Newbury, UK – Vodafone has announced that Mahindra Reva Electric Vehicles, part of the US$15.9 billion Mahindra Group, has powered its recently launched e2o electric vehicle with Vodafone’s M2M communication services.
Drivers of the e2o can remotely access a range of features and functions by using a smartphone app. or dedicated web page. For example, they can check their battery charge, remotely control air-conditioning, lock or unlock doors and find the nearest charging station. The e2o also automatically alerts its owner if the parking break is off or a door is left unlocked. Vodafone’s communication technologies and M2M platform provide secure connectivity between the vehicle and the central application.
Chetan Maini, Founder and Chief of Technology and Strategy of Mahindra Reva Electric Vehicles, said: “The e2o is the first and only Indian car (and among the few worldwide) to have telematics-based features enabling ‘anytime, anywhere connectivity’ between our customers and their cars. The high performance telematics solution developed by Mahindra Reva for the e2o offers one of the richest set of telematics enabled features offered on any car in the world today. We are pleased to partner with Vodafone as our exclusive Machine-to-Machine mobile connectivity solution provider and we are sure that this association will provide an even greater value proposition to our customers and enable new innovations in this exciting space in the future”.
Erik Brenneis, Director of M2M, Vodafone, said: “Vodafone brings together the world’s largest mobile network, an outstanding customer experience and long track record of success in the global automotive market. We are proud to be the first telecom service provider to bring the M2M service platform to the Indian market today. An industry tailored offering coupled with secure connectivity, best in class M2M service platform and superior network from Vodafone provide Mahindra Reva the capability to develop a whole range of new services around India’s first connected car”.
With 9.7 million M2M connections and over 250 M2M specialists around the world, Vodafone is a leading provider in this fast-growing market and was recognised in February 2013 as an M2M Industry Icon by Analysys Mason in its independent M2M scorecard report.
Vodafone Machine-to-Machine (M2M) connects previously isolated machines or devices to the internet, delivering new functionality and enhanced services without the need for human intervention. Supported by over 20 years’ experience and 250 dedicated staff, Vodafone’s global M2M platform makes it easy for global businesses to centrally manage M2M deployments across multiple territories, with greater control and at a lower cost than previously possible.
Mahindra Reva is a pioneer of electric vehicle (EV) technologies and one of the world’s most experienced EV manufacturers. Today, Mahindra Reva has one of the world’s largest deployed fleets of electric cars – customers in 24 countries have driven their Reva’s petrol-free for over 180 million kilometres. The company produces its own cars, licenses out its electric vehicle technologies, electrifies existing platforms, and helps to deliver integrated zero-emissions mobility solutions. The company’s new factory in Bangalore, capable of producing 30,000 cars per year, was inaugurated on August 22, 2012 and named its next generation, future ready, electric car as the ‘Mahindra e2o’ on January 7, 2013.
