Maruti's Harrier.EV Challenging Tech: Dual Motor AWD For eVitara Electric SUV [Video]
The Harrier.EV will become the first electric SUV in its segment to offer All Wheel Drive (AWD) when it launches later this week. The official TV commercial released by Tata Motors confirms that the electric SUV will come with dual motors. The Maruti eVitara, expected to be out by September, will likely give the Harrier.EV a strong fight. In many international markets, the eVitara has an AWD-equipped version on sale. Though not confirmed officially, the same could come to India in the future. The company calls its AWD tech 'AllGrip-e'. New videos released by Suzuki explain the its features in detail...
More About The eVitara's AllGrip-e Tech
Suzuki has based the eVitara on the new-age HEARTECT-e platform. The AWD version has two electric motors sitting at the front and rear ends of the skateboard. Each of these powers an axle. Tatsuhiko Kishi, the brake control engineer for the project says that the AllGrip-e features unique Suzuki technology. The front and rear motors are controlled with high precision to extract the best out of AllGrip-e.
The folks at Suzuki learnt that driving the front and rear axles simultaneously could deliver four-wheel performance comparable to that of the Jimny. The axles are controlled independently. This means that the drive power gets instantly re-distributed, as demanded by the situations and terrains around. If any of the wheels slip, the other gets the drive and the wheel without traction is even locked using brakes. The vehicle can also drive all wheels simultaneously.
The eVitara will come with a 'Trail' mode, which can be activated by pressing a dedicated button on the central tunnel. It is to be engaged on challenging and tricky terrains like sand, mud and snow. When engaged, it will activate the brake Limited Slip Differential (LSD) traction system.
'Brake LSD' applies brakes to the wheel that lacks traction, and redirects the power to other wheels. This helps the vehicle crawl out and continue moving forward. Suzuki has been testing the vehicle in two key locations- Shimokawa, Hokkaido, in Japan and a test course in New Zealand.
The eVitara will be Suzuki's first-ever EV with 4WD. It will offer selectable driving modes- Eco, Normal and Sport. In addition to these, there will be a 'Snow' mode as well, optimised for snowy roads and other slippery surfaces. It applies control to stabilise the vehicle on snowy surfaces. The eVitara will also feature selectable regenerative braking levels.
The AllGrip-E has a role to play in the eVitara's road performance as well. It optimises the torque distribution between the front and rear axles, to ensure maximum traction. The ESP further stabilizes the vehicle during hard acceleration.
The Harrier.EV's Offroad Abilities
Tata Motors calls the four-wheel tech on the Harrier.EV 'QWD'. It has two motors, one powering each axle. The carmaker seems to be eyeing more than just 'better traction' with the QWD. It is evident from the official TV commercial that the Harrier.EV will have good off-road abilities. It can climb serious inclines!
Tata has given the vehicle a dedicated 'off-road' mode, with various sub-modes like 'Rock Crawl' and 'Sand'. These will adjust the torque distribution and vehicle dynamics to best suit the road/terrains that the driver is in. The instrument cluster also shows the real-time torque distribution to the driver.
Furthermore, the manufacturer has also given the vehicle a 'Transparent Mode'- an adaptation of Land Rover Defender's ClearSight GroundView. The vehicle will even come with augmented reality (AR) technology which projects the wheels on the terrain it is on.
More About The eVitara's Powertrain
Maruti's first electric SUV will offer the choice of two battery packs- 49 kWh and 61 kWh- both sourced from BYD. The smaller of these will come mated to an electric motor that produces 144hp and 189Nm of torque. The 61 kWh unit will power the AWD variant. The dual motors here, will have a combined output of 184hp and 300Nm. The single-motor version, powered by the 61 kWh battery will have 174 hp on offer.