Volkswagen and Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd. (M&M) are exploring the use of MEB electric components for Mahindra’s new ‘Born Electric Platform’. Both parties have announced the signing of a Partnering Agreement on the 18th of May to evaluate the scope of collaboration.
Mahindra intends to equip its ‘Born Electric Platform’ with MEB electric components such as electric motors, battery system components and battery cells. The Partnering Agreement indicates binding rules for the evaluation phase as well as the non-binding scope of supply. The binding supply agreement negotiation will continue in a constructive and legally compliant way. It will conclude by the end of 2022.
Designed as an open vehicle platform, the MEB electric platform and its components allows car manufacturers to build their portfolio of electrified vehicles, quickly and cost-effectively. The shared objective of the two companies is to electrify the Indian automotive market. This is a key element in the global decarbonisation of the mobility sector.
India is one of the Global Top-5 Automotive Markets with about 3 million vehicles per year. According to current forecasts, the market could grow to up to 5 million vehicles by 2030. A considerable part of this constitutes petrol and diesel vehicles.
However, at the 2021 Climate Summit in Glasgow, India undertook only to register zero-emission passenger cars and vans, starting in 2035. As a result, the electrification of the passenger car segment will gain significant momentum in the coming years. Industry experts anticipate that in 2030 more than half of all new vehicles will be fully electric.
Volkswagen’s MEB Electric Platform is already in use by Volkswagen, Audi, SKODA and SEAT/CUPRA and other external partners. Responsibility for these partnerships are assigned to the ‘Platform Business’ unit created specifically for this purpose.
