Maruti EV Training Program for ITIs to Boost Adoption

New Delhi, May 27 (PTI) Maruti Suzuki India on Tuesday said it has launched a comprehensive training program to handle high voltage systems required for electric and hybrid vehicles.

The customised training program has been introduced across 130 Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs) in 24 states and four Union Territories across the country, the country's largest carmaker said in a statement.

The training will serve as one of the critical key enablers in faster adoption of EVs in the country, it added.

The training programme prepares future automotive technicians to safely and efficiently handle high-voltage electric systems, addressing industry needs as the number of such vehicles increases in the overall car parc, the automaker stated.

Maruti Suzuki India (MSI) said it has invested around Rs 3.9 crore towards the initiative.

"We want to maximise adoption of battery electric vehicles (BEVs) in the country. When we researched the reasons for low adoption of EVs, one of the major hurdles in the minds of the customers was confidence in after-sales support," MSI Senior Executive Officer Corporate Affairs Rahul Bharti said.

The company's training programme will train more than 4,100 students every year, he added.

At the end of the course, these trained technicians are free to join Maruti Suzuki service network or any other OEM, Bharti said.

MSI plans to launch its first EV -- e Vitara in September this year and majority of the production in the first year is expected to go to overseas markets.

It already sells models with strong hybrid technology.