A new report suggests that Maruti Suzuki plans to produce Electric Vehicles (EV’s) by 2020 in India. The company is said to be building a budget EV with its in-house facilities prior to the products its develops in partnership with Toyota. To begin with, Suzuki will introduce the first EV based on Suzuki’s own technology while the EV in collaboration with Toyota will arrive later.
Speaking to the press, Kenichi Ayukawa, Managing Director, Maruti Suzuki India said that Maruti’s parent company – Suzuki is also working on its own EV technology and will not solely rely on Toyota’s expertise to build EV’s. Apart from the MoU for technical support from Toyota for the EV’s, Suzuki is also working on its own EV technology development and a combined effort from both will witness the launch of EV’s in India beginning from 2020.
The Indian arm of the Japanese automobile manufacturer did not reveal the segment in which their first EV will be introduced although they did share a few details. The EC could produce a power output of 25-35 kilowatts per hour and would be priced below the INR 10 lakh bracket. Maruti Suzuki chairman RC Bhargava said that the company did not want to lose out on its leadership position in the country during the shift to electric vehicles and has hence decided to bring its own electric vehicle ahead of its EV in partnership with Toyota.
Maruti is also said to be looking for local vendors for component manufacturing, material arrangement, recycling and reusing of batteries, their safe disposal and charging infrastructure. Meanwhile, the company will continue to develop its Internal Combustion Engines (ICE) and reduce their fuel consumption as well as their emissions.
Source: Economic Times