At Unlimit India event held in Chennai, Mahindra unveiled their latest creations – BE 6 and XEV 9e to the world. At the same stage, we got to see base Pack 1 price of both vehicles. The company recently organised Unlimit India Tech Day at their Chakan plant in Pune, revealing Pack 3 prices of both eSUVs and showing a few crucial tech behind their new world-class products.
This event was also a great way to show the world their new state-of-the-art EV manufacturing facility in their 700-acre Chakan plant. This is where Mahindra manufactures their world-class products like BE 6 and XEV 9e. In this post, we will take you through Mahindra’s new EV manufacturing facility and innovative practices the company follows to position themselves as a world-class EV manufacturer.
Mahindra Chakan eSUV Plant Visit
Mahindra has a 700-acre facility at Chakan near Pune, Maharashtra. This is a strategic and well-planned facility that incorporates dedicated units for MHEL (Mahindra Heavy Engines Ltd), Construction Equipment, Supplier Park, Body Shop, Press Shop, Paint Shops, Aggregates Shops, Vehicle Assembly Shops, EPT (where battery manufacturing happens), a finished goods storage with 14,000 units capacity and even a Vehicle Test Track.
This facility is in abundant supply of water including a few natural water bodies. There’s a 100K m³ RWHC (Rain Water Harvesting Catchment) on site too. Mahindra has incorporated many water treatment systems to be water efficient. Returning 131 L of water for every 100 L used. The company is environmentally sustainable and lays emphasis on usage of clean energy and has a goal of achieving net zero carbon emissions.
The company has established a robust supply chain that will keep the production running without hiccups. There is a high degree of automation and man-less operations seen at Mahindra’s new EV manufacturing facility. This facility was built in record time, starting from July 2023 and commencing operations from January 2024.
Mahindra is proud of the many first-in-India operations that this facility boasts of, showing its profound capabilities and capacity for innovation. On the Unlimit India Tech-Day, Mahindra gave us a tour of BIW, Paint Shop, EPT and TCF facilities that are tasked to manufacture company’s new Electric Origin SUVs.
1. BIW Shop
Manufacturing of a car always starts with sheet metal side of things, which happens in BIW section. In Mahindra’s BIW section, we have the Press Shop and then Body Shop. Press Shop where it all starts for BE 6 and XEV 9e. This massive production unit is tasked with making car’s exoskeleton. Mahindra is quite proud of the level of automation achieved at this facility.
This high-tech facility encompasses robots for most work, ensuring high-level of precision and consistency. Sheets of metal are pre-cut and treated to be pressed. These pre-cut sheets are transferred onto the dyes by robots, where they are stamped or pressed to form various shapes. These panels are then scanned for mm-level precision and are stored in a massive site for further operations or discarded, if there are any abnormalities.
At the company’s Body Shop, these pressed body panels arrive and there are multiple dedicated assembly lines like front floor assembly, rear floor assembly, and underbody assembly lines. There are a total of two main lines that are fed by four sub-assembly lines. An overhead conveyor transfers the assemblies from Main Body Line 1 to Main Body Line 2. Individual panels are assembled into sub-assemblies which are then transferred to the docking station.
Mahindra has incorporated Laser Brazing techniques to seamlessly join the roof to exoskeleton. This method provides more aesthetic joining than what can be achieved from spot welding. Traditional joining processes are also present, including robotically controlled spot welding and MIG welding. From here, the docked structure moves into CFL (Closure Fitment Line) where doors, bonnets, tailgate and other closures are fitted by robots with ‘best fit’ algorithm.
We can see extensive use of AMRs (Automated Mobile Robots) that transfer BIW from one stage to another. Lastly, these BIW structures go through MFL (Metal Finish Line). This is where cleaning of body structure and finishing processes happen, prepping the BIW to be sent to Paint Shop via an automated overhead conveyor.
2. Paint Booth
Once BIW exoskeletons are prepped at Body Shop, they arrive at Mahindra’s state-of-the-art Paint Shop. This is a zero-discharge facility and Mahindra ensures all faculty and visitors (including ourselves) wear anti-static clothing when inside this facility. Mahindra uses the dipping process to ensure an even coat of pre-paint treatments. All BIWs are dipped and then rotated inside massive tanks to ensure all surfaces get an even coat.
Before the paint, all BIW go through sealing stations where automated robots apply PVC sealants wherever required, ensuring a sealed structure for better isolation and AC performance. These sealed structures go through a pre-paint cleaning process where they are dusted using Emu feathers connected to a powerful vacuum suction, cleaning the surface for contaminants and other foreign objects.
