In a heartfelt tweet on the occasion of World EV Day, Billionaire Anand Mahindra, the Chairman of the Mahindra Group, took a nostalgic trip down memory lane to the year 1999.
Anand took to X (formerly Twitter) to share the story of Mahindra’s first EV named ‘Bijlee’. Mahindra wrote, “Today is #WorldEVDay And it has propelled me back into the past. 1999 to be precise, when a stalwart of @MahindraRise Mr. Nagarkar, created our first ever EV—the 3 wheeler BIJLEE.”
Today is #WorldEVDay And it has propelled me back into the past. 1999 to be precise, when a stalwart of @MahindraRise Mr. Nagarkar, created our first ever EV—the 3 wheeler BIJLEE. It was his gift to us before retirement. I’ll never forget his words then: He wanted to do something… pic.twitter.com/f9KIXr1lkp
— anand mahindra (@anandmahindra) September 9, 2023
“It was his gift to us before retirement. I’ll never forget his words then: He wanted to do something for the planet. The Bijlee, sadly, was way ahead of its time & we bid goodbye to it after a few years of production. But the dream behind it continues to inspire us & we will not rest till those dreams become reality,” Mahindra added.
Mahindra explained despite being a remarkable innovation at that time, “Bijlee” was perhaps too futuristic for its era, and the market wasn’t quite ready to embrace electric vehicles wholeheartedly. Consequently, the production of “Bijlee” was halted after a few years, marking an end to an era of pioneering spirit and innovation.
Anand Mahindra emphasized that the journey that began with “Bijlee” is far from over. The company remains steadfast in its commitment to realizing those early dreams, tirelessly working towards making them a reality.
Also Read:
RBI likely to launch digital rupee pilot for interbank transactions by October