Japan to Witness the Introduction of Suzuki Swift Plug-In by the End of 2012

Reports suggest that the plug in hybrid of the Swift hatchback from Suzuki which was first unveiled at the Tokyo Motor Show in 2011, is expected to be rolled out in Japan by the end of current year. 12^th of May 2012 was the date when the Japanese Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism stamped its approval on the plug-in Swift proposal from Suzuki Motors. Under the approval the issuance of registrations and the licence plates will be made possible without physically producing the plug-in Swift to the ministry. The Suzuki Swift Hybrid will be deriving power from a 0.66-liter gasoline engine that will propel the electric power train, which is capable of producing a peak power of 55 KW.

Backing the electric motor will be the 2.66 KWh lithium ion battery pack that can easily run up to 15 kms without draining once it is charged to the full. The gasoline engine takes over the control after the battery is drained and simultaneously charges the battery pack and drive the power train. The Suzuki Swift Hybrid averages at 37.8 kmpl in fuel consumption. The time taken to charge the battery is as less as 1.5 hours with a power outlet of 100V and 1.0 hours with the power outlet of 200V. The smaller version of the plug-in hybrid is going to be light and compact because of the smaller battery pack.

The company is all set to ship the initial some units of the plug-in Swift Hybrid by the end of this year and make it go through the final testing regime at the dealers end only; so we can expect the commercial launch to be announced soon. In the meantime the Sanyo Electric made an announcement that states that the lithium-ion battery system powering the Suzuki Swift hybrid plug-in will be supplied by the company and this might pave the way for the Sanyo electric battery pack as well. Other auto-majors from around the world like Honda, Ford and Volkswagen Group are sourcing the plug-in battery packs for their hybrid vehicles as well.