‘Range worries keep EVs as second cars’

Customers are still hesitant to buy electric vehicles (EVs) as their primary car due to concerns around public charging infrastructure, accuracy of driving range and assured resale value, issues that largely remain unresolved, said Maruti Suzuki India Senior Executive Officer (Marketing & Sales) Partho Banerjee.

- DEEPAK PATEL

Maruti Suzuki, which plans to launch its first electric vehicle, the e Vitara, in the domestic market next year, is seeking to address these concerns as it works to strengthen the overall EV ecosystem in the country.

He noted that electric car penetration in India would increase only when consumers gain the confidence to buy EVs as their primary household vehicle. “We believe that the customer is not confident (about EVs). The initial products that were launched, and the experiences from those, have created a huge amount of negativity in the minds of people regarding the driving range,” Banerjee said, adding that most EV buyers currently use them as secondary vehicles.