In spite of several initiatives taken by different auto makers, the fact remains that the electric vehicle market is still at a nascent stage because of the high cost of development involved and zilch amount of support from the government. Auto makers Nissan and Mahindra REVA have been pioneers to have brought forward the application of electric vehicles in the mainstream market with the Nissan Leaf and Mahindra e2o. With both the companies working with similar technologies, rumours are rife that the companies could collaborate to jointly develop the infrastructure technology for electric vehicles.
Nissan already is in collaboration with other Japanese manufacturers Toyota, Mitsubishi and Honda and considers joint ways of working as a good way to do business. Mahindra REVA on the other hand has self developed everything with little help from outside. With practically no government support, it is extremely expensive for Mahindra as well to sell electric vehicles in the country. As the company plans to grow in India and internationally, a collaborative effort will surely help it grow into a mainstream manufacturer of electric vehicles.
Nissan addressed its openness to collaborate with other EV manufacturers in the country, in particular for a charging network. The company states that the charging infrastructure is one of the two prime movers for success of electric vehicles, the other being government incentives. For Nissan, the multiple partnerships are being designed to offer financial support to the installation of charging stations. All the four Japanese automakers are promoting wider availability of chargers to make electric vehicles more convenient to use in their home country.
In India too, we will need similar efforts from the manufacturers as well as the government to make sure electric vehicles sustain in the future. Both the companies have shown willingness to collaborate over electric vehicles, but official talks are yet to commence. These indeed could be positive signs for the novice electric vehicle market in the country that could finally gain some momentum. Nissan and Mahindra REVA are currently competitors in Bhutan, where both the companies retail their electric vehicles in the market.
Source – Autocar Professional