and the upcoming Hyundai QXi, which will either carry the production name as Venue or Styx. With the electric revolution coming up, Mahindra is currently the only manufacturer in India that officially sells electric vehicles including the E2O and Verito EV. In the near future, Mahindra will expand its electric portfolio by adding new cars.

Mahindra plans to launch the electrified version of the XUV 300 in the Indian market next year and has already officially announced the same during the launch of the compact SUV. This is the first picture of the electric version of the XUV 300 on MotorOctane shows the vehicle being tested under heavy camouflage. Even though the vehicle wears a heavy blanket of random scribbles to keep the design of the vehicle a secret, don’t be surprised if the electric version of the XUV 300 looks identical to the regular version. Mahindra is expected to showcase the production version of the upcoming XUV 300 EV at the 2020 Auto Expo followed by the official launch in the same year.

Details about the drivetrain of the upcoming XUV 300 are not known yet. It is internally known as the S210 and is expected to be launched in two different variants. There will be a standard range version of the upcoming compact SUV that is expected to do around 200 km on a full charge. The brand will also offer the long-range version, which is expected to get around 450-500 km of range from a single full charge. Apart from this, Mahindra is yet to officially reveal the powertrain of the upcoming vehicle.

The batteries for the upcoming XUV 300 EV is expected to be sourced from LG Chem. Both the brands have collaborated to develop new-age Li-ion batteries that will be utilised in the future Mahindra products and can be sold to the other manufacturers too. The new cell developed by the collaboration will be used exclusively in India and will be developed by keeping the Indian conditions in mind. They are also developing Nickel-Magnese-Cobalt based Li-ion batteries that have very high energy density and can pack a lot of juice in a compact space.

Mahindra will also launch an electrified version of the KUV 100 in the Indian market soon. The KUV 100 EV concept was showcased at the 2018 Auto Expo and is expected to be launched by the end of this year. It should be noted that the electrified versions of these vehicles will be substantially expensive than the regular versions of the vehicle because of the cost of the batteries. However, eventually the cost of the batteries are expected to come down as the demand rises and more OEMs start to manufacture such batteries locally.