Hyundai plug-in HYBRID car coming very soon to India

The Indian automotive space is going through a big change. The government’s decision to make the market more friendly for hybrid and electric cars is encouraging many manufacturers to bring such vehicles to India. Hyundai has recently announced that the company is considering the Ioniq plug-in hybrid car for India. The car will arrive here in 2017. Let’s find out what the car is all about.

What is Ioniq?

The Ioniq was unveiled earlier this year and is built on Hyundai’s zero-emission platform. The car comes with three types of powertrains – conventional hybrid, plug-in hybrid and fully electric.

The plug-in hybrid, which is being considered by Hyundai for India is powered by a 1.6-litre petrol engine that produces 105 Bhp and 147 Nm of torque. The internal combustion engine is supported by a 60 Bhp electric motor that feeds from 8.9 kWh advanced lithium-ion polymer battery. The hybrid vehicle gets a dual clutch 6-speed automatic transmission but there is no option for manual transmission.

The battery is charged through regenerative energy while the car is being driven. It also offers an all-electric mode in which it can cover up to 45 km. The battery can be also be charged through household power socket.

Will it make sense for India?

Why not! Hybrid vehicles are the future. The conventional petrol and diesel vehicles are facing a lot of ire from government bodies over pollution. To promote eco-friendly technologies like hybrid and electric, the government announced FAME scheme in April under which such cars can get up to Rs. 1.38 lakh incentives. The hybrid technology is also future-proof and would not be affected by the policies of the government in coming times.

Also, India’s power minister, Piyush Goyal announced that India has surplus power for the first time ever in history. With the power situation becoming better in the country, plug-in hybrid and electric vehicles would not have to worry much about power cuts.

Current hybrid cars available in India

As of now, Toyota Camry Hybrid is the only full-fledged hybrid vehicle available in the Indian market. It is also the only hybrid car that can run on the full-electric mode in India. In the mass segment, Maruti was the first company to launch the mild-hybrid technology in Ciaz diesel and then launched the diesel Ertiga in hybrid. Both the cars gain from the incentives and have passed on the lower price to the customers. The latest car to go hybrid in India is the Mahindra Scorpio. It also features a mild hybrid system.