'You would look great in our red racing suit.' Anand Mahindra's verdict after Maha minister drives e-auto

Maharashtra’s Minister for industries and mining, Subhash Desai, was seen taking an e-rickshaw for a ride. The minister took the vehicle for a spin at the launch of Mahindra’s e-rickshaw Treo.

Chairman of Mahindra Group, Anand Mahindra, who was impressed by Desai’s accomplishment, tweeted asking him to join Mahindra Racing, the Group’s Formula E Racing team.

“Subhashji, we need you in @MahindraRacing! You would look great in our red racing suit as well…,” tweeted the Mahindra boss.


In the short clip, the minister was seen casually driving the vehicle. Several people at the event took pictures of him in the e-rickshaw. On being asked about his experience, the minister said that he found it very easy and comfortable to drive.

Mahindra Treo was launched by Mahindra Electric Mobility, the electric vehicle arm of the Group, in Maharashtra. Earlier this year, the state government had announced that it aims to have nearly 10 per cent of electric vehicle registrations by 2025.

In Maharashtra, the passenger electric three-wheeler, Treo, is priced at Rs 2.09 lakh (ex-showroom, Mumbai). According to reports, Mahindra has sold over 13,000 electric three-wheelers since its launch.

Powered by an advanced lithium-ion battery pack, the passenger e-three-wheeler offers savings of Rs 2 lakh in fuel cost in five years as compared to a CNG-run three-wheeler, besides a maintenance cost as low as 50 paise per km, Mahindra Electric Mobility said the company.

The battery requires zero maintenance and offers more than 1, 50,000 km of hassle-free running. According to the company, the vehicle can be charged anywhere through a 16A socket using the onboard portable charger.