Maruti Suzuki to launch Swift Hybrid - can 48.2 kmpl be real?

Maruti Suzuki is expected to launch the Swift/DZire Hybrid car in India this year. The car is ready and was driven around on World Environment Day (5^th June) in Delhi. This announcement comes after the introduction of FAME (Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Electric Vehicles) by the NaMo Government. Under this scheme, four wheelers will get incentives ranging from Rs.13,000 to Rs.1.38 lakh from the Government of India. The Swift Hybrid will be a Range Extending Hybrid, that is it will have a 5kWh lithium battery, with a 55 kW(expected) permanent magnet synchronous electric motor and a 658cc, 3-cylinder petrol engine. The net power output will be 73bhp. Maruti claims an impressive fuel economy of 48.2kmpl which we will cover later. This car has an all-electric range of 25.5km. By plugging in to the mains(200 V), this car can be recharged in 90 minutes. The car weighs 1600 kg, which is substantially heavier compared to the petrol (965 kg) and diesel (1060kg) variants. 

The Maruti Suzuki Swift Range Extender Hybrid will have 3 modes - Series Hybrid, Parallel Hybrid and all-electric. In series hybrid mode, the 658 cc petrol engine charges the lithium-ion battery which then powers the electric motor. In parallel hybrid mode, both the petrol engine and the electric motor drive the car. In all-electric mode, it is battery power alone. 

The running cost can be assumed to vary between Rs.1.3 to Rs.4 per km

How efficient will it be?

48.2 kmpl seems like a tall claim and this is probably under ideal conditions(or all-electric mode only). The thing with hybrids is that the cost of running is very different when it runs on battery alone (all-electric mode) and when it runs on petrol mostly(series mode). The parallel mode will deliver an efficiency figure in between the other 2 modes. This engine used is the one powering the new Japanese Alto and Wagon R Kei cars. It is extremely fuel efficient, having a rating of 36kmpl for the Japanese Alto. Mind you, that Alto weighs weighs less than half of this Swift Hybrid. And more the weight, less the fuel efficiency. We assume 48.2 kmpl is the equivalent cost of running in all-electric mode. The 5kWh battery would need slightly more than 5 units of electricity to charge. Considering unit cost of 5 rupees, and the range of 25.5km, the running cost in all-electric mode would be around Rs.1.3/km which corresponds to the 48.2kmpl figure (Rs.67/48.2kmpl = Rs.1.39/km). The fuel efficiency in the series mode, that is after the battery charge from mains has depleted, will determine the real running cost of the car. If the car delivers 18kmpl (half of Alto Kei), then it will be as economical (around Rs.4/km) as a normal small car. Hence the running cost can be assumed to vary between Rs.1.3 to Rs.4 per km. 

Yes, it will definitely be more efficient than a normal small car because of regenerative braking. Regenerative braking is the process of recovering energy that would have otherwise been lost during braking. The electric motor runs as a generator when the accelerator is let off, thereby gradually slowing down the car and charging the batteries. This is extremely useful in busy roads. Regenerative braking also increases the life of brake pads. Thus, the hybrid is extremely efficient in a stop-start traffic situation. A petrol/diesel car wastes a lot of fuel idling. In hybrids, generally there is no idling as the electric motor and battery take care of the drive in choc-a-block traffic conditions. Energy is also recovered during braking. 

How well does it drive? 

The Swift petrol and diesel have been a hoot to drive. How the Maruti Suzuki Swift Range Extender Hybrid will drive is a big question. The extra weight due to the battery and electric motor, is a concern. The battery on the base will aid handling by lowering the center of gravity. Torque figures have not been released, but it is safe to assume that it will be high considering electric motors produce 100% torque from 0 rpm unlike petrol and diesel engines – where it is almost linearly produced. The power to weight ratio is not high, but it would be better to wait for the 0-60 figures to get an idea of its performance. 

Is it worth buying? 

