Strong Hybrids are the future and not EVs says Maruti Suzuki Executive

A top Executive from Maruti Suzuki said that Strong Hybrids should replace ICE (Internal Combustion Engines) and shouldn't be considered an alternative to pure EVs. Rahul Bharti, Executive Officer, Corporate Affairs, Maruti Suzuki India said EV share sales would not reach 80 percent or 100 percent of the automobile market even in the next 10 to 15 years.

Hybrids have both an internal combustion engine and an on-board electric motor, which operate together to generate motive power. Bharti said. "It was reported incorrectly that in a strong hybrid, the driver or the user has the option to run in pure IC engine mode. That is not true. In a strong hybrid electric vehicle, it is the computer that optimises both the drivetrains, the IC engine and the battery motor combination and there is no option given to the driver to run in pure ICE mode".

Regarding Maruti Suzuki automobiles, he stated that the powerful hybrid models of the Grand Vitara emit 26 percent less CO2 and have a 36 percent higher fuel economy than the ICE model. The Invicto improves energy efficiency by 44 percent while reducing CO2 emissions by 30 percent.

Maruti Suzuki doesn't actually produce their own strong hybrid system though. In the case of the Grand Vitara while the car and the engine are produced by Maruti Suzuki, the strong hybrid system comes from Toyota who retail the Urban Cruiser Hyryder with the same powertrain. The Invicto on the other hand though is completely produced by Toyota and is actually a rebadged version of the Innova Hycross.

Even India as a country recognises the need for more Hybrid vehicles as Nitin Gadkari has already expressed his view on the matter. Gadkari said that at present there is a 5 percent GST on electric vehicles and a 48 percent GST on hybrids. That number seems very unfair as Hybrids although not as clean EVs are far better for the environment than purely internal combustion-based vehicles. The Union Minister has said that this number should be reduced to just 12 percent soon as he intends to promote the sale of hybrid and electric vehicles.

Currently, brands like Tata Motors, Mahindra and MG Motor India are pushing for more EVs but that doesn't seem like to be the way ahead. Mahindra has already stated that they are keeping a close eye on hybrid tech and maybe in the coming years we could see a hybrid vehicle from the brand.

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