Mahindra has inaugurated a dedicated EV and battery manufacturing facility in Chakan, near Pune. The brand’s latest range of ‘Born Electric’ EVs like the BE 6 and XEV 9e will be built at this plant. Mahindra has allocated Rs 4,500 crore for its new EV unit, out of the total Rs 16,000 crore planned in the FY2022-27 investment cycle to develop new powertrains, two new product top hats, software and technologies, as well as to expand the manufacturing capacity. Mahindra’s new EV manufacturing plant is spread over 88,000 sq. meters. It houses a fully automated press shop, an AI-driven body shop, and a robotic paint shop. The plant has over 500 robots, including Autonomous Mobile Robots (AMRs) and AGVs for material movement. Mahindra has set up what is claimed to be the world’s most compact battery manufacturing lines. It uses processes that are indigenously developed to produce high-performance batteries using industry 4.0 tech and a patented pallet design for optimal insulation and accuracy, as well as hidden cell terminal welding. The plant also houses a testing facility to perform multi-layered end-of-line testing simulating real-world conditions.
