REVA Electric Car Company

About REVA Electric Car Company Private Ltd (RECC)

REVA Electric Car Company Private Ltd. (RECC), based in Bangalore, India, was established in 1994 as a joint venture between the Maini Group India and AEV LLC, California USA, to manufacture environment-friendly and cost-effective electric vehicles. Seven years of R&D earned the RECC recognition in the form of 10 patents and a globally accepted product. REVA, India's first zero polluting Electric Vehicle for city mobility, was commercialized in June 2001.

The success of commercializing REVA at affordable prices stems from the support it has received from The Maini Group. The Group has been committed to producing zero-pollution transportation equipment and automotive components since 1984. RECC is guided by the "zero principle” of the Maini Group. Zero defects, zero time delays, zero inefficiencies and zero pollution. This is achieved through Zero Wastage and Zero Compromises.

The vision of RECC is to establish a tradition of excellence and leadership in environment friendly urban transportation by offering the best value and highest quality electric vehicles for city mobility.

About the REVA
The REVA is India’s first electric vehicle and was launched on May 11, 2001 after seven years of R&D and hailed as the most innovative and high technology product of the year. Over 1000 parts were designed using Pro/Engineer and the entire development was digitally executed in-house making the REVA 95% indigenous. RECC received ISO 9001:2000 Certification by the Det Norske Veritas (DNV) in August 2002.

REVA has been uniquely developed to use a lightweight tubular steel space frame that supports all the suspension and body components. The body is made out of lightweight dent-proof ABS plastic panels. The extruded sheets are thermoformed to the desired shape and have a high impact resistance. The large doors, a large crush zone in the front of the car provide further safety to passengers against impact. The battery pack position is so designed as to keep the center of gravity low and Dual-hydraulic & regenerative braking are added for additional safety.

The REVA has an onboard charger to facilitate easy charging that can be carried out by plugging into any 15 Amp socket at home or at work. An intelligent ‘low battery’ warning light and a fuel gauge that allows easy estimation of driving range ensure that the driver is not stranded. Customers can customize the design of their car by choosing from 2000 shades. Body colored bumpers and mirrors enhance its value.

REVA requires extremely low maintenance because of the minimum number of moving parts and the latest on-board diagnostic tools that store three years data and enable prompt service. This enhances efficiency, performance and high degree of reliability. Two on-board computers are provided for Energy Management and Data Acquisition for quick diagnostics and extend range by 15 % and battery life by 25%. RECC incorporates the latest in EV technology and cost effective manufacturing processes making REVA commercially viable at an offer price significantly less than that of EVs globally. REVA’s current models offer a top speed of 65 kmph and a range of 80 Km, thus ideally suited for today’s city mobility. REVA is easy to drive and most ideal for “stop-start” traffic conditions without a clutch and gear. It has a small turning radius making it easy to maneuver and park.


The REVA: A success in export markets
Besides being a zero-polluter, Reva has a competitive advantage over other global EV manufacturers because it offers the state-of-the-art EV technology priced significantly lower than other EV’s in the market. Last year Reva was the highest selling on-road electric vehicle globally. The existing model of the EEC-certified REVA is currently available in India and marketed in U.K. Italy, Malta, Sri Lanka, Cyprus & Greece. With over 1800 vehicles on the road, REVA is also being test marketed in USA, Norway, Spain and other European countries.

Several European governments are supporting the development and sales of Electric Vehicles.

In the U.K., G-Wiz (REVA is sold under the name G-Wiz in the UK) is supported by the government where owners are exempt from paying parking fees, congestion taxes, sales and road tax exemptions, 100% depreciation in the first year etc. There are 600 REVAs in London marketed under the name G-Wiz to date.

In France the Government gives 5,000 FF to each buyer of an EV, low road tax are applicable, 100% depreciation for corporates, 20% of all public transport has to be electric, free parking for EV’s, EV’s encouraged to be used as rental cars in public. No taxes are imposed on electricity used for charging EV’s.

In Italy, the state of Lombardy has decided to ban the sale of fossil fueled Vehicles from 2005. In the city of Torino only EVs are allowed on Sundays.

The Japanese government has announced a US$ 2,600 subsidy for the end user for buying a REVA. In the U.S., the Government gives upwards of $4,000 to each buyer of an EV. EV’s are given preferential parking areas earmarked, subsidy on the installation of charging infrastructure and incentives by power supply utilities provided.

In China, the Government has budgeted US $ 106 Million for EV projects. It has plans to have 1000 EV busses on road before the 2008 Olympics.

RECC is test marketing in United States of America, Malta, Switzerland, Norway, Norway and Ireland. Recently, RECC tied up with a large Sri Lankan conglomerate – Ceylinco Corporation to sell our cars there.

RECC & Fuel Cell Technologies
REVA Electric Car Company (RECC) has been working on future technologies, the Fuel cell technology is the next zero polluting and eco friendly alternate fuel solution of the future. President Abdul Kalam launched REVA’s fuel cell prototype on Technology Day in July 2004. Currently the REVA fuel cell car is a technology development and not meant for commercialization as yet. It is still at its nascent stage world over and companies are looking at solutions to make it commercially viable. REVA is one of the few manufacturers worldwide to work in this field and is joined by companies like General Motors, Honda and Toyota who have been working on this technology. In India REVA is the first company to develop Fuel Cell technology.

About the REVA-NXG
REVA-NXG is unique in that it has advanced capabilities in terms of speed and range. It is a two-seater roadster with an extended range of 200 kilometres per charge and a speed of 120 kilometres per hour. The car is powered by a high performance 37 kW AC induction motor that drives the front wheels, and uses Sodium Nickel Chloride batteries in lieu of conventional lead acid batteries for extended life. ‘REVA-NXG’s’ 4-wheel independent suspension with integrated regenerative and hydraulic braking system provides excellent handling and braking.

The car is fitted with a “wireless tablet”, an embedded appliance made by Encore Software that integrates into a high-resolution single touch-screen display system all vehicle dashboard functions such as Speed, State-of-Charge, Range and critical sensor inputs as well as personal communication tools such as GPS-based in-vehicle navigation, a GPRS Modem for internet and e-mail, and MP3 music.

‘REVA-NXG’ demonstrates India’s effectiveness in integrating EV technology, design, telematics, and manufacturing expertise in the most cost effective manner globally. It was launched at the Electric Vehicle Symposium in Monaco by Kapil Sibal in April 2005 and was unveiled in India at Technology Day in New Delhi on May 11, 2005 before Finance Minister P. Chidambaram and Union Minister for Science and Technology Kapil Sibal. RECC has no plans to commercialize REVA-NXG and are in the process of getting feedback from the public before taking any decision.