Maruti Suzuki Swift Range Extender Hybrid to give a fuel efficiency of 48km/l

Maruti Suzuki Swift Range Extender Hybrid was showcased at the 2014 Auto Expo and recently it was even showcased at the 2015 International Green Mobility Expo in New Delhi. The Swift Range Extender hybrid returns a fuel efficiency of 48.2km/l.

The Swift hybrid is powered by a 660cc petrol engine and an electric motor that together produce a power of 73bhp. The electric motor has a range of 25.5 kilometres and can be fully charged in 1.5 hours, through a 230V charging socket. The hatchback weighs 1600kgs, about 500kgs more than the regular Swift.

The Swift Range Extender hybrid will be given to the Government of India for a pilot project. This hybrid vehicle get be driven in three modes, series hybrid, parallel hybrid and the third one is all electric. In series, the engine is used to charge the electric motor and this in turn powers the vehicle. In parallel, both the engine and the electric motor turn the wheels and in all electric, only the electric power is used.

Maruti Suzuki is planning to get hybrid cars in India, beginning with the Swift. Suzuki is working towards developing affordable hybrid car technology, with India being a key market for the company. The launch of the Swift hybrid is planned to be around 2017, however now the only challenger will be the price point at which it will be offered. At the moment, only Toyota is selling hybrid vehicles in India, which are the Camry Hybrid and the Prius. Then, we have the complete electric vehicles from Mahindra Reva. The e2O is the only complete electric vehicle that is available on sale.