India’s largest carmaker Maruti Suzuki is targeting to set up over 1 lakh charging points across the country by the end of this decade, as the automaker looks to boost consumer confidence in electric vehicles, says the company’s MD and CEO, Hisashi Takeuchi.
The automaker, which is preparing to launch its first electric vehicle, the eVitara, aims to become the largest fast-charging OEM network. Maruti has partnered with 13 charge-point operators and has already set up 2,000 exclusive charging points across 1,100 cities.
“We are adopting a two-pronged strategy: first, by offering a vehicle with an excellent driving range, and second, by building a strong EV ecosystem that ensures convenience and peace of mind for our customers,” Takeuchi said.
“Our customers can access all these charging points through the ‘e for me’ app. This app offers several unique benefits and will enable them to experience a seamless EV ownership journey from discovery to usage and payment.”
The lack of charging infrastructure has been projected as the biggest bottleneck in faster EV adoption in India. Close to 30,000 public EV charging stations are currently installed in the country. However, India still lags behind many mature electric vehicle markets in charging infrastructure.
Maruti Suzuki’s Senior Executive Officer for Marketing and Sales, Partho Banerjee, noted that the company will focus on highways and expressways, with plans for a charger every 5-10 km on average in key locations across the top 100 cities.
Maruti Suzuki began production of the eVitara at its Gujarat plant in August and has already started exports to European countries. Parent company Suzuki Motor Corp is looking at India as a hub for its electric vehicles and aims to become the largest electric vehicle manufacturer in the country.
The eVitara, made in India,has been designed with a stronger focus on global markets. The product has gone on sale in the UK and is expected to launch in Japan in the coming days. The India launch is expected in the fourth quarter of this financial year.
Maruti Suzuki has been relatively late to enter India’s electric vehicle market compared to early movers such as Tata Motors and Mahindra. This head start has helped Tata Motors become the country’s largest electric carmaker over the past few years.
Unlike many other OEMs, Maruti Suzuki is pursuing a multi-fuel strategy for decarbonization. This approach includes vehicles powered by various fuel types — battery electric, hybrid, CNG and flex-fuel — tailored to the specific needs of different regions.
By FY2031, CNG models, including those running on compressed biogas, are expected to be the largest contributors to Maruti Suzuki’s powertrain mix in India, accounting for 35%. Traditional internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles and hybrid models are each projected to make up 25%.