Small, lean and lightweight: What is Suzuki's ‘energy minimization’ EV plan?

The first such electrical vehicle (EV) containing these lean batteries and efficient electric units will be launched in India in early 2025. The company aims to reduce the vehicle kerb weight (weight of a car without any occupant) by 100 kilograms over the next decade for its Indian and global markets.

Making lightweight vehicles that consume minimal energy to run and in the production process are Suzuki's key to meeting the Indian market's demand for cost-effective and reliable EVs, while helping the carmaker meet fuel efficiency targets set by the government.

Small battery packs will also make EVs more affordable and practical for everyday use, enabling Suzuki to attract a larger segment of price-sensitive consumers in India.

Also Read: Maruti Suzuki plans an affordable hybrid rollout

Toshihiro Suzuki, president, Suzuki Motor Corporation, in a presentation said that Suzuki will develop batteries that "use the minimum and necessary batteries without excess," ensuring high efficiency and minimal energy consumption. “Based on the philosophy 'Sho-Sho-Kei-Tan-Bi', Suzuki will minimize the energy used and reduce CO2 emissions to the utmost limit. This is our technological philosophy," he said in a technology strategy briefing held at the company.

Leadership in lightweight vehicles - what does this mean for India?

As of 2023, Suzuki's vehicles are among the lightest in the automotive industry, both in India and globally. Suzuki vehicles are, on average, 200 to 300 kilograms lighter than those of other manufacturers in Japan, India, and Europe​, Suzuki Motor said. A 200 kg reduction in kerb weight leads to 20% lower energy consumption during manufacturing, and 6% less consumption when the vehicle is being used, apart from bringing down the cost of materials required for production.

Maintaining this position is essential for Suzuki, particularly in the Indian market, where it holds the lion's share of the passenger vehicle segment, and depends on light-weighting techniques along with improved engine efficiency, as well as the use of alternative fuels like CNG and hybrid vehicle technologies to drive down emissions.

Maruti Suzuki does not have any electric vehicle in the market at present, and has also vacated the diesel segment since 2020 - its competitors, Tata Motors, Mahindra & Mahindra, and Hyundai Motor India have both the technologies in their portfolios.

SMC has said it will aim to further reduce the kerb weight of its vehicles by 100 kg over the next decade. “Smaller cars require fewer and lighter materials. If the car is lighter, the required power source can be smaller. For EVs, this means fewer and lighter batteries, smaller motors, and reduced use of rare earths and rare metals. For internal combustion engines, smaller displacement reduces both environmental and resource risks," Katsuhiro Kato, chief technology officer at Suzuki, said.

“Lighter cars have less impact on roads, reducing road maintenance burdens and the recycling burden," he added.

Besides designing small and efficient batteries for EVs, Suzuki will also focus on other carbon-neutral (alternative fuels), combined with high-efficiency internal combustion engines. In 2023, Suzuki had announced a high-efficiency engine (Z12E engine), which was launched in the new Swift unveiled earlier this year. “In the future, we will expand this high-efficiency engine technology and pursue efficient combustion of CNF fuels such as biogas and bioethanol", SMC said.

ADAS for congested Indian roads

India's urban areas are known for their heavy traffic congestion, posing a unique challenge for driver assistance technologies which are usually trained on data sets from more advanced, developed markets. Maruti Suzuki, which currently doesn't offer ADAS (advanced driver assistance systems) technology in any of its cars, says it plans to develop ADAS specifically for Indian conditions reflecting Suzuki's deep understanding of the Indian market.

Also Read: Maruti Suzuki may revamp small car portfolio

“In India, a key market for Suzuki, the unique traffic conditions and congestion, make it difficult to simply apply Japanese solutions. Leveraging Suzuki's 40 years of experience in India, we plan to develop andoffer ADAS that performs well even in the congested streets of Indian cities", Kato said.

Suzuki also said while it works towards developing software-defined vehicles (SDVs) that are fast gaining popularity, it will focus on “just right" technologies - that is, providing features users need while avoiding excesses.