Maruti Wagon R EV prototypes commence road testing

The latest development is in line with the company's plan to launch its first electric vehicle in India by 2020.

A press release issued by Maruti Suzuki reads -

"This extensive real-life usage of the vehicles in multiple terrains and climatic conditions will help the company get valuable insights that will help in the validation and successful launch of electric vehicle technology in India. Testing of these vehicles will also help Maruti Suzuki gather critical inputs based on customer perspectives and will help create a reliable and suitable electric vehicle."

The Maruti Wagon R EV has been developed by Suzuki Motor Corporation, Japan, and is built at the Maruti Suzuki's Gurgaon-based manufacturing facility. On 7 September, the all-electric version of the sixth-generation Suzuki Wagon R was showcased at the MOVE Summit in New Delhi. The Maruti Wagon R EV draws power from a 72-volt system with a battery capacity of 10-25 KWH.

The field tests to be undertaken by the prototypes have been designed to stimulate varied terrains and climatic conditions. The data collected from the tests should help the manufacturer gain valuable insights that will help in validation and successful introduction of the Electric Vehicle technology in India.

The Maruti Wagon R EV draws power from a 72-volt system with a battery capacity of 10-25 KWH. It will be based on the next generation Maruti Wagon R that is built on a strengthened current-gen platform. In comparison, the test units are Japanese specification and employ the much-publicised HEARTECT platform.