Maruti Suzuki is developing hybrid electric vehicles (HEV) that can be charged with the help of power supply from roadside support. The companies have been slow adopting EVs like Tata Motors, Mahindra and Hyundai.

Rahul Bharti, Executive Director, Maruti Suzuki, said, “There is a shared testing program of some EVs; these models will be tested next month together with Toyota. We are thinking to get more consumer feedback on usage patterns. Until charging infrastructure expands in India, you will need self-charging machines so that we will be working with hybrid electric vehicles.” In self-charging cars, an internal combustion engine (ICE) supplies energy to the batteries besides wheel rotation which is an additional power source. Since batteries power the car, such a vehicle gives higher mileage than an ICE car.

“It’s a powerful technology for the next 10-15 years, and it has a lot of benefits. It can climb up without the necessity of external charging infrastructure and offers a nice reduction in emissions,” Bharti added. Carmakers say India’s EV charging network is poorly developed, inspiring them to switch to EV mobility. Along with Maruti Suzuki, companies like Volkswagen, Renault, Nissan, Honda and Kia do not have any immediate plan of getting into EVs due to the high purchase cost and lack of charging infrastructure.