If you know about the Indian car maker Reva, it's probably becasue of the G-Wiz, that tiny icon of the EV scene (if you're not familiar with the G-Wiz, this is the place to start). In October, Reva's chief technology officer, Chetan Maini, told Business Green that the company hopes to ramp up production capacity to 30,000 vehicles a year. This is a tall order, as the Hindu Businessline says that Reva expects to sell just 750 cars this year. So, what's so bright on Reva's horizon that has the CTO so confident? One new model a year for the next thee or four years (and these will be larger vehicles - how could they be smaller?), the possibility of moving to a battery leasing scheme, and modular concepts that will allow Reva to build the new models without the seven year-long R&D period that the G-Wiz had.


[Source: Business Green via Green Car Congress]

Above: Mahindra's Appalachian pickup truck

Right now, the Reva G-Wiz has the Indian electric car market cornered. Rumors indicate that this may not be the case for long, though, as both Tata Motors and now Mahindra - India's two largest automakers - both have plans in place for zero-emission vehicles of their own. While we've heard about Tata's plans for both electrically-driven and air-propelled Nano microcars, this is the first we've heard of an EV from Mahindra, the company which has been making news with its plans to introduce new diesel and hybrid trucks and SUVs into the American market.

Mahindra's new EV would come with four seats, making it eminently more practical than the Reva. According to reports, the automaker would first launch the vehicle in its home market of India, which would act as a test-bed for the technology, before exporting to other countries. Would the U.S. be one of them? Time will tell, and consumer opinion over Mahindra's upcoming trucks and 'utes will likely play a big role in finding an answer.

[Source: CarTradeIndia.com]

Endesa, a Spanish-based (Italian-owned) utility company will be soon distributing to its customers in Santiago Chile an EV car. The model, the Reva EV (which we tried in Barcelona last year) hasn't been much of a big seller in most of Europe (40 units in Spain) so the distribution via the own utility company in Latin America seems quite a good deal. The Reva is currently going through homologation procedures throughout Latin America, except Argentina. Endesa's subsidiary in Latin America, CAM, will not only sell the Reva but will also create charging stations once enough models are sold. Details about how the cars will be sold/leased are yet unknown.

[Source: Endesa via Econoticias]

The Reva Electric Car Company has officially made the REVAi (A.K.A. the G-Wiz i) available for sale in its native India. It has high expectations for sales of the improved award winner in its homeland, saying they would be very happy to sell 3,000 vehicles in Delhi this year. No doubt, since it has only sold 2,500 units so far in 13 other countries. They expect and are preparing for a sharp increase in demand as the company plans on quintupling its production capacity from its current 6,000 units per annum to 30,000 by the end of this year, although it may actually take a full three years to ramp up to those output numbers.

Besides not having an expensive-to-fill gas tank, REVAi sales may also benefit from several tax incentives. There is a 15 percent subsidy on the base price, it's exempt from a 12.5 percent value added tax (VAT), and, in Delhi, it gets a refund of a road tax and registration fees. After all the discounts, Indians are looking at a base price of Rs299,000 (US$7,000) for the 50 mph capable, 80 mile ranging (50 miles with the A/C) vehicle. Future plans include adding a new model and new model variant in each of the coming years and possibly the creation of something a bit bigger.

[Source: Automotive World]

At first we thought somebody out there was exercising their ninja photoshop skillz but then it occurred to us that those folks would probably not be busying themselves with the likes of the G-Wiz. No, this had to be the product of a mind so sick, so twisted, that it created the original Reva G-Wiz, on which this pick-em-up truck appears to be based, to begin with. Luckily, we live in the age of the internets and after sending out a correctly formatted query down a tube, back shot the hoped-for response.

From a page created somewhere back in the mist of time (2006) came the reassuring news that this crime sin peccancy iteration of the G-Wiz was a one-off built as a test bed for a phosphoric acid fuel cell. This cell used methanol instead of hydrogen as an energy source and negated the need for a hydrogen storage system. Of course, it also created the need for a methanol storage system but that's beside the point. Since nary a peep has been heard about this creation since an article describing the project was published by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, we feel it's safe to assume the concept has been put to rest. If you want to make sure that this is the case you'll have to pick up a copy of the latest magazine published by the Battery Vehicle Society (BVS) and look for an article about the truck written by Mike Boxwell.

[Source: G-Wiz Owners Club]

The Tata Nano made headlines as the world's least expensive new car and it's now facing a new challenger that's battery powered. The Ajanta Group is better known for making clocks but they also build electric scooters and bikes. The Gujarat-based Ajanta wants to get into the car business with an electric vehicle that's cheaper than the Nano. Ajanta group director Jaysukh Patel seems to think they can just transfer their electric bike technology to a car and produce 70 percent of the parts in-house, saving money. That seems a little unrealistic - even in India - unless what they are planning is closer to a neighborhood electric vehicle than a real car. For a price under $2,500 the car will almost certainly be relegated to lead acid batteries and very short range. It will be interesting to see how Ajanta's new EV compares to the Reva G-Wiz which is also built in India.

