Mahindra to export electric car, Thunder Motors in vain

Bhutanese roads are likely to experience the drive of electric cars before this year end as the Mahindra intensifies its plan to export cars to Bhutan September.

Mahendra Reva will launch its first mid-size Mahindra Verito Electric in Bhutan as early as September this year. However, Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay had held talks with Nissan and Telsa representatives on purchase of electric cars in November last year.

Initial reports had also said the Thunder Motors was instructed to build at least 50 cars that would ply in the Bhutanese roads by February 21 this year. Two days before the deadline, the Indian media report says Indian company is likely to send cars by September but there is no news about Thunder Motors plans.

The Bangalore-based electric car maker Mahindra is looking to position electric version of Verito sedan as an ideal taxi for Bhutan after the government expressed interest in making the kingdom an electric hotspot, under which all government-owned and gas-fuelled taxis would be replaced by electric cars. “There is a market of 5,000 taxis to be looked at (in Bhutan),” a senior executive at Mahindra Reva was quoted in the news.

“Bhutan wants to go completely electric. They want to go (fossil) fuel-free,” said the executive, adding that his understanding after speaking with Bhutan government is that Thimphu intends to convert all 5,000 taxis into electric taxis in the “next 3-4 years”.

The company is competing with Nissan Leaf and Tesla which have either already started production or in process of launching electric cars

Mahindra Reva, part of $16.2 billion Mahindra Group, plans to further scale-up its presence beyond Bhutan to other Indian subcontinent countries, including Sri Lanka and Nepal.