Suzuki to introduce electric two-wheelers in India by 2020

Suzuki’s Indian subsidiary says the upcoming electric scooter will be launched alongside Maruti’s first electric car in 2020

The push towards electric vehicles is getting stronger by the day against the backdrop of rising fuel prices and concerns about climate change. While Suzuki’s car division, Maruti Suzuki, is already making efforts to launch an electric car by 2020, the company’s Indian two-wheeler subsidiary, Suzuki Motorcycle India, is now taking active steps to offer products in the electric two-wheeler segment in the same time frame as well. Teaming with Toshiba and Denso, the Japanese brand is planning to invest Rs 1,700 crore for a first-of-its-kind lithium-ion battery manufacturing plant in Gujarat. Suzuki’s Indian arm has reportedly requested its parent company for an electric scooter and a motorcycle for the local market as well.

According to a report from ET Auto, Suzuki Motorcycle India’s managing director Satoshi Uchida opines that the move will support the government’s push towards electric vehicles, and its investment in the battery plant would go a long way in the road to electrification. Uchida said, “The cost of electric scooter is still high when compared to the conventional scooters. We are currently studying as to how can we offer an electric scooter that is accessible and addresses the range issue. We should have an electric scooter for India by 2020.”

The two-wheeler maker has reportedly setup a five-member project team and has teamed up with KPMG, a professional service company, to formulate solutions for electric vehicles. Suzuki feels the process of introducing an electric product in the two-wheeler segment is relatively faster than how it advances in other segments. To combat range anxiety, the brand is reportedly developing swappable batteries for its upcoming electric scooters and motorcycles. Speaking of which, Suzuki did launch an electric scooter called e-Let’s way back in 2012 in Japan. It featured a swappable lithium ion battery with a range of 30km and took four hours to fully charge from a 100V household power outlet. However, the scooter was only sold in the Japanese market.

It would be interesting to see what platforms Suzuki will use for its upcoming electric scooter and motorcycle or whether they’ll be developed from the ground up. Watch this space for more updates.

[Source: ET Auto]