Recently, sources had spotted the hybrid variant of Swift hatchback rechristened as Swift Range Extender undergoing road test in the country. This time around sources have also hinted on a possible launch of Swift Dzire in a Hybrid variant. Speaking to HT, a Senior Government officer was quoted as saying, “The government has begun the FAME scheme, under which it subsidies the purchase cost for hybrid and e-vehicles. We have asked auto majors to start introducing more such variants than the regular petrol and diesel cars so that consumers get more choices. The scheme cannot be a success alone with one or two such cars available in the market. Companies including Mahindra, Maruti and Tata have assured us of launching some of their vehicles on the hybrid or electronic platform this year itself.”
The Swift Range Extender that was spotted undergoing road test recently is stated to be powered by a 658cc petrol engine that works in combination with 5 kwh lithium-ion powered electric motor. Combined the vehicle efficiently generates about 73 PS power and reportedly returns an impressive fuel efficiency figure of about 48.2 kmpl. On a full charge, the electric motor alone is capable of covering about 25.5 kilometers. Moreover, it just takes about 90 minutes for the battery to get fully charged through a 200 Volt electric socket.
Commenting more on the occasion, Maruti's spokesperson said, “We do not give guidance on forthcoming models or technologies. Maruti Suzuki has been working in line with government initiatives for alternate electric vehicle development. We demonstrated 10 SX4 hybrid and 4 EECO EV’s during commonwealth games and subsequently, worked on the Swift Range Extender Electric vehicles. The Swift REEV was showcased at the SIAM auto expo 2014, Vibrant Gujarat 2015 and IETF 2015. We have made 4 Swift REEV’s for participation in the government’s pilot project.”
Source: HT
