Mahindra's Five New Born EVs to Feature Volkswagen's MEB Batteries

Volkswagen and Mahindra have finally confirmed that the former will supply its MEB platform EV components to Mahindra for use in its five upcoming electric SUVs. The cars will be underpinned by the Indian automaker's INGLO platform and sold under two EV sub-brands – XUV.e and all-new BE. The BE will initially consist of three SUVs – the BE.05, the BE.07, and the BE.09, while the XUV.e will include two models for now – the XUV.e8 and the XUV.e9.

Mahindra to Also Import VW's Batteries

Volkswagen's modular electric drive matrix (MEB) platform encapsulates a common battery pack design and uniform cell-to-pack technology using LFP (lithium-ion phosphate) chemistry. In addition to some MEB-based EV components, Mahindra will also take advantage of this LFP chemistry, which is known to be safer than NMC-based (nickel manganese cobalt) cells. Volkswagen's batteries will have a capacity of 60 – 80kWh and will be compatible with a 175kW rapid charger, which can charge the battery to 80 per cent in less than 30 minutes. Mahindra claims that the 80kWh battery will have a range of 435 – 450km (WLTP cycle).

With this, the Indian brand will become the first external partner to get the unified cell concept – the core of Volkswagen's battery strategy. According to an official release, the supply agreement will run over several years and will have a total volume of about 50GWh over its lifetime.

Mahindra to Launch 5 EVs

Unveiled in August 2022, Mahindra's five upcoming electric vehicles – including the XUV.e8, XUV.e9, BE.05, BE.07, and BE.09 – will be underpinned by its new INGLO EV skateboard platform. All EVs will feature a structural cage around the passenger cabin, engineered to minimise damage. The frontal design of these vehicles will incorporate three load paths and a multi-piece dash panel with reinforcement, while ultra-high-strength boron steel will offer exceptional protection to the battery. Additionally, Mahindra has stated that all INGLO-based electric vehicles will be equipped with L2+ ADAS capabilities.

Mahindra's new electric SUVs will be available in both rear-wheel-drive and all-wheel-drive configurations. While rear-wheel-drive vehicles will produce between 231bhp and 286bhp, all-wheel-drive models will churn out between 340bhp and 394bhp. A 0 – 100km/h sprint will take between 5 and 6 seconds (claimed).

The first BE model(s) will hit the market in October 2025. However, the XUV.e models (XUV.e8 and XUV.e9) will go on sale first, with the XUV.e8 set to be launched in December 2024. Subsequently, the XUV.e9 is expected to be launched in early 2025. Notably, the XUV.e9 was spotted undergoing testing in the country last year in November, offering a glimpse of its exterior and interior.