Maruti Suzuki prefers to produce hybrid-powered vehicles than EVs

Maruti Suzuki India considers to go for manufacturing vehicles powered by hybrid technology, natural gas and biofuels. The company prefers to use hybrid technology to produce vehicles in push towards a cleaner future than electric vehicles (EVs).

The ace auto maker in India which sells every other car on the nation’s roads, believes EVs aren’t the answer to reducing carbon emissions in the world’s third-biggest releaser of greenhouse gases – at least not in the immediate future.

Maruti plans to launch its first hybrid car under a partnership between its parent Suzuki Motor Corp. and Toyota within 12 months.

The company believes that Hybrid cars are also a better alternative than EVs given India lacks adequate charging infrastructure.

Charging EVs with clean energy and reducing dependence on coal is difficult in India, the world’s second-most populous country with some 1.4 billion people.

India’s shift to electric vehicles is also much slower than other major markets like China and the US even though Prime Minister Narendra Modi has committed to making the South Asian nation a net-zero carbon emitting one by 2070.

It is estimated by analysts that by 2030, electric passenger cars will make up only about 5% of total EV sales in India.

However, more progress on the two- and three-wheeler front will bring the automobile battery-powered total to about one-third.