Mahindra Reva Electric Vehicles Pvt. Ltd and Vodafone Business services entered into strategic technology partnership to provide machine-to-machine (m2m) communication services for Mahindra’s new electric car- the E20. The new service will enable E20 owners to communicate with the car using a smart phone app which has been developed by Mahindra Reva for Android, iOS and Blackberry operating systems and can be downloaded from respective app stores free of cost. Vodafone as a service provider would offer a secure connection between the smart phone and the E20.
Using the application, E20 owners would be able to:
- Know the level of charge in the car’s battery and the distance the car will be able to travel
- Remotely control the air-conditioning and schedule to pre-heat or pre-cool the car before use.
- Locking and unlock the car’s doors.
- Find nearest charging stations.
- Receive various alerts related to interruption in charging owing to power cuts, safety reminders such as unlocked doors or parking brakes not engaged.
- A patented REVive® technology would enable drivers to activate reserve charge for an extra 8-10 kms.
- Enable the Mahindra Reva Tech Help desk to remotely diagnose the car.
Mr. Chetan Maini, Chief of Strategy & Technology, Mahindra Reva Electric Vehicles Pvt. Ltd. Said “The E20 is the first and only Indian car, and among the few worldwide, to have telematics based features that enable ‘anytime, anywhere connectivity’ between our customer and their cars. The high performance telematics solution developed by Mahindra Reva for the E20 offers one of the richest set of telematics enabled features offered on any car in the world today. We are pleased to partner with Vodafone as our exclusive Machine-to-Machine mobile connectivity solution provider. Going forward, connected car technologies will make a difference to convenience and safety, thereby making a positive impact on the way people commute and interact with their cars. We are sure that our association with Vodafone will provide an even greater value proposition to our customers and enable new innovations in this exciting space in the future”.
Also present at the occasion, Mr. Naveen Chopra- Director of Vodafone Business Solutions said “Vodafone is renowned globally for being a specialist in M2M solutions and a market leader in telematics. Leveraging our global expertise, we are the first telecom service provider to offer the m2m service platform in the Indian market today. Vodafone’s partnership with Mahindra Reva is a true convergence of distinct, yet aligned visions- to develop a world of connected machines. Our secure telematics connectivity offering, best in class m2m service platform and a superior network which has been tailor made to suit unique aspects of Mahindra Reva’s product and industry processes.”
The complete data package is bundled in the car’s cost for 5 years from the date of purchase and the owner is not entitled to pay any charges for the data services.
On our part, we’d say the E20 already looks a great car on paper with Mahindra brimming it up with features mostly found on higher segment cars, and with advanced vehicle telematics in the offing- it’s another feather in it’s cap. A short rendezvous with the E20 parked outside the event left us impressed.
But with a 6 lac+ OTR price tag, what needs to be seen is the chunk of the car buyer’s population the E20 manages to attract.