This is difficult to answer as the prices have not been revealed yet. If Maruti were to price this slightly or in the range of the diesel variant, it could be well justified. Though there is the FAME incentive of Rs.1.38 lakhs, a few key components like the motor, battery, etc are going to be imported, and so it could be priced higher. The DZire can be a safer bet considering Maruti has a bigger margin there – around Rs.80k more for 10 kg of metal and a little bit of engineering. Plus the ‘sedan class’ image is a huge draw in India. The Swift Hybrid has the potential to become the 1^st mass market hybrid car in India as the only options currently are the Rs.30 lakhs plus Toyotas, the Prius and the Camry, or the Rs.2.2 crores BMW i8. 

Apart from that, if your everyday driving is around 25 km or there is a provision to charge the car at your office (just a 15A plug point), this could be very ideal for you. Public charging points are getting popular. In some European and American cities, there are more charging points for electric cars than petrol pumps. Mahindra has taken the initiative to introduce charging points in Bangalore at popular parking places like Malls, Coffee Shops, Offices, etc. Battery pack warranty is also a concern. Mahindra gives 5 years while California mandates 8 years on all battery driven vehicles. Hybrids offer the best of both worlds; they are greener than petroleum driven cars, while having no range-anxiety unlike pure electric cars. They weigh a lot more due to both powertrains and this is inefficient, strictly speaking in an engineering point of view. They are not so green if your daily drive is a lot more than their electric range. The future is bigger batteries, offering higher pure electric range (like the Chevy Volt – 60km and BMW i3 – 150 km) and smaller petrol engines just for ‘range extending’. This is until pure electric cars like the Tesla Model S become more affordable or the Nissan Leaf and Mahindra Reva e2o get more range.      

Indian Railways experiments Solar Powered Train - but is it green enough?

Indian Railways is the single biggest consumer of diesel fuel in the country. In order to save of heavy oil imports, the railways have recently affixed a few solar panels on a non-ac coach of the Rewari-Sitapur passenger train. This ‘solar powered’ coach produces 17 units of electricity in a day. Though it is very less compared to the total energy requirement of a train, the Indian Railways claim that such a train is going to save them up to 90000 litres of diesel and 200 tonnes of CO2 every year. This is impressive. It is very important to note that powering an entire train with solar panels on top is currently not possible.

(stat courtesy: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/indiahome...pollution.html)

The electrical power (17 kWh) produced by these solar panels can only be used for lighting and may be mobile charging points in the coaches. A ‘Solar Powered’ Train is still a distant dream. It is important to note here that 17 units of electricity are minuscule considering a 3000 HP train. We are assuming that such train would be consuming 20 kWh per km, which is 20000 kWh for a 24 hour trip. Even if all the coaches are fitted with solar panels, it would still be a mere 1-2 % of the total energy needs for the train. The entire surface area (40 m2) of the roof is not covered yet. If covered, an extra few panels can be accommodated. The Railways say that in a 40 hours trip, 15 hours will be exposed to the Sun as the train keeps moving. This is inefficient compared to stationary installations. Further there are shades from trees, tunnels, platforms and more importantly angle of inclination which will reduce the power generated. In comparison, the Indian Railways could install massive solar panels on top of stations and feed it into the grid. This would offset the carbon produced. But the Indian Railways’ biggest problem is that only around 34% of the routes are electrified. There are practical problems like theft of copper, lack of adequate power supply, security, etc. Hence putting up solar panels on top of the trains is a safer choice and this will help in direct reduction of expensive diesel fuel imports. It costs the Railways Rs.20 per unit for power generated from diesel. Plus PR wise, a train with solar panels on top makes more impact than others.

Even if all the coaches are fitted with solar panels, it would still be a mere 1-2 % of the total energy needs for the train...It is very important to note that powering an entire train with solar panels on top is currently not possible.

It will cost Rs.3.96 lakhs per coach and the payback period is 3-4 years. Maintenance wise, though this will be exposed to harsher climatic conditions compared to stand alone units - they will undergo a wash at the sheds which is debatable for stations or other rooftops. The Indian Railways going green is a welcome move considering the resources they have and need. On the environment day, the East Coast Railways has installed a 50 kW solar power plant on one of their buildings in Bhubaneswar. There is news that the Indian Railways is chalking out a 1000 MW solar power plan for their network. We hope they becomes greener by installing LED lights, harvesting rain water from stations, utilize toilet waste, making bio diesel by planting near tracks, and other ways.