Electric Wagon R To Be Priced Under Rs 7 Lakh

New Delhi: Maruti Suzuki is readying to launch an electric version of its popular tall boy Wagon R in 2020. The price of the car is expected to start under Rs 7 lakh after FAME (Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Hybrid and Electric vehicles) subsidies kick in, Autocar India reports.

The 2nd iteration of the FAME subsidies or FAME 2 is expected in the near future and this might reduce the prices further. The Wagon R EV currently would qualify for Rs 1.24–1.38 lakh subsidy.

The Wagon R EV will have a healthy full charge range of 200 kilometres which could be a boom for the electric car market in India. With an expected battery size of around 25 kWh, the car could be recharged to 80 per cent in 40 minutes using a DC fast charger.

The Wagon R EV will have a different exterior look but will get all the goodies from its petrol counterpart such as LED lighting, ABS, dual airbags, parking cameras, 7.0-inch touchscreen infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity. In short, everything other than tailpipe emissions.

Maruti had rolled out 50 Wagon R EV prototypes in September 2018 and conducted a rally in Gurgaon.

Our Take On The Electric Wagon R

The Electric Wagon R with 200 km range could jump-start the EV industry in the country, and draw more manufacturers to the EV space, which currently is also heavily dependent on the subsidies. Right now, the Mahindra e2o is the only other small EV in the market. It offers just 110 km on a single charge, and this along with the Rs 8-9 lakh price tag is the primary reason that it hasn’t found many takers. Also, the e2o is also scheduled to be discontinued this year as new safety norms are mandated. Apart from the e2o, Mahindra makes the e-Verito sedan which has a range of 140 km and is priced around Rs 11 lakh. Tata had supplied electric version of the Tigor to the government last year.