Those who have been keeping a close eye on the EV space in India would know that Mahindra unveiled the eKUV100 in the near-production form precisely two years ago. If you still haven’t guessed, it was during the last Auto Expo when that happened. Now, however, it is up for grabs. Prices start at Rs 8.25 lakh (after FAME II benefits), which makes it the least-expensive pure-electric car in India.

The KUV100 is not a looker, but it sure is an attention grabber. Its zero-emissions version makes the whole package a bit more enticing. For once, it is immediately recognisable with no grille between the headlamps. If someone misses that, there are numerous reminders that it is an EV with ME (Mahindra Electric) logos. Mahindra has also taken the pain to embellish the tailgate with a silver-coloured panel between the taillamps. And there’s no fuel-filler cap next to the rear door. That’s because the charging port is on the front fender. The overall silhouette of the car, however, remains the same as its conventionally-powered sibling.

Propulsion comes from a single, front-mounted electric motor which produces 53bhp/120Nm. It gets the juices from a 15.9 kWh battery pack which, as per Mahindra, is enough for a range of 147km on a single charge. For charging, you could use a standard AC socket and wait for nearly 6 hours. Else, feed the car with a fast charger and the time tumbles down to less than an hour.

Mahindra has also equipped the eKUV100 with a bunch of connected-car features. The list includes remotely turning-on the AC and locking/unlocking the car, vehicle location tracking, driving analytics and remote vehicle diagnostics. Other standard gizmos such as rear parking sensors, seatbelt reminder for front occupants, ABS with EBD and dual airbags are part of the package.

Here’s what will ruin it for those who liked the price mentioned above. That figure is for those who’d register it in for commercial use. Those who want to drive it as a personal vehicle will not enjoy FAME II incentives. Hence, the starting price would be considerably higher, maybe in the range of Rs 11-12 lakh. That brings it extremely close to the Tata Tigor EV, which offers more travel range and more space but less power.