Mahindra employs a 3-coat, 1-bake process for the Electric Origin SUVs and uses high-solid, high-quality paints in line with global standards. All these stations are monitored via cameras using intelligent AI algorithms via the CCR room. Automated robots completely handle paint process and is a man-less process. These robots can even open and close doors to paint hard-to-reach areas. For painting the roof, Mahindra is using a spillage-free Pixel Painting technology like an Inkjet printer that ensures there is no over-painting.
After the painting is done, these exoskeletons now head to polishing line for post-paint surface treatments. Body is thoroughly buffed under an effective reflection dome with high-tech lighting for inspection. After a thorough inspection, painted body is now sent to TCF Shop (Trim, Chassis & Final Shop) or stored in a massive stacked storage system that consists of 7 levels vertically!
3. Battery Assembly Shop (EPT)
At the other end of Mahindra’s 700-acre Chakan facility is EPT, where electric powertrains of Mahindra Electric Origin SUVs are assembled. EPT plant boasts 98% automated operations and has highest ratio of female workforce at 40% as EPT plant is ergonomically safer than others. Because this is a crucial stage, Mahindra cleverly uses AR (Augmented Reality) and VR (Virtual Reality) to train faculty at the highest level.
Blade battery cells are transported to EPT plant from external sources, following a strict “zero touch cell handling’ philosophy. The company has a 2 million (20 lakh) cell storage capacity at Chakan facility. These Blade cells go through ‘Cell Stacking’ process, which is the most critical stage in battery assembly. Mahindra’s INGLO electric platform has multiple modules and each module is made of 16 Blade cells.
Mahindra uses laser welding for many joining processes and this entire battery assembly process is man-less operation. A data log is created at every step in this EPT plant including miniscule operations like torque on every bolt and the person monitoring this operation. Mahindra strictly follows a ‘No Fault Forward’ philosophy and there are multiple AI-powered cameras that monitor all operations and algorithms are trained to stop battery assembly if there is a flaw detected.
Every single battery pack assembled at EPT plant is thoroughly tested in a multi-stack testing chamber against temperature, vibrations, rapid charge and rapid discharge. There’s an IP67-rated battery pack cover developed in-house by Mahindra and that is also put to test. After assembly, AGVs (Automated Guided Vehicles) bring this battery pack to the end of the assembly line. Temp sensors are everywhere in EPT plant and can trigger automated fire suppression systems without any human intervention.
4. TCF Shop
This is a final facility in the production of Mahindra Electric Origin SUVs and encompasses a multitude of processes. TCF shop is filled with high-tech equipment and has clever touches like a wooden platform that reduces fatigue for faculty. These faculty are thoroughly trained for fault finding and they undergo rigorous troubleshooting training. There are two main trim lines in TCF shop.
Powertrain unit complete with battery and motor arrives at TCF shop. With the help of automated robots powered by AI, marry the exoskeleton and powertrain. Multiple precision cameras monitor this process and video footage is logged for future reference. Doors trims are prepped on 1st floor and are sent below to be installed on the doors. Cockpit and seats arrive as fully-built units and are only installed on the vehicle.
Headlights, tail lights, underbody and other parts are installed next. All necessary components are placed in a portable storage unit that also moves along with that particular vehicle on the assembly line. All consumables like brake oil, AC gas, and windshield fluid are filled here too. Glass roof with signature ambient lighting, wheels and brakes, suspension components and other crucial components are fitted here.
After wheel installation, vehicle is almost at the end of line, where automated wheel alignment and wheel balancing, headlight levelling, acceleration and brake test on a roller, and high-speed and low-speed testing on a high-tech roller along with radar calibration happens here. Next, the car is sent through a shower test where water jets squirt on the car from all sides at 2 bar pressure to check for any leaks. Lastly, they are sent to a short track for dynamic testing. After the track test, these vehicles are either stored or directly transported to showrooms.
Final Thoughts
Mahindra’s state-of-the-art EV manufacturing facility at Chakan stands as a testament to the company’s commitment to innovation, sustainability, and quality. With advanced automation, eco-friendly practices, and cutting-edge manufacturing technologies, the facility is not only setting benchmarks for the industry but also redefining the production of electric vehicles in India.
From the precision-driven BIW and Paint Shops to the highly automated Battery Assembly and TCF processes, Mahindra has showcased its ability to deliver world-class products like the BE 6 and XEV 9e. By leveraging AI, IoT, and sustainable manufacturing, Mahindra is not just building EVs but also shaping the future of mobility. This facility is a clear indication that Mahindra is ready to lead the way in India’s transition to electric mobility.
Source: Electric - rushlane.com
