Although Chetan Maini could have a winner up his sleeve with India's first electric car, success will eventually depend on its price and performance. He was always a bright spark. Eighteen years ago as a sixth grader in Bangalore's St. Joseph's Boys' School, Chetan had designed his first car: a remote-controlled, battery operated toy that won him the first prize in the school's science exhibition. Now, at 30, Chetan is revving up for the September 2000, the launch of his first real car: the REVA. Chetan prototyped the battery-operated vehicle incidentally, India's first electric car - back in June 1996.

The third and youngest son of Sudarshan Maini - the Chairman of the Rs. 80 - crore Maini Group - Chetan picked up the technical competence that went into the creation of the REVA while graduating from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, with a special focus on solar-powered vehicles, which he followed up in graduation school with work on hybrid electric vehicles.

Then came 6 months on internship at General Motors' electric vehicles factory, topped up by two-and-half years as project manager in Amerigon Inc., a California-based R&D outfit specialising in electric cars.

Fact File
Name: Chetan Maini
Education: B.Tech.(Mech), M.Tech., University of Michigan
Business: Manufacture of electric cars
Initial investment: Rs.87 crore
Experience: Intern at GM, US, 1989-90;Chief Engineer, Electric Car Project, Amerigon, 1994-96
Employees: 75
Work-style: Open and hands-on
Managemant credo: Leadership by working with shopfloor people as one of them
Hobbies: Scuba diving, mountain biking, and playing squash

Obviously, Maini couldn't possibly have done anything else but create his own electric car.

As he puts it: " Cars are my passion, and the REVA is my dream that will soon become a reality." The ignition key on the dream project was turned in June 1994, when the REVA Electric Car Company (RECC) was incorporated with Amerigon - which helped develop the chassis - contributing 32 per cent of the Rs. 5.80 crore equity, and the rest held by Maini Precision Products and Maini material movements. Ready market That there is a market for an electric car has never been in doubt. The only road block so far has been the inability of automakers to design an electric car that converts electrical power efficiently enough into motive power to keep running costs low. So, is the Rs. 87 crore that RECC has invested in developing the REVA going to result in a vehicle that can circumvent this road block?

Says Hormazd Sorabjee, 35, Auto analyst, and Editor, Autocar India: "If REVA's claim of keeping the running costs at 40 paise per km is achieved, the car will be attractive to cost conscious consumers who are ready to compromise on the limitations of an electric car." Sure, Maini has ensured that the potential customer has a say in designing the REVA: the feedback from 3,000 people across cities, has been used to set the design parameters for the car. The dimensions of the car - the 2- door vehicle, ideal for ferrying 2 adults and 2 children, is 21 per cent shorter and 8 per cent narrower than the Maruti 800 - are good for urban maneuverability. But the factors that could make the REVA a high voltage success - or short-circuit it - are economy and efficiency.

Low running costs The REVA power comes from eight 6-volt lead acid batteries that, when fully charged, can run upto 80 km. As re-charging the battery costs Rs. 32, that works out to a running cost of 40 paise per km., compared to Rs. 2.15 - based on petrol prices in Bangalore and a mileage of 15 km/litre. - for the Maruti 800. Says Sudarshan Maini: "It's like running a car at the cost of a two-wheeler."

Not quite. Factor in the replacement cast of the battery - Rs. 25,000 after 40,000 km - and the operating cost over a running distance of 40,000 km works out to 90 paise per km.

Still, that's much lower than that of a conventional competitor's. And the Mainis expect to peg the price of the REVA, once their 20,000 units-a-year. (single shift), Rs 18-crore factory near Bangalore goes on-stream in 20002, at Rs.1.75 lakh. If the upside is so strong, what could possibly dent the REVA? For starters, the need to limit the payload of a laden car to 227 kg will shut out all but nuclear families from its target market. Comments Sorabjee: "The limited siting capacity will restrict REVA's market to very small families." Shrugs Chetan: "I think we get enough number on this segment." However, a larger car is on RECC's drawing boards too.

The bigger problem is recharging. The power pack needs 8 hours for a complete re-charge - although 80 per cent replenishment is possible in 3 hours - which effectively limits its usage. All this adds up to a need to position the REVA as a city car for the small family - ideally, a second vehicle. And this could shrink its market. Aware of that, Chetan is starting small, with Bangalore - and with a target of 1,500 cars in the first year - and will move in to other towns in the second year, when he hopes to sell the 3,000 units.

During this period, the car will be produced at a makeshift assembly unit until the new factory is ready. Given RECC's modest targets, meeting those numbers my not be difficulty initially. But only after the REVA proves itself, can Chetan claim to have created an electrical storm in the country's automart.

COMPARISON OF REVA VS MARUTI 800

** mm - millimeter, Nm - Newton meter, Rpm - revolutions per minute

- Dilip Matra