Competition in the affordable mid-sized electric SUV segment is intensifying, as Maruti Suzuki enters the market with the e-Vitara EV. The new electric vehicle from the carmaker is claimed to offer 543 km of range on a full charge, 7 airbags as a standard safety feature and has even scored a 5-star safety rating at the Bharat NCAP crash safety test.
However, it is widely known that the biggest bottleneck for EV adoption among the masses is the issue of India’s developing charging infrastructure.
As the country’s largest carmaker, Maruti Suzuki has announced its strategy to tackle the issue of ‘range anxiety’ among e Vitara and future electric model customers. To begin, Maruti Suzuki has already set up over 2,000 exclusive EV charging points across its nationwide dealer network, covering over 1,100 cities in India, before the carmaker starts rolling out e Vitara deliveries. Moreover, Maruti Suzuki has also partnered with 13 Charge Point Operators (CPOs), making a large charging ecosystem accessible to e Vitara customers.
Maruti Suzuki’s larger goal is to enable a network of over 1 lakh EV charging points by 2030, along with its CPO partners and by leveraging the dealer network. This is in alignment with Suzuki’s global vision and Maruti Suzuki’s plan to launch multiple electric vehicles in India in the next five years.
In terms of end users, Maruti Suzuki has also launched the ‘e for me’ mobile application that facilitates EV charging point location and payments. Users can also find both public and private chargers registered on the same app and the carmaker has also introduced a car to enable tap-and-pay services at charging stations. For the first buyers of the e Vitara, the brand has addressed after-sales concerns by making 1500 workshops EV-ready and a 1.5 lakh strong EV-trained workforce.
The Maruti Suzuki e Vitara bookings are expected to open soon before the carmaker officially reveals the pricing and variant list for its first-ever electric SUV. Keep reading Times Now Auto for more instant updates on all new EV launches.