Tatas plan hybrid Indica, buses for go green' drive
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11/02/2008
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Asian Age
After the Rs 1-lakh Nano, Tata Motors is now embarking on another path-defining move to come out with electric and hybrid vehicles in both passenger, including its flagship Indica, and commercial segments. According to industry sources, the company is working on blended fuel, partial and complete hybrids, electric vehicles and hydrogenpowered vehicles, some of which could be commercial ly produced by 2011. The company is working on a petrol-electric hybrid vehicle capable of delivering about 20 km per litre complying with BS III and IV emission norms that could be applicable to Indica and its variants and also a possible adaptation of the concept to other platforms in future. Moreover, the sources said Tata Motors is also working on five prototype electric vehicle using lithium ion batteries to be produced on the Indica platform, which could have a range of 200 kilometres per charge. The company is also working on fuel cell-based bus, which could have application on high capacity city buses and inter-city buses initially. The travel range between re-fuelling could be around 250 km, the sources added.