Mahindra Releases Official Statement On BE 6-Datsun Crash, And The Alleged ‘Sensor Failure’
Mahindra has just put out a statement about the BE 6 electric SUV’s crash in Hyderabad. According to the statement, the company calls the claims of sensor failure on the Mahindra BE 6 ‘baseless and incorrect’.
Here’s the full statement from Mahindra,
The back story!
Days ago, we carried a story in which a video showed a Mahindra BE 6 and a Datsun Go+ hatchback in a collision. According to the video, the Datsun Go+ collided with the Mahindra BE 6 electric SUV, and was heavily damaged. On the other hand, the Mahindra BE 6 seemed to take the impact very well, with just minor damage on its rear bumper.
The twist in the tale came when the video asserted that the Datsun Go+ remained drivable and was driven to the police station for further investigation. At the same time, the BE 6 was said to have remained dysfunctional thanks to a sensor that allegedly disabled the car from being driven after the crash.
This incident sparked a meme-fest with many questioning technology, and saying that modern cars have become too complex. And that these complexities have made them quite fragile. The statement from Mahindra should set the record straight.
The Mahindra BE 6 is one of the safest affordable SUVs money can buy in India…
The electric SUV scored a near-perfect 31.97/32.00 point rating for adult crash test safety and 45/49 points in the child crash test safety, in a test conducted by Bharat NCAP. Bharat NCAP awarded the Mahindra BE 6 a full five stars in the crash safety test.
The BE 6’s sibling – the XEV 9e electric SUV – went a step ahead with a full 32/32 rating in the adult crash test, and a 45/49 point score in the child crash safety test. Clearly, the Mahindra BE 6 and XEV 9e are among the safest cars money can buy in the affordable car categories.
Here’s a video showing the crash test of the Mahindra BE 6,
Both the Mahindra BE 6 and XEV 9e electric SUVs are built at a state-of-the-art manufacturing facility at Chakan, off Pune. These ‘born electric’ SUVs are the most powerful ones in the Sub-Rs. 30 lakh EV space.
The top end trims of both SUVs feature a electric motor driving the rear wheels. The motor makes 280 Bhp of peak power and 380 Nm of peak torque. Performance, needless to say, is electric. The 0-100 Kph run is dispatched in 6.7 seconds, and both SUVs have a top speed of just over 200 Kmph.
These figures the Mahindra BE 6 and XEV 9e thrilling to drive. The batteries that both SUVs use is built by Mahindra with ‘blade cells’ sourced from BYD of China. The ‘Blade’ lithium ferro-phosphate (LFP) batteries are built to handle Indian conditions, and have been tested to withstand forced of up to 200 kilo newtons.
The BE 6 is offered with two battery packs: 59 kWH and 79 kWH. The 79 kWh pack can propel the BE 6 to a range of about 500 kilometers in the real world. The smaller battery pack will give the electric SUV a real-world range over about 400 Kms.
Mahindra has already announced prices of the BE 6’s Pack 1 (base trim) and Pack 3 (top-end trim). The base Pack 1 trim starts from Rs. 18.9 lakh while the top-end Pack 3 trim is priced at Rs. 26.9 lakh. Bookings and test drives have already commenced, and deliveries will begin shortly. Mahindra will also announce prices of the Pack 2 (mid trim) very soon.