Skoda To Introduce Fully-Electric SUV By 2020

Skoda will be adding a fully-electric SUV to its line-up by the end of this decade. The Czech automaker claims that development is already under way. The SUV will be based on Volkswagen's MEB battery-electric platform, that will also underpin other hybrids in VW's portfolio.

Volkswagen announced its 2025 strategy which included 30 new electric/hybrid vehicles. The MEB platform aims to provide 482km of range on a single charge, and cars will need only 15 minutes of charging time. The German automaker claims that costs will be lower than a relative combustion engine!

Skoda is developing the SUV ground-up, rather than converting an existing vehicle to run on electricity. Duncan Movassaghi, brand director at Skoda told Autocar UK: “It's easier to package something that was designed specifically to be an electric car. And electric cars will be more expensive (than petrols and diesels) for the foreseeable future, so it makes sense to produce a more premium model like an SUV.”

The electric cars will be developed with an aim to maximise interior space. For instance, the batteries are placed under the middle floor of the platform and not under the boot floor. This liberates space for an extra row of passengers. 

To make its existing vehicle a tad more polar-bear friendly, Skoda will launch plug-in hybrid variants of the Superb saloon and the new Kodiaq SUV.  It remains to be seen when the electric vehicles and even the Kodiaq, for that matter, reach Indian shores.