Very soon, General Motors (GM) is coming forward to develop an electric car for India on its own. It had to drop its plan for the electric Spark following a break-up with Reva. The American car maker, which is expected to launch the plug-in hybrid electric vehicle, Chevrolet Volt, in the US by the year-end, will certainly not bring the Volt to India.
In March, GM had said the eSpark would not reach customers by the promised date. It had also moved part of its operations back to Detroit, in an early sign of its faltering partnership with Reva. GM India president Karl Slym said it made little sense to continue working with Reva after it sold a 55 per cent stake to Mahindra & Mahindra because of Reva having (a new) owner, there really is no value for us in doing this India-specific exploration (with it).
GM and Reva came together in September to produce a battery-powered version of the Spark, a popular car in south Asia, which was meant for sale in India later this year.
If India wanted to become a big player in electric vehicles, it needed to increase its supply of batteries. It’s not the technology, it’s the battery that is the key to making an electric solution commercial. GM has the biggest battery development centre in the US and is now building a second one in China.
The company, along with other auto giants, has sought assistance from the Centre to develop infrastructure before they start launching electric cars. Without proper infrastructure, electric cars can not get success. GM India is planning to launch the diesel version of the Chevrolet Beat next year, is upbeat about tier-III and tier-IV cities.
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