The
Maruti Future-S concept from Auto Expo 2018 gave us the Maruti S-Presso this
year. Now, a trademark filing unearthed by IAB has revealed that a new model
named 'Maruti Futuro-E' is in the works, and it could be an EV based on the
Maruti S-Presso.
The
trademark filing comes at a time very close to Auto Expo 2020. The Maruti
Futuro-E could very well be a concept EV scheduled for a world premiere at the
upcoming biennial motor show in Delhi, India. Maruti
Suzuki has been very vocal about its plans to launch an EV next year, but that
will be based on the WagonR. While this model will get the ball rolling, some
serious amount of interest in its EV technology among its private customers may
be generated with a model of SUV body style - the Futuro-E. Hyundai Motor
India, MG Motor India and Tata Motors also are preferring SUVs over cars to
pitch their expensive EV technology to their private customers.
The
Maruti Wagon R-based EV may use the same 72-volt system with a 10-25 kWh
lithium-ion battery as its test mules. It has been claimed to deliver a
real-world range of about 130 km. It will support fast-charging that allows it
battery pack to get fully charged in just 60 minutes. Using a regular AC
charger, it will take around 7 hours to fully charge the battery pack. For the
uninitiated, 50 prototypes have been deployed for road-testing.
Coming
back to the Maruti Futuro-E, it may come out in the calendar year 2021 at the
earliest.
