Taking An Electric Car To A Beach Is Not A Good Idea: Proof [Video]

Mahindra launched their all-new electric SUVs, the BE6 and XUV 9E, in the market earlier this year. Of the two EVs, the BE6 is the smaller one, and it has caught the attention of many young customers. We have seen people performing drifts and other stunts with these electric SUVs, and videos of the same are available online. Here we have one such video where a Mahindra BE6 SUV got royally stuck on a beach and was pulled out by a Toyota Fortuner.

The video has been shared by kalidas__appuu on his Instagram page. This happened in Kerala, but the exact location is not known. When the video starts, the Mahindra BE6 is already stuck in the sand.

It looks like the driver of the EV was too excited about the SUV and decided to push the car to its limits. Many people don’t realize that driving on sand or a beach is very different from driving on the road. A car like the Mahindra BE6 is extremely powerful, but the issue here is that the power is only being sent to the rear wheels.

We feel the BE6 driver might have pushed the accelerator pedal so hard that the rear wheels dug into the sand. Unlike ICE vehicles, torque in EVs is available almost immediately. This makes a huge difference in such terrains. Before he knew it, the rear wheels had already dug into the sand. You have to be extremely careful with the throttle in such cases. Even if you are, chances of you getting stuck in the sand are pretty high.

It looks like the driver tried to free the vehicle himself by removing the sand around the wheels, but that was of no use. When they realized that the BE6 was not going anywhere, that’s when the Toyota Fortuner comes into the picture. The Fortuner 4x4 SUV pulled the BE6 out without any issues.

The BE6 is an extremely powerful SUV, but the issue with it at the moment is that it is only available as an RWD vehicle. If you are planning to drive on sandy beaches, RWD or 2WD vehicles are not recommended.

This is an extremely tricky surface, and even a minor mistake can get you stuck. In fact, owning a 4x4 also doesn’t guarantee anything. If you don’t have the right set of skills, even a capable SUV might fail in such situations.

There are a few things that we feel worked against the BE6 in this case. First of all, the RWD setup. Apart from this, the tyres. EVs, as we know, come with low rolling resistance tyres. This is intentionally done to improve the driving range. While these tyres are great on tarmac, they might not offer any grip off-road.

Also, the tyre pressure. If you are planning to take your car onto a beach, it is always a good idea to lower the tyre pressure, as it would offer more grip on sand due to the increased contact patch between the tyre and the surface (sand).

Mahindra fanboys, don’t be disheartened. Mahindra is actually working on an AWD version of the BE6, and the same has been spotted testing on several occasions. It is based on the Rall.E concept that Mahindra showcased earlier. The BE6 will offer AWD, and we are sure it can handle the same sandy beach like a boss once that version is launched.