At the Unlimit India event in Chennai, Mahindra showcased their latest products to the world – BE 6 and XEV 9e. At the same stage, we also saw base Pack 1 prices for both cars. The company recently held Unlimit India Tech Day at its Chakan plant in Pune where it announced the Pack 3 prices of both eSUVs and showcased some of the key technologies behind its new world-class products.
The event was also a great way to showcase their new state-of-the-art electric vehicle manufacturing facility at the 700-acre Chakan plant to the world. Mahindra manufactures world-class products like BE 6 and XEV 9e here. In this article, we will take you through Mahindra’s new electric vehicle manufacturing plant and the innovative practices followed by the company to position itself as a world-class electric vehicle manufacturer.
Mahindra Chakan eSUV factory tour
Mahindra has a 700-acre plant at Chakan near Pune in Maharashtra. It is a strategic and well planned facility that includes MHEL (Mahindra Heavy Engines Limited), Construction Equipment, Supplier Park, Body Shop, Stamping Shop, Paint Shop, Aggregate Shop, Vehicle Assembly Shop, EPT (Battery Manufacturing Place ), a finished product warehouse with capacity for 14,000 vehicles, and even a vehicle test track.
The facility has ample water sources, including some natural bodies of water. There is also a 100K cubic meter RWHC (Rainwater Harvesting Catchment) on site. Mahindra has adopted a number of water treatment systems to improve water efficiency. For every 100 liters used, 131 liters of water are recycled. The company focuses on environmental sustainability, focuses on the use of clean energy, and aims to achieve net-zero carbon emissions.
The company has established a strong supply chain to ensure smooth production. Mahindra’s new electric vehicle manufacturing plant is highly automated and unmanned. The facility is under construction in record time, starting in July 2023, and will be operational by January 2024.
Mahindra is proud that the facility houses many first-of-its-kind operations in India, demonstrating its deep capabilities and innovation capabilities. At Unlimit India Tech-Day, Mahindra took us on a tour of the BIW, paint shop, EPT and TCF facilities tasked with manufacturing the company’s new Electric Origin SUV.
1. Body-in-white shop
The construction of a car always starts with the sheet metal part, which happens in the body-in-white. In the body-in-white part of Mahindra, we have the stamping shop and then the body shop. The Press Center is where everything starts for BE 6 and XEV 9e. This large production unit is tasked with building the car’s exoskeleton. Mahindra is very proud of the level of automation achieved at the plant.
This high-tech facility includes robots to perform most of the work, ensuring a high level of precision and consistency. The metal sheets are pre-cut and pressed. These pre-cut sheets are transferred by robots to dye, where they are stamped or pressed into various shapes. These panels are then scanned with millimeter accuracy and stored in large facilities for further manipulation, and if there are any anomalies, they are discarded.
In the company’s body shop, these pressed body panels arrive, and there are multiple dedicated assembly lines, such as front floor assembly line, rear floor assembly line and underbody assembly line. There are two main lines, fed by four sub-assembly lines. An overhead conveyor transfers components from Main Line 1 to Main Line 2. Individual panels are assembled into subassemblies and then transferred to a docking station.
Mahindra uses laser brazing technology to seamlessly connect the roof to the exoskeleton. This method provides a more aesthetically pleasing connection compared to spot welding. Traditional joining processes also exist, including robot-controlled spot welding and MIG welding. From here, the docked structure goes to the CFL (closure assembly line), where doors, bonnets, tailgates and other closures are installed by robots using a “best fit” algorithm.
We could see widespread use of AMRs (Autonomous Mobile Robots) to move body-in-white from one stage to another. Finally, these body-in-white structures go through the MFL (Metal Finishing Line). This is where the cleaning and finishing process of the body structure takes place in preparation for sending the body-in-white to the paint shop via automated overhead conveyors.
2. Spray booth
Once the body-in-white exoskeleton is prepared in the Body Shop, it reaches Mahindra’s state-of-the-art paint shop. This is a zero-emission facility and Mahindra ensures that all faculty, staff and visitors (including ourselves) wear anti-static clothing while inside the facility. Mahindra uses a dipping process to ensure an even coating of the pre-paint treatment. All body-in-white is dipped and then spun in a large water tank to ensure all surfaces receive an even coating.
Prior to painting, all body-in-white passes through a sealing station where automated robots apply PVC sealant where needed, ensuring the structure is sealed for better insulation and air-conditioning performance. These sealed structures undergo a pre-painting cleaning process that uses emu feathers connected to powerful vacuum suction to remove dust and clean the surface of contaminants and other foreign matter.
