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How the Mahindra BE 6 Set Two Off-Road Speed Records

Preparing for an Off-Road EV Record Attempt

Salt flats look serene in photographs. In person, they feel faintly hostile. Pokhran, in western Rajasthan, is not somewhere you just wander into by accident. It is an expanse so vast and empty it almost defies depth perception. Heat shimmers in waves. There is no shade, no shelter, no landmarks — just a blinding sheet of crusted salt stretching into infinity. It is also where India conducted its first nuclear test. Which made it oddly fitting that we had arrived to conduct one of our own.

The mission sounded simple enough: set the fastest Indian off-road quarter mile and standing kilometre in an EV. The reality, of course, was anything but. No tarmac, no prepped drag strip, just loose, shifting salt and the knowledge that at full throttle, things would happen very quickly indeed.

Our vehicle for this undertaking was Mahindra’s BE 6, a striking, futuristic electric SUV. Beneath the dramatic styling sits serious hardware: 210kW, a mighty 380Nm instant torque, RWD, and acceleration that feels like being shoved forward by an impatient giant. And this one doesn’t cost the earth. Under ₹30 lakh. On paper, it seemed ideal. On salt, paper counts for very little.

The whole thing began with an email from our editor, Pablo. Characteristically understated. “Pack your bags. Rajasthan. Something interesting.” It took about 10 seconds for the excitement to arrive and perhaps another ten for the implications to sink in. This wasn’t a demo run. It was a genuine record attempt — the first of its kind in India — and we would attempt it in a stock production vehicle.

The anxiety came bundled with excitement. Electric motors deliver their torque instantly. There is no gentle ramp-up, no audible warning. You press the accelerator and the full force arrives immediately. On asphalt, that makes EVs feel ferociously quick. On a surface with questionable grip, it can feel like juggling. If you aren’t smooth, precise and fully alert, things can unravel in seconds.

And the BE 6 weighs nearly two tonnes.

Testing the Mahindra BE 6 on the Salt Flats

We reached Pokhran a day early for reconnaissance. The task: find a stretch long enough for a standing kilometre, with sufficient run-off to slow down safely afterward. The phrase ‘salt flat’ suggests a billiard table. It’s more like a frozen lake whose thickness varies unpredictably. Some sections feel rock-solid. Others crumble under load. The surface shifts, cracks and compresses as you pass over it. We spent hours scouting, driving slowly, getting out, probing the ground, squinting at the horizon for subtle undulations. Eventually we found a strip that seemed suitable — firm enough, straight enough and long enough.

Finding Grip on Loose Salt Terrain

We ran a few exploratory passes to understand the car’s behaviour. My motorsport instincts suggested disabling traction control to extract maximum acceleration. That experiment lasted roughly one attempt. With the electronics off, the rear tyres spun furiously, throwing up dramatic plumes of salt. It looked spectacular and achieved absolutely nothing.

By late afternoon, we decided to preserve tyres — and nerves — for the real attempt. Our base for the night was the Pokhran fort, a centuries-old palace turned hotel, complete with a 60kW DC fast charger in the courtyard. Watching a futuristic electric SUV charge beside ancient sandstone walls was surreal. That night, sleep was elusive.

One Run, Two India Book of Records

Morning arrived, harsh and bright. By the time we rolled onto the flats, the surface was dry, firm and about as cooperative as it was likely to be. The start line was marked. Timing equipment ready. Cameras positioned. A quiet tension hung in the air, broken only by wind and the faint electronic hum of the BE 6. We lined the car up, pointing it at that thin, fragile ribbon of usable terrain disappearing into the distance.

Moments like this distorted time. Peripheral vision fades. Your world narrows.Countdown. Three. Two. One. Full send. The BE 6 didn’t accelerate so much as detonate forward. Instant torque.

No delay, just an immediate and relentless shove. Salt erupted behind us in a dense plume. Steering inputs had to be delicate, almost telepathic. Speed climbed ferociously, with triple digits arriving absurdly quickly. The flats blurred into a streak of pale colour. Somewhere behind me, a kilometre-long dust trail was being drawn across the desert like a chalk line. Then, just as suddenly as it began, it was over. The finish markers flashed past.