Tata Motors goes for hybrid, electric cars

With uncertainty around diesel engines because of rising pollution in the cities, Tata Motors is moving towards hybrids and electric vehicles. The Mumbai-based company, traditionally been dependent on diesel engines, is working on partial hybrids and fully-electric systems for its future range of passenger vehicles. It is also working on a new generation of less-polluting petrol engines.

High cost of batteries has always been a deterrent in the success of electric cars. However, with China investing heavily in electric vehicles, the cost of batteries has begun falling. China is also battling with record-high pollution in its cities, leading to a mass interest in electric cars.

“We have worked across, for our passenger and commercial vehicles, on hybrid technologies and battery electric technologies. The barrier to electric technology is the high cost of batteries. Battery costs have started to come down. The rate of reduction cost is accelerating. We have always seen hybrids as a path towards this type of technology and we will see this getting integrated into our future vehicles,” said Timothy Leverton, president and head, advanced product engineering, Tata Motors.

In September, car market leader Maruti Suzuki launched a mild hybrid version of Ciaz, with a 1.3-litre diesel engine. The combination of electric-diesel power plants helps the sedan deliver a company-claimed 28.09 km/litre.

Though the initial purchase price is higher, mild hybrids are moere cost-efficient, delivering superior mileage without compromising on power and performance.

Sports utility vehicle market leader Mahindra & Mahindra has put micro-hybrid technology in its Bolero and Scorpio, resulting in improved fuel efficiency of five-eight per cent.

Tata Motors

Mahindra India