Maruti Suzuki is probably the most common vehicle brand name in the country. The company is the market leader when it comes to consumer end affordable cars. Yet, despite being one of the biggest brands in its industry, the company is not very keen on introducing an electric car in the country.
The company might have its own logic of not leading the nations' EV drive. However, that doesn’t mean that as an end-user you cannot get a battery-operated Maruti Ignis or convert your existing ICE powered Maruti Ignis into an EV.
A Pune based EV workshop Northway Motorsport is making this possible. The garage has been in the news for selling electric cars for both commercial and consumer usage. It is now offering a Maruti Suzuki Ignis with an EV kit pre-fitted and is available at a starting price of Rs. 12,50,000 for the battery pack that offers a 12 km range – this could be ideal for intra-city driving.
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The company is also offering another variant with a slightly bigger battery that offers a range of 240 km/per charge. Though this one is slightly costlier and can be bought for Rs. 14,50,000. To clarify this is a Maruti Suzuki Ignis Alpha manual transmission model converted to an EV.
The ICE version of the car costs approximately Rs.7 lakh, however, the customized EV version is almost twice the price. One of the primary reasons behind this massive variance in price could be the third-party kit being used here and the company might be adding markups to make some profits. Though, this does pose a serious question – if a third party can, why aren’t the manufacturers stepping ahead? However, that question might need a separate article.
But, does getting an EV kit make sense?
Getting a third party electric kit for an old car or purchasing a brand-new car with a factory-fitted kit will always be a conundrum. While the former means that you’re not doing away with your prized possession and with the customization you are only helping the environment.
However, this modification doesn’t come cheap – which brings the cost of an old car equal to or at times more than a new one. The case in point is a Tata Nexon EV – which is not only the most sold EV in India currently but is also one of the cheapest ones as well.
Also, the reason why people are forced to use the services of third-party modders is because of the lack of options in the market. Most EVs are premium priced and there is hardly any EV that one can call affordable. Hence till the time car makers add more options, people will be forced to find alternate routes.
Aside, in case you’re thinking about such a modification, one of the most important things that one needs to consider is the state EV or Vehicle policy. A few states allow such customization and even offer benefits for switching to zero-emission mode, hence, it is best to clarify the same with the relevant authorities as well.
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