Ashok Leyland expects to launch the electric variant of its light commercial vehicle (LCV) Dost within a year.
The company had started work on the electric variant a couple of years ago. “This is now well in development,” said V. Sumantran, Executive Vice-Chairman, Hinduja Automotive, on the sidelines of a press conference to announce a conference on green trends in the automobile sector.
Bucking the slowdown in the commercial vehicle segment, LCVs have had a good roll. Ashok Leyland entered the LCV segment in 2011 and has since then seen a steady rise in sales.
In February, it nearly doubled Dost sales to 3,001 units (1,582 units). Incidentally, the company is also planning CNG and passenger versions of Dost.
Green technologies
Sumantran said Ashok Leyland is consciously working towards efficient green technologies, referring to its CNG buses in Delhi, Avia’s platform for electric buses in the US and Optare’s zero emission vehicles in the UK.
But electric vehicles alone are not the solution to a sustainable future, said Sumantran. Infrastructure and policies too have to match up. “Can malls and large office complexes be provided with the infrastructure? We need to figure how where and how people would recharge their vehicles.”
Apart from vehicle makers, the ancillary sector must also play an important role in making lighter parts which reduce emissions.
The recent Budget extends the period of concession for specified parts of electric and hybrid vehicles till March 31, 2015. More sustained, consistent policies are required, he said.
The auto trends conference, on March 8 in Chennai, will discuss the bottlenecks and solutions pertaining to a green future. It is being organised by the Confederation of Indian Industry.