The term "REVA" in Sanskrit means a new beginning. Conceptualised in India, the REVA (Revolutionary Electric Vehicle Alternative) uses technology of Amerigon of USA to provide it power through a Curtis controller, using 8 6-volt, deep cycle discharge tubular batteries that give it a range of 80 kilometers on a six hour charge. A charge of 2.5 hours can give it a 65 - kilometer range. The REVA despite its small size can comfortable seat four people with a bit of squeeze, its total payload being 228 kg. The car has a top speed of around 70 km/hr., which is what you can do at best in our city. The running chassis consists of a strong, self supporting, light weight space frame and includes the motor, an integrated power system, drive train, steering, suspension, brakes, wheels, tyres and high voltage systems. Over all this is stretched the REVA's basic body shell, made of Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (ABS) Polymer, one of the strongest materials known to man.

There is a large drop-down hatch, suspended by lifters. The left of the car has a socket in the place of a conventional fuel-filler cap, into which goes a special long wire, with one end plugging into a 15 Ampere household socket. For safety measures, the REVA has doors featuring side-impact beams, a specially developed steel frame, a frontal crush zone and energy-absorbing bumpers. Instrumentation in the REVA consists of just a speedometer and a fuel meter, which is basically designed to show how much charge is left in the batteries. There is also some space left in he boot at the back for your trips to the grocery store. This revolutionary vehicle no doubt makes for a sensible drive in our crowded and increasingly polluted cities.

-RANOJOY MUKERJI