Photography: Shrenith Bhandary
When the country’s largest car maker gears up to launch its first ever EV, you know this isn’t merely a new electric vehicle going on sale. And that’s because Maruti Suzuki is always known to dominate segments it is present in, whether traditional ones or new-age ones like EVs. So, before we even saw the e VITARA in the flesh, we knew there’s a lot of behind-the-scenes action going on at Maruti Suzuki, besides readying the product itself. And that includes setting up of a charging network that’s as robust as Maruti’s unmatched dealer network. Of course, it is no secret that Maruti is aiming to ensure that buying the e VITARA feels as natural to prospective buyers as walking into its dealerships to buy one of its ICE-powered cars, and thus ensure buyers have to never worry about charging or range anxiety.
And to experience its charging network, Maruti Suzuki invited publications to drive the e VITARA in various legs, as part of its ‘India Goes Electric’ drive. Four e VITARAs were flagged off to head East, West, North and South, and interestingly for us, TURBOCHARGED was part of ‘Team Srinagar’, meaning we drove the e VITARA in some of the most beautiful parts of India! Our leg was short, as we were to drive from Srinagar to Jammu which is a distance of about 250km, but this was arguably a very important leg, as it involved driving in some of the northern-most parts of the country. Our journey started off from Maruti Suzuki’s Nexa dealership (JamKash Vehicleades) in Srinagar, in peak winter, but the warm welcome by the staff there ensured we were perfectly comfortable.
The e VITARA had been plugged in to the 60kW DC fast charger at the dealership before we got there, meaning we were ready to hit the road as soon as it was charged fully. It’s worth noting that Srinagar is one of the northern-most cities of India but not only does Maruti Suzuki have a Nexa showroom there, besides its Arena dealerships, but it has also installed a fast charger there already! Given the e VITARA’s ARAI-certified range of 543km per charge I knew we wouldn’t need a charging stop on our way to Jammu, but I sure was curious about its real-world range since we are yet to conduct a real-world test. As I started driving, the SUV offered a sense of familiarity given its progressive throttle responses and smooth yet powerful acceleration, even reminding me of powerful turbocharged petrol engines with its linear grunt.
Air temperatures were in single digits but the e VITARA’s 61kWh battery pack seemed unaffected by the cold weather. Progress was rapid as the highway was devoid of traffic, which also gave me a chance to make the most of the e VITARA’s 174PS motor. Jammu sits at a lower altitude than Srinagar, meaning you’re driving downhill most of the time, and this allowed me to make the most of the e VITARA’s regenerative braking. It was also getting a lot of attention on the road, as many seemed puzzled by the fact that this was a Maruti Suzuki with a green number plate! The winding sections of the highway allowed me to experience the e VITARA’s planted feel and confident handling, with the suspension letting me attack corners with gusto, while the steering offered ample feel and feedback.
Maruti Suzuki’s ‘e For Me’ app, which will list all of its own chargers besides thousands of third-party fast chargers, told me that the Nexa dealership in Udhampur that was on my way to Jammu has a DC fast charger installed and functional already! I still had around 60 percent charge left thanks to the e VITARA’s regenerative braking and excellent battery management system, but couldn’t resist a quick pit stop to test the charger. The staff at Nexa, Udhampur (J&K Vehicleades) was very excited to see the e VITARA in the flesh, and besides checking it out, they also had lots of questions for me about the SUV! With a quick top-up done I headed to the Nexa dealership in Jammu, which has a DC fast charger in place just like Srinagar and Udhampur.
Now what’s really worth noticing here is that I was in some of the northern-most parts of the country, and not in the heartland, but across the 250km I had driven in Jammu and Kashmir Maruti Suzuki has three DC fast chargers installed already. I’m told the manufacturer is installing thousands of DC fast chargers like these across India, at its own dealerships and service centres besides shopping malls, restaurants, hotels and the like, even before the e VITARA hits showrooms! And as the country’s largest car maker, this proactive approach is sure to help Maruti democratise EVs. I had only experienced a teaser of the manufacturer’s plans on the front as part of Team Srinagar on the India Goes Electric drive, but it is obvious Maruti Suzuki is aiming to dominate the midsize electric SUV space by leveraging its ultra-wide network of touchpoints already!
