The electric vehicle trend in India is even though the nascent stage is on the rise as automakers are making headway into this segment. The likes of Tata, Hyundai and MG Motors have had decent success so far. However, homegrown automaker Maruti is yet to launch an electric vehicle in the country. Even as the company sells the electric iteration of its WagonR in the international market, however, there’s no official statement from Maruti about its probable launch in the homeland.
But someone unable to wait took things a step further by converting his brand-new Maruti Suzuki Dzire VXI into an all electric vehicle! The Dzire sedan purchased, last year, was converted from petrol to EV by Northway Motorsport, a company noted for converting several other petrol and diesel vehicles into electric models.
According to T-BHP, the Dzire conversion was an in-house project developed by the vehicle’s owner. The Maruti DZire EV now receives a 15kW motor that can peak up to 35kW. It produces 170 Nm torque that goes up to 842 Nm. The team also developed several battery packs for the DZire, it gets a 13kWh battery pack that is mounted in the fuel tank and the transmission tunnel. The company claims that the same battery can be enhanced to a 15kW pack in future. The transformed EV iteration uses this pack and has room to add an additional 3kWh that can be placed using the exhaust space, taking the total capacity to 18kWh.
The Maruti DZire has been water sealed at IP67 rating and receives a five-speed manual transmission, making it the first electric car in India to have a manual transmission. It also has a lightened flywheel and a usable reverse gear too. After the modifications, the Dzire sees a marginal reduction in overall weight by three (3) kgs from 950 kgs to 947 kgs.
Apart from the stock weight reduction, the converted Dzire also has VCU compatibility and also has full integration with all the CAN functions. Its instrument cluster, throttle pedal, power steering, ABS, airbags, EBD and other functions remain unchanged.
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The new DZire EV can be charged via a CCS 2 Port which is positioned in the place of the fuel nozzle behind the fuel filling lid. It takes around eight hours to charge from 0-100 by using a standard 15 Amp socket. The modified sedan can do a top speed of 160 km/h, while it can also take on a gradient of 34 percent and can tow a three-tonne vehicle with free rolling. It also claims to have a range of 250 km on a full charge and if driven at moderate speeds.
The air conditioning system uses a Brushless Direct Current Motor (BLDC). The radiator fan is functional and works to keep the battery packs and other electronics cool. The instrument cluster also shows all-important EV information. The tachometer indicates motor RPM, while the fuel gauge shows the battery levels. The temperature gauge shows the temperature of the battery and while the charging level is also featured on the cluster when the car’s engine is switched off.
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