When we took the aaram se test, we found that it did offer huge head and leg room and a wee bit more space than what the prevailing autorickshaws offer.
IMAGE: Pratap Bose, Chief Creative and Design Officer, Mahindra Global Design, and Suman Mishra, Managing Director and CEO, Mahindra Last Mile Mobility. Photographs: Hitesh Harisinghani/Rediff
Mahindra Last Mile Mobility (MLMM) on February 12 went to town with the UDO, an electric three-wheeler — a stronger, safer and sophisticated autorickshaw that will, according to MLMM officials, ‘not compete’ with the ubiquitous kaali-peeli as autorickshaws are lovingly hailed across urban India, but ‘chart its own path’, in a segment that the company plans to revolutionise with its latest three-wheeler electric offering.
Key Points
- Mahindra UDO improves last-mile mobility with better space, stability and comfort, offering a safer, more dignified commuting experience — especially for women using shared autorickshaws daily.
- Priced at Rs 3.59 lakh, the UDO delivers 55 km/h speed, 10 kW power, 52 Nm torque and a real-world 200 km range per charge.
- Hill Hold Assist, creep mode, reverse throttling and regenerative braking make the UDO easier to drive in traffic, on slopes and in stop-go urban conditions.
- The monocoque chassis, cushioned seats and improved leg and headroom offer noticeably more comfort than existing autos, though rear-seat space could still be increased.
- The UDO highlights the need for regulators and manufacturers to allow larger, more comfortable passenger seating to ensure comfort, safety and dignity for millions of daily commuters.
Keeping up with the UDO (which means fly in Hindi) label, MLMM brands this Rs 358,999 offering as an autoplane that offers maximum speed of 55 km/h, peak power of 10 Kw and 52 NM torque, which once charged gives a real-world range of 200 km per charge: that is it can easily cover the Mumbai-Pune/Pune-Mumbai distance using the old NH48 and still left with some more juice to roam around in these cities.
The UDO Features
Talking about the scenic Mumbai-Pune/Pune-Mumbai circuit brings us to UDO’s Hill Hold Assist feature that will prevent the vehicle from rolling back along the serpentine, hilly roads for 7 to 8 seconds giving the driver enough time to accelerate before rolling back, without giving the person in the vehicle behind the chance to spew out choicest of abuses.
The MLMM team assured that the UDO will drive with ease on any hilly terrain.
For bumper-to-bumper traffic in cities like Delhi, Mumbai, Pune, Bengaluru, and what have you, the UDO offers Creep function for vehicle control without feeling fatigued.
Among first-in-segment feature like reverse throttling that gives seamless speed control without touching the brakes, the UDO also offers regenerative braking.
The reverse throttle — throttle up for acceleration and throttle down for reducing the speed — not only gives Mahindra UDO an extended range but also a smoother, safer ride.
Safety And Comfort
Built on a monocoque chassis for superior stability and build-quality, the UDO also offers well-cushioned seats, comfortable leg and head room, and more space to sit three healthy people aaram se on the passengers’ seat as per company officials.
When these correspondents — who often take the kaali-peeli for their daily commutes in Mumbai — along with a third person took the aaram se test that they had themselves devised given our personal experiences, we found that it did offer huge head and leg room and a wee bit more space than what the prevailing autorickshaws offer.
The Pitch For More Space… And Dignity
Illustrations: Dominic Xavier/Rediff
That said, one feels there is still room to offer more aaram se room for the three passengers in the rear seat and here’s a big shout out to Anand Mahindra (UDO), Venu Srinivasan (TVS King), and Rahul Bajaj (RE, Maxima), and all other auto companies which manufacture autorickshaws: Regulations permitting, please make the size of the passenger seats so comfortable for three healthy people that they don’t have to travel cramped for space, comfort and dignity. More on the dignity part a bit later.
If regulations restrict manufacturing of autorickshaws beyond certain length and width for three people to sit comfortably, lobby for it with all you have for you will have done yeoman’s service for not just improving the last mile connectivity in terms of offering a technologically-sound product but also for transforming space-crunched autos that millions of Indians occupy for their last mile commutes.
After all this blah-blah-blah-sort-of shout out/rant it is only fair for you guys to know the main reason for it. The reason is hidden in front of our wide, open eyes.
Just watch how office-going women take share-an-auto in the autos that exist today: Cramped for space and dignity while travelling with males, total strangers.
This is a huge gap that needs urgent filling even as you guys go about adding more advanced technology, more advanced safety, style and design for every additional rupee that you spend for making a world-class product.
When this becomes a reality millions of Indian women, who, in every day of their working lives, find themselves in this situation while using public transport but just go about it without complaining much because they have to reach their offices, would give the loudest shout out to you guys.
The Nutshell
Coming back to the Mahindra UDO, the three-wheeler comes with three drive modes — Range, Ride and Race — that can be used depending on the traffic conditions.
The well-cushioned seats, big leg and head room will no doubt offer lounge-like comfort but increasing the size of the passenger seat to offer more comfort for the passengers cold really become a game-changer not just for the product but also for commuters.
The UDO, the SUV of the autorickshaw segment, given its aeroplane-like design and styling would no doubt give more confidence to the passengers to take it right up to the durban standing outside a five-star hotel and make an uber style statement.
Would definitely give the UDO-owner the chance of earning a dignified livelihood but adding more space — regulations can go take a walk or be changed — would further make the ride equally dignified and fun for the passengers in the rear.
