Maruti Suzuki Keen To Build Charging Stations Across Its Service Centres
Gearing up to serve the customers of its upcoming maiden electric car better, Maruti Suzuki is deliberating on building charging stations across its service facilities in the country. The country’s largest carmaker, which is planning to launch its first battery electric vehicle by 2020, is expected to spend Rs. 3.5 lakh per outlet especially in tier-1 cities. At present, the company is running around 3,300 workshops which will be ramped up further to 5,000 by 2020. It may be recalled that early this year, Maruti Suzuki MD Kenichi Ayukawa had announced that its first electric car will be rolled out by 2020.
According to sources privy to the development, “Maruti Suzuki has given feelers to some it's channel partners that will be building charging slots at its service facilities especially in tier-1 cities in the first phase. It will be a win-win situation for both as Maruti will be able to all the concerns of its customers who have range anxiety and the workshop owners don’t need to make any additional investments from their end. However, the talks are at a very nascent stage and may take ages to materialise.”
However, Maruti Suzuki spokesperson, when contacted by BW Businessworld stated, “We may not be able to comment on this subject at the moment.”
Meanwhile, media reports suggest that Maruti’s first zero-emission vehicle will be developed by its parent Suzuki Motor Corporation. A leading Indian business news and the online trading website has reported that it will be an all-new car and will not be an electric version of any of its existing cars.
R.C. Bhargava, Chairman, Maruti Suzuki maintained, “The target for EV push (by the govt) remains unchanged. It is just that the government has concluded it does not need any policy at this stage. Going forward, we need to have both electric cars and hybrids to realise the objective of minimising fuel consumption and reducing emissions. It is necessary for the country to develop an ecosystem for electric vehicles that includes manufacturing, reuse, and recycling of batteries, training people, charging stations/points, as well as sales and services of electric vehicles.”
Puneet Gupta, Associate director atIHSMarkit stated, “Maruti Suzuki has been dominating the India Auto industry for many decades now. It has an extensive dealer network in India and way ahead of the competitors. We think setting up of the charging slots across the service network can be a killer strategy for Maruti Suzuki as it will give it an edge over the others once it comes up with electric cars going forward in years to come. Also, this provides an opportunity for dealers to create another business which can also generate revenues from them.” Gupta further added, “In the year 2001, Maruti Suzuki introduced many new businesses like True Value, Accessories which acted as a strong foundation thus retaining its No. 1 position in India. Introducing charging slots and investment also shows the commitment of Suzuki brand towards Government of India, their policy and towards the public of India. We feel this is a small pilot on the National level and I think with this company we will be able to identify the challenges and opportunities that are lying underneath this business.”
