Volkswagen to electrify India, partners with Mahindra to supply MEB components

On May 18 in Chennai, Volkswagen and Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd. (M&M) signed a Partnering Agreement to explore the use of electric components from VW’s Modular electric drive matrix (MEB) in the Indian automaker’s new “Born Electric Platform.” 

Mahindra plans to equip its new electric platform with electric motors, battery system components and battery cells from Volkswagen’s MEB drive matrix. The European automaker designed MEB for full electric vehicles. The drive matrix is expected to reach up to 500 km (310.69 miles) of range and more. 

“Mahindra is a pioneer in the electric mobility space in India and a great partner for our MEB Electric Platform. Together with Mahindra, we want to contribute significantly to the electrification of India, a huge automotive market with enormous growth potential and high relevance for climate protection,” said Thomas Schmall, a member of VWs Group of Board Management.  

India is one of the Global Top-5 Automotive Markets, delivering three million vehicles per year. Industry experts predicts that more than half of all new vehicles in India will be fully electric by 2030. At the 2021 Climate Summit in Glasgow, India announced plans to register only zero-emission passenger cars and vans starting in 2035. 

According to Volkswagen, the MEB electric platform was designed to help automakers build their portfolio of electric vehicles in a cost-effective and swift manner.

Regarding Mahindra’s MEB supply deal with VW, Schmall said: “It’s another proof point that the MEB is both technologically state of the art and highly competitive in terms of cost. The MEB is thus progressively developing into the leading open platform for e-mobility, generating significant volume and economies of scale. That’s crucial for every company in the EV world and the key to competitive solutions for our customers.”

Volkswagen and Mahindra’s agreement evaluates the scope of collaboration between the two companies, indicating binding rules for the evaluation phase and a non-binding scope of supply. The two companies will continue to negotiate a binding supply agreement. Negotiations are planned to conclude by the end of 2022. 

Watch the video below to learn more about Volkswagen’s MEB platform!

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