Maruti plans fast charging boost, battery rentals at India auto show

Maruti Suzuki said on Friday it will install fast charging points in India's top 100 cities - one every 5 to 10 kilometers, and consider launching a battery rental service as it seeks to address infrastructure and cost challenges deterring consumers from buying electric cars.

Fuel-guzzling cars still dominate the roads in India, the world's third-biggest car market, where EV sales are growing fast but still account for just 2.5% of annual sales.

Automakers are desperately trying to bolster sales of EVs, and Tesla has long-delayed its plans to enter India, where it has criticized high import taxes for such cars.

 

As the companies flaunt their new EVs at India's five-day auto show in New Delhi which started Friday, Maruti unveiled plans to expand the charging network in cities and provide roadside assistance all over India if a battery runs out.

Customer anxiety over batteries draining without a charging spot in the vicinity in India is a key worry in the country.

"We will leverage our vast network to provide fast charging support," Maruti CEO Hisashi Takeuchi said at the auto show, where it also launched its first EV - the e Vitara SUV.

Maruti is also considering battery rental services as a solution to address what many experts view as a pain point that hinders EV adoption in India.

The move comes after India's Tata Motors last year started luring consumers with free charging and steep discounts, while rival MG Motor also launched a battery rental plan.

At the New Delhi auto show, electric vehicles will be centre stage, with models from new Vietnamese entrant Vinfast on display, alongside domestic brands Maruti and Mahindra & Mahindra, as well as global rivals BYD, Toyota and Hyundai.

India Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who also attended the auto show on Friday, courted investors by saying the government was willing to provide support for companies seeking to expand in the nation.

"This is the right time for you for a large investment in this sector," he said.

India's auto industry, which grew by about 12% last year, will expand further as a result of factors including its large youth population and rapid urbanisation, Modi said.

But there have been challenges. India plans to expand EV incentives to automakers and relax its policy which was originally designed following lobbying by Tesla, which has still not entered the market, Reuters reported in November.

(Reporting by Aditi Shah and Nandan Mandayam in New Delhi and Sakshi Dayal in Mumbai, additional reporting by Kashish Tandon, Writing by Indranil Sarkar and Aditya Kalra; Editing by Kate Mayberry and Ros Russell)