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.      

Mahindra Reva e2o

The much awaited Mahindra e2o is finally here with a price tag of Rs.5.96 lakhs on road, Delhi. Is it worth it? Has the holy grail of environment friendly transportation being finally unlocked? Lets find out.

It is the predecessor to the little cute Reva which had been the brainchild of a savvy entrepreneur named Chetan Maini. Maini holds a bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Michigan where he extensively studied on solar electric vehicles, and a Master's in Mechanical Engineering  from Stanford University where he focused on hybrid electric vehicles. He has over two decades of experience in the development of solar, hybrid and electric vehicles in the U.S. and India. For more than a decade, he produced the green Reva electric car in Bangalore and even exported it to many countries, including the United Kingdom. This model was crude, used generation old lead batteries, questionable safety and had limited range and performance. This soon became a critics’ favorite to bash though tree huggers had a soft corner for it. Circa 2010, tides changed for Reva when Chetan Maini shook hands with Anand Mahindra. With new ownership came much needed funds, automobile expertise and the UV specialist’s countrywide dealership and service network of the Indian Conglomerate.

The e2o is the first fruit of this association. It is miles ahead of its ancestor. It is a proper four seater, though still two doors. It measures 3280 mm x 1514 mm x 1560 mm, similar in size to most small B segment hatchbacks.
Manufactured in a state of the art facility in Bangalore,the factory itself is green. Optimum use of daylight, wind channeling, LED lights, rain water harvesting and solar power ensure a eco sensitive manufacturing process. In fact, the first charge in your e2o will be done by solar power. Carved by ace automobile designer Dilip Chhabria, this looks much mature than the old one. The design is a bit unusual, two doors and swooping high rear windows are new. Projector headlamps and LED rear lights look uber cool. LED lights save power, last much longer and are safer as brake lights as they lit up instantly and can thus prevent high speed collisions. Good space management ensures easy ingress and outgress. The interiors are comfortable for four adults. The boot is tiny. The e2o is well built having high tensile steel frame structure, crumple zones and impact beams like any other car. The body is made of specially made ABS panel s which are scratch and dent resistant(upto 15kmph impacts). The color is impregnated into the panels and are not painted, hence scratches can be polished off with a simple buff. ABS panels save precious weight but may raise eyebrows of skeptics in terms of strength.

The biggest change is the move from lead acid batteries to lithium ones. Lithium batteries similar to ones used in mobile phones, laptops and popular electric cars like Tesla, Nissan Leaf etc, are definitely in vogue as they offer better energy density, lighter weight and much higher life. The range is now upped to 100 km. Full charge takes 5 hours(10 units of electricity) and each hour of charging gives 20 km on a 220 V 15 amp socket. No news of quick charging methods now, though one can keep their fingers crossed. In case you run out of charge, there is a reserve power which can be activated via apps on your smartphone that will unlock an emergency range of 8 kms. Regenerative Braking aids to the range a little by ensuring the otherwise wasted energy during braking is recaptured. Specifications of the 19 kW 3 phase induction motor is a little meager as it produces just 25.5 bhp power and 53 Nm of torque from 0 - 3400 rpm. But the light mass (830kgs) and availability of 100% torque from 0 rpm(like all electric cars) makes things a little better. The low centre of gravity due to battery mass lying on the front seats makes it stable. Fully automatic transmission, low rolling resistant tires and a low turning radius of 3.9m makes this a very easy to drive car. Mahindra claims the lack of power steering won’t be felt as there is no heavy engine in the front.

This car is loaded with tech. In fact , the tech itself can be a deal maker for some. Stepping in, one is welcomed by a conventional dashboard layout with an unconventional first in class 6.2 inches touch screen LCD. Apart from playing virtually all types of media, it has a fully loaded navigation system covers over 1.5 million kilometers of road across 1200 cities. You get access to over 5 million points of interest including restaurants, ATMs and , Charging stations and Mahindra service centers. Using the apps you can interact with the car at all times and virtually from everywhere. The car has a SIM card and by that it is always connected to Mahindra’s server. Hence using your smartphone, you can remotely switch on the AC - A novel way to save you from intense heat when your car is parked in the sun. The HVAC system can be scheduled as needed. The onboard computers process the Distance To Empty (DTE) data along with the GPS Navigation data to provide you with the amount of remaining charge in your car and how far you can travel. This intelligent feature allows you to plan every trip, on the go. Using the app, you can also lock/unlock the car, turn on/off charging, schedule your service, locate servicing centers, find the nearest charging stations, receive notification and access the help menu for any assistance. There is a Driver Information System (DIS) that feeds you vital information about the car. It can display your service interval, your daily driving efficiency score and troubleshooting videos. ICE (In-Car Entertainment) is up to the brim with 4 JBL speakers and 2 tweeters. Bluetooth is also offered.

To sum up, this does make a case for the 2nd car in house and primary everyday office go-er. But Rs.5.96 lakhs comes with a big catch - it is after subsidies that the Delhi state govt is giving. Rest of the country it costs more than 7 lakhs in its home market(Bangalore) and this is not exactly cheap. On the other side, 50 paise per km running cost is drool worthy. Added to it are negligible maintenance costs as electric cars have no engine, clutch, carburetor, belts, filters, radiators and hence there is hardly any topping up of fluids which means lesser chances of inefficiency, lower costs and a greener planet. Just a yearly check up at your premises promises Mahindra.  Like all other electric cars, this doesn't use power being stuck in traffic apart from the nominal consumption of air conditioner and music system, so you can stay cool without the guilt of idling. The battery would cost Rs.1.5 lakhs and Mahindra says it would last around 5 years on normal usage. That is a big recurring cost but one can save around 85000 rupees per year in comparison to a petrol car. But how green it really would be being run on our primarily dirty coal electricity grid. One can argue that cities would get cleaner and pollutants are better controlled in a power plant while electric car critics question it and the recyclability of lithium batteries. Mahindra hence offers solar panels which can setup by them at your home or office and you can get free and zero carbon charging. That option again comes with another 1.5 lakhs bucks. Electric cars are undoubtedly the future, but there is a lot to be done for that. Greening the grid would be a start. Increased investment in solar and wind power solutions is definitely a promising sign. Development in battery technology is the biggest challenge. Researchers are trying to make batteries that can give a range of 500-1000 km to electric cars and that would be the holy grail. As per the E2O, if only you get the subsidies, this makes sense if you need an easy to maneuver, automatic, green, low running cost and most importantly doesn't consume power when being stuck in traffic,solution to go to office everyday in heavy traffic.