Maruti's first EV to be built in-house

From 2020, Maruti Suzuki and Toyota plan to manufacture electric vehicles (EVs) in India as part of a partnership agreement. A recent media report suggests that Maruti will build a budget EV using its in-house capabilities ahead of products developed in partnership with Toyota.

Kenichi Ayukawa, Managing Director, Maruti Suzuki India Limited has told the media 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 EVs. Further, Maruti's first EV will be based on Suzuki's own technology while EVs built in partnership with Toyota will follow later. 

Maruti aims to launch its first EV by 2020, which could be priced under Rs. 10 lakh. The compact electric car is likely to have an output of 25 to 35 kWh. Maruti is also looking for local partners for material handling, battery recycling & reuse and to set up charging infrastructure in the country. 

The company expects the share of EV sales to reach 40% by 2030. However, Maruti will continue to develop its internal combustion engines (ICE) to lower emissions and fuel consumption. According to estimates, out of the 71 million new vehicles added between now and 2030, 14.4 million are expected to be EVs while 56.6 million will have conventional ICEs.

Source: The Economic Times