Say Goodbye to pollution as India's first Electric car gets set to roll down the street this year. With monotonous grace, the petite car has been circumambulating a test track for the past one year. It purrs - quite literally - to the name REVA, which in Sanskrit means "a new beginning".

The country's first electric car, manufactured by the Bangalore based Maini group, is set to sashay centrestage this year. Almost 30 years ago Sudarshan Maini conjured the vision of a small car for city commuting. When his son Chetan Maini led a solar car team to victory in the GM Sun Race in 1990, it prompted Sudarshan to add electricity to his dream car.

In 1994 Sudarshan spoke to Dr. Lon Bell, chairman of Amerigon Inc. known for its work on Electric vehicles. "I convinced him that an electric vehicle for India made tremendous sense provided it was designed from scratch for the conditions here." Says Sudarshan, 66, chairman of the Maini group. Chetan, who had by then completed his mechanical engineering from Stanford University, was appointed as programme manager at Amerigon Inc. In 1996 a prototype of the REVA was unveiled at an auto show in Bangalore.

The two-door hatchback perfected at the cost of Rs.60 crore can seat four. With no clutch or gear, the cat runs at the turn of a knob. "Engine tuning, changing engine oils and filters replacing spark plugs and mufflers are things of the past," says Chetan 30, now MD of the REVA Electric Car Company Ltd. The car feeds on 48 volts of power transmitted by eight batteries resting beneath the seats. The cells have to be replaced within 3years or 40,000 km. An on-board charger uses volt power from a 15-ampere socket. "You are actually driving a hi-tech car with two computers on board," says Chetan, who holds a US patent on the RF Energy Management System for electric vehicles.

One computer controls the built-in stabilizer and auto shut-off mechanism, while the other monitors efficient energy management to enhance the range of 80 km. "The REVA can be charged overnight. If you are in a hurry, plug it in for 3 hours and it can travel 60 km," says Chetan. The "regenerative brakes" too charge the vehicle whenever the brakes are applied.

The dent-proof body panels, made of high impact ABS (acyronyln butydiene styrene), can be impregnated with any colour, eliminating the need for painting and making recycling easy. Moreover only 10 parts out of the 1,100 are imported.

The car will initially be launched in Bangalore. " Technology is accepted here," says Vijay Chandy, vice-president, marketing. "Bangalore has the highest number of two wheelers making it a potential market. The REVA will give them the mobility and convenience of a four-wheeler at the operating cost of a two-wheeler." Its running cost per kilometer, adds Chandy, will be 40 paise compared to Rs.2.50 for a petrol car.

To be priced at less than Rs.2 lakh, REVA will be targeted at students, housewives, retired people and corporate buyers. To begin with, the company will produce 1000 units. Nepal where about 300 electric autos ply, is a market the company is eyeing. Inquiries have also been coming in from Europe and the Middle East. Although the first Electric Vehicle was built in 1892, internal combustion engines were preferred.

Today major automakers like GM, Ford, Chrysler, Fiat and Toyota are spending huge amounts to develop electric cars, priced at $40,000 and more. Studies have shown that electric cars have a huge potential in India, Brazil and China, which have high levels of urban congestion and pollution.

"Mechanical hardware availability and low manufacturing costs will make the REVA a viable proposition here," says Chetan.

Only time will tell.

- Chetan Krishnaswamy