Indianautomaker start-up Vayve Mobility on Wednesday (January 11) unveiled a prototype of what it called the country's first solar-powered electric vehicle, as India's biennial car show kicked off on the outskirts of New Delhi after a year-long postponement due to Covid-19.
Named "Eva", the two-seater smart car comes with solar panels on its roof to provide additional charging on top of a battery pack, allowing the vehicle to run for up to 10 km (6.2 miles) a day, Vayve Mobility's chief operating officer Vilas Deshpande told Reuters. The company planned to launch the vehicle in the market in approximately 18 months, he added.
ALSO READ|International nuclear fusion energy project faces delays, say scientists
Firms from Kia to BYD and Tata Motors kept their focus on electric cars at theautoshow. Meanwhile Suzuki Motor Corp's India unit Maruti Suzuki and Toyota Motor showcased other technologies as well, in hybrid and hydrogen fuel cell vehicles.
The clean vehicle push comes at a time when the Indian government is looking to cut emissions and pollution in major cities while also reducing its oil import bill. India is offering companies millions of dollars in incentives to build electric vehicles (EVs) and their parts locally.