Mahindra adopts a 3-coat-1-bake process for the Electric Origin SUV and uses high-solids, high-quality coatings that meet global standards. All these sites are monitored through cameras in the CCR room using smart AI algorithms. Automated robots completely handle the painting process and it is an unmanned process. The robots can even open and close doors to map hard-to-reach areas. To paint the roof, Mahindra used spill-free pixel painting technology, such as inkjet printers, which ensures no overdrawing occurs.
Once painted, these exoskeletons now head to the polishing line for post-paint surface treatment. The bodywork is thoroughly polished under an effective reflector and equipped with high-tech lighting for inspection. After a thorough inspection, the painted bodies are now sent to the TCF workshop (trim, chassis and final workshop) or stored in a large stacked storage system consisting of 7 vertical levels!
3. Battery Assembly Workshop (EPT)
At the other end of Mahindra’s 700-acre Chakan plant is EPT, where the electric powertrain of the Mahindra Electric Origin SUV is assembled. The EPT factory has 98% automated operations, and the proportion of female employees is as high as 40%, because the EPT factory is safer than other factories in terms of ergonomics. Since this is a critical stage, Mahindra makes smart use of AR (Augmented Reality) and VR (Virtual Reality) to train teachers at the highest level.
Blade batteries are transported externally to the EPT factory following a strict “zero-contact battery handling” philosophy. The company has two million (two million) battery storage capacity at its Chakan plant. These blade cells undergo a “cell stacking” process, which is the most critical stage of battery assembly. Mahindra’s INGLO electric platform has multiple modules, each consisting of 16 Blade cells.
Mahindra uses laser welding for many of the connection processes, and the entire battery assembly process is unmanned. Data logs are created at every step of the EPT plant, including minute operations such as the torque on each bolt and the people who monitor this operation. Mahindra strictly adheres to the “failure-free forward” philosophy, with multiple AI cameras monitoring all operations and trained algorithms that can stop battery assembly if a defect is detected.
Each battery pack assembled at EPT’s factory undergoes thorough temperature, vibration, fast charge, and fast discharge testing in a multi-story testing chamber. Mahindra has developed the IP67 rated battery pack cover in-house and has also tested it. After assembly, an AGV (Automated Guided Vehicle) takes this battery pack to the end of the assembly line. Temperature sensors are found throughout EPT plants and trigger automatic fire extinguishing systems without any human intervention.
4.TCF store
This is the last plant to produce the Mahindra Electric Origin SUV and involves multiple processes. The TCF store is filled with high-tech equipment and clever touches, such as wooden platforms, to reduce instructor fatigue. These teachers receive comprehensive troubleshooting training and undergo rigorous troubleshooting training. There are two main lines of trim in the TCF store.
The powertrain unit with battery and electric motor arrives at the TCF store. Combining exoskeletons and powered systems with the help of artificial intelligence-powered autonomous robots. Multiple sophisticated cameras monitor the process and record video footage for future reference. Door trim is prepared on the first floor and sent below to be installed on the door. The cockpit and seats arrive as a complete unit and are installed only on the vehicle.
Next, install the headlights, taillights, underbody and other components. All necessary parts are placed in a portable storage unit that also moves with the specific vehicle on the assembly line. All consumables like brake fluid, AC gas and windshield fluid are also filled here. Here a glass roof with signature ambient lighting, wheels and brakes, suspension components and other key components are installed.
After the wheels are installed, the vehicle is almost at the end of the production line, which includes automatic wheel alignment and wheel balancing, headlight leveling, acceleration and braking tests on the roller, high- and low-speed testing on the high-tech roller, and radar calibration takes place. here. Next, the car is subjected to a spray test, where water jets are sprayed onto the car from all directions at a pressure of 2 bar to check for leaks. Finally, they were sent to a short track for dynamic testing. After track testing, the vehicles are either stored or transported directly to the showroom.
final thoughts
Mahindra’s state-of-the-art electric vehicle manufacturing facility in Chakan is a testament to the company’s commitment to innovation, sustainability and quality. With advanced automation, eco-friendly practices and cutting-edge manufacturing technology, the plant not only sets a benchmark for the industry but also redefines the production of electric vehicles in India.
From precision-driven body-in-white and paint shop to highly automated battery assembly and TCF processes, Mahindra has demonstrated its capabilities in delivering world-class products like BE 6 and XEV 9e. By leveraging AI, IoT and sustainable manufacturing, Mahindra is not just building electric vehicles but also shaping the future of mobility. The facility is a clear sign that Mahindra is ready to lead India’s transition to electric vehicles.
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