One of the biggest challenges for the company was to establish the technology in the market, as there were large numbers of myths associated with EVs. Considerable amount of time and energy was spent in educating the customers about the benefits of EVs in general and REVA in particular.

Safety and Reliability of an EV :
The general perception among people was that EVs are not safe. To counter this RECC took extra precaution in the design to incorporate many safety features – like the steel space frame, side impact beams, dent-proof ABS body panels, low voltage system, and dual braking system.

All these features lead to a very high level of reliability and safety. Today all our customers are convinced of the fact that EVs are safer than any of the conventional vehicles available on the road.

Fear of running out of charge in the middle of the road :
Many customers had this fear that without proper warning the car will run out of charge leaving them stranded.

To counter this REVA incorporates a number of warnings to ensure that the customer gets ample warning signals in the form of a warning display on the IP. For example, when the charge is down to 35%, REVA will move into the Economy (E) mode automatically. At this point, the “Low Battery Light” will come on.

This is due to the pre-programmed software in REVA’s Energy Management System (EMS) and motor controller. These warning signals ensure, as far as possible that the customer is never stranded on the road due to insufficient energy in the power pack.

When the charge in the power pack reduces to 25% state-of-charge the “Low Battery Light” starts flashing. At 15% state of charge, REVA automatically switches to Limp-Home Mode, limiting your acceleration and speed, enough to help you reach home or the nearest charging point.

Hassles of charging the car:

People felt that charging of EVs is quite cumbersome and not safe. This was so because of the large off board chargers used for charging majority of these cars. Since the heavy charger had to be literally taken to the car for charging, the whole experience of charging proved to be extremely cumbersome to the customer. REVA tackled this problem with an onboard charger.

Charging a REVA is extremely simple. It just requires a 15 Amp plug socket anywhere at office or at home. The onboard charger ensures the safety of the car in case of any voltage fluctuation or any electric spikes.

The auto cut off mechanism ensures that the customer does not have to worry about overcharging or any other issues related to charging. Customers using the car after a month often mentioned that it was more convenient to charge at home than to go to the petrol bunk!

Limitation of Range and size:

One of the most common myths associated with EVs is with respect to the range offered by them. It is usually felt that an EV offers low range and is not a viable option for city commutation. But contrary to this belief, it has been found that they are the most viable option for city specific transportation.

It has been proved in recent studies that more than 90% of people in most cities travel less than 40km a day and that too with just one co-passenger. This means that EVs like REVA (which take you as much as * 80kms on a single charge) are the best alternative for city commutation.

* conditions apply