These are of course the long-term benefits of the technology but one of the major obstacles faced by carmakers in bringing in more hybrid and electric cars in India is the lack of infrastructure to support the technology. Owning and maintaining one these cars is not exactly easy on the wallet and that is because of battery prices as well as electricity consumed. Another major reason is that a major sect of Indian consumers aren't convinced about this technology and there are those who are sceptical about buying a hybrid car. However, there is a move towards buying hybrid cars and there is evidence to support this. Of all the Camrys, Toyota has sold in India, 70 per cent of the sales have come from hybrid cars and that is a big number. So, there is a shift, yes, but there needs to be a strong push from all manufacturers in this direction.
Currently, some of the key players in the hybrid and electric vehicle space in India include - Mahindra, Toyota, BMW, Maruti Suzuki, and Hero Electric among other small players. While Mahindra offers electric vehicles like the Reva e2o and the newly launched e-Verito, fellow Indian manufacturer Hero Electric, does the same in the two-wheeler space with its range of electric scooters. On the other hand, Toyota invested in hybrid technology with the Camry Hybrid, while Maruti Suzuki went for mild-hybrid technology with the Smart Hybrid Vehicle Form Suzuki (SHVS) in its Ciaz sedan and Ertiga MPV. Whereas, BMW entered the race with its hybrid supercar i8 and also plans to bring the i3 to India soon.
Among the upcoming cars with hybrid and electric technology we have the Honda Accord Hybrid and Volkswagen Passat GTE, both of which will be launched in India by the end of 2017. Among home-grown carmakers, Tata Motors is also planning to enter the electric car space soon.
