Maruti Suzuki Wagon R EV spotted undergoing mileage testing in Mumbai

-    Maruti Suzuki flagged off the Wagon R electric vehicle prototype testing in India last October.

-    Testing phase includes multiple terrains and climatic conditions.

-    Spotted in Mumbai for the very first time.

Maruti Suzuki had flagged off the field testing of Electric Vehicle (EV) prototypes in October 2018. These Wagon R EV prototypes were spotted undergoing testing around the carmaker’s headquarters on several occasions already. But now, for the very first time, a test mule was spotted in Mumbai undergoing mileage test. 

Around 50 prototype EVs were flagged off last year from Gurugram by CV Raman, senior executive director, engineering, Maruti Suzuki. The carmaker had announced plans for nationwide testing of these prototypes. These EV prototypes have been developed by Suzuki Motor Corporation, Japan, but are built at the carmaker’s Gurugram facility. This extensive real-life usage of the vehicles in multiple terrains and climatic conditions will help the company get valuable insights about EVs in India. Which, in turn, will help in validation and successful introduction of electric vehicles in the country. Moreover, the test results are slated to be utilized for gathering critical inputs based on customer perspectives and will also benefit in creating a reliable and suitable electric vehicle for Indian customers.

At the moment, there are no powertrain details available for the Maruti Suzuki EV. But the word on the street is that it will have a range of around 200 kilometres. There will be a provision for a fast charger as well, which will charge the hatchback up to 80 per cent in just 40 minutes. It is also likely to make use of the modular, lightweight Heartect platform which means Maruti would be able to keep the price in check. 

However, even after benefiting from the FAME II subsidy scheme, the Maruti Suzuki EV is most likely to be priced between Rs 10-15 lakhs. When launched in India in a couple of years’ time, the EV will compete in the new electric car segment against the likes of the upcoming Tata Tiago EV and Mahindra eKUV100. The Wagon R EV is expected to be showcased in the production-ready guise at the 2020 Auto Expo. Stay tuned to CarWale for more details.