Electric and hybrid cars are still not a popular car segment owing to the lack of charging points and infrastructure in the country. Customer interest is yet turn in favor of electric and hybrid cars. One of the reasons for this is that there aren't many options to choose. However, the year 2016 saw carmakers taking bold steps to launch many electric and hybrid cars. The pollution issues in the country and FAME scheme of Central Government that provides subsidy for EVs and Hybrid cars further fuelled growth of the alternate energy using cars. Here is the list of electric and hybrid cars launched in India this year.
Mahindra E2o Plus
Mahindra Electric launched four door version of the E2o christened as E2o Plus in October. The car is priced from Rs 5.46 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi, post state subsidy and FAME incentive) and it can travel for up to 140km on a full charge. Offered in 4 trim levels -- P2, P4, P6 and P8, the E2o Plus required only 90 minutes for a full recharge.
The e2o Plus comes powered by an electric motor that is driven by 72V battery, which can generate 40bhp of power and 91Nm of torque in the top-end variant P8. While the e2o Plus P8 variant will offer 140 km electric range, the rest of the variants will have 110 km range.
Volvo XC90 T8 Excellence
Swedish carmaker Volvo has launched the XC90 T8 Excellence SUV at Rs.1.25 crore (ex-showroom Delhi) in September. The XC90 T8 Excellence is the first plug-in hybrid SUV in the country launched by any automaker.
The XC90 Excellence is built on Volvo's modular Scalable Product Architecture (SPA). The in-line 4-cyl 1969cc supercharged and turbocharged petrol engine in the XC90 Excellence develops 315bhp and 400Nm of torque. This powerplant is complement by a 9.2 kWh lithium-ion battery that powers electric motor develops 87bhp and 240Nm of torque. The combined output of the hybrid set up stands at 402bhp and 640Nm of torque. The powertrain is mated to eight-speed automatic gearbox offering three driving modes- Pure, Hybrid and Power. Volvo claims the SUV can sprint 0 to 100kmph in 5.6 seconds before reaching a top speed of 230kmph.
Honda Accord Hybrid
Honda Cars India re-launched the Accord sedan in India on October 25. In its latest version, the Accord is powered by a 2.0-litre Atkinson Cycle i-VTEC four-cylinder petrol engine coupled with two electric motors connected to 1.3 kilowatt-hour lithium-ion battery pack. The petrol unit can churn out a power of 143bhp at 6,200rpm and 175Nm of peak torque at 4,000rpm. It is mated to an E-CVT transmission. The combined output of the hybrid powertrain stands at 213bhp and it returns a claimed fuel efficiency of 23.1kmpl. The hybrid sedan has been priced at Rs 37 lakh, ex-showroom, Delhi.
Mahindra eVerito
Mahindra Electric launched eVerito, company's first electric sedan in India at Rs 9.5 lakh, ex-showroom, Delhi. The eVerito is powered by a 3-phase 72V electric motor that produces 40bhp and 91Nm of toque right from the start of acceleration. The company claims a top speed of 86kmph for the car, and a range of 110km on a full charge. With Mahindra's fast charge the car can be fully charged in less than two hours. According to Mahindra, the eVerito comes with a running cost of Rs. 1.15 per km. The eVerito also gets low resistance tyres and regenerative braking to charge the battery during braking.
Mahindra Scorpio Intelli-Hybrid
Mahindra & Mahindra launched a new mild hybrid technology equipped version of the new generation Scorpio in July. Priced at Rs Rs 12.84 lakh (Navi Mumbai, BS4) for the top-end S10-2WD model, the hybrid version of the Scorpio reduces fuel consumption by up to seven per cent by assisting the engine with electric power during acceleration. It automatically switches engine off while the vehicle is stationary (start-stop) and regenerates brake energy while applying brakes to charge the battery. The Intelli-Hybrid will be available on the 2.2-litre mHAWK engine in S4, S4+, S4+ 4wd, S6+, S8, S10-2WD manual and S10-4WD variants.