Gallery: Tata Nano: The People's Car

[Source: Times of India]

Often when a product is "new and improved" the upgrades are mostly to the packaging. In the case of the Reva G-Wiz, the ever popular letter "i" added to its moniker gives us the external change while the majority of improvements lay unseen beneath the dent- and scratch-proof ABS body panels. This doesn't mean they will go unnoticed as evidenced when Danny Fleet of EV vlog, Danny's Contentment, takes us for a spin in his latest test-driving episode. He catches even the subtlest of differences like the curve of the windshield and the heavier "thunk" of doors that have been modified with better side impact protection.

Many of the changes in the new Wiz are safety oriented but there are performance improvements as well. Top speed has increased to 50mph while the acceleration is smoother and quicker. Range is now just short of 50 miles in the cool climes of the British Isles but, of course, YMMV. Check out the London retailer, GoinGreen for the complete rundown of the technological advancements.

Watch Danny in all is test-driving glory after the jump. Also check out the bonus videos of G-Wiz crashes before and after the improvements.

[Source: Danny's Contentment]

Reva Electric Car Company (RECC) says it will launch a new electric car by the end of the year and a new electric car (or variant) every year after that. Reva also says they have built a plant with a 33,000-unit capacity, five times their current capacity. The cars will be exported all over the world, wherever there is new interest in the environment and tax breaks, says Reva. Here is exactly what Reva's deputy chairman and chief technology officer, Chetan Kumaar Maini says:

We will launch one new vehicle and one variant every year and by the end of 2008 calendar year, we will rollout another electric car with more advanced features, and fitted with a battery that can traverse wider distance. ... Governments across different countries are offering incentives for electric vehicles. With such fiscal benefits and growing awareness, the market for these vehicles will expand globally as well as in India

Reva's electric car, the G-Wiz, is very popular in countries like the UK and Japan. G-Wiz, which actually qualifies as 4-wheelers and don't require crash testing, were upgraded last year after crash tests showed the cars were not very safe. Top Gear's Jeremy Clarkson, in particular, gleefully pointed out the G-Wiz's faults, at one point crashing the car into a dinning room table. The table did not move while the G-Wiz crumbled.

Related:

• Video: Jeremy Clarkson reviews G-Wiz
  
• Test of the tiny, all-electric G-wiz and NICE Mega City (VIDEO)
• AutoblogGreen's mini test drive of the Riva EV
• Moderate speed crash in Indian EV likely to be fatal
• G-Wiz gets some safety upgrades, still not a car
• Jeremy Clarkson takes on the Reva G-Wiz

[Source: Domain-b]

Host of the British car show Top Gear might reasonably called the John C Dvorak of automotive journalism. Love him or hate him, he's never dull. He can be something of a curmudgeon and he's usually controversial. Clarkson is a gentleman of considerable height and he recently had the misfortune of testing a Reva G-Wiz.

We've written about the Reva on several occasions including our own Xavier who had an opportunity to drive one recently. Aside from being battery powered, it doesn't really seem to have much to recommend it. Clarkson doesn't hold back in his assessment for the Times of London. About the best thing he has to say about it is that it does have a radio. Clarkson sums up the performance and size with "this is the first car I've driven that seems to have no top speed at all. It's like walking, only less comfortable." Check out the rest of his review at the Read link.

[Source: Times of London]

We don't use the word "quadricycle" around here much. But over in the UK, quardicycles are a specific vehicle type defined as "a vehicle with four wheels whose unladen mass is not more than 400kg (excluding batteries if it is an electric vehicle) and whose maximum continuous rated power does not exceed 15 kW," according to the Department for Transport. Basically, a teeny-tiny NEV (just right for Elton John).

Yesterday, the DfT said it wants a review of the European safety regulations for these vehicles now that they're becoming more popular. The original standards were set up at a time when no one thought that vehicles that fit the technical definitions of a quadricycle, like the REVA G-Wiz EV (pictured), would be used much. Now that this is coming to pass, DfT says it's time to take another look.

in response, GoinGreen, the UK importer and retailer of the G-Wiz, released a statement today saying the G-Wiz "has an exemplary safety record" and "no reported serious injuries." But, if you must test, then "we welcome any informed debate or Government initiatives to make quadricycles an even safer means of urban transport."

Official statements from both organizations are after the break.


Related:

• G-Wiz EV AC has greater range and higher top speed

[Source: Department for Transport, GoinGreen Ltd.]

We've previously covered the sad tale of a Reva electric car that had to be crushed in Australia because it was never certified for sale there and couldn't be licensed. The Indian made Reva cars have been available in England for some time and can even be rented there. Now comes word that they will soon go sale in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. The company website quotes it as being a four seater, though the back seat is strictly for minors.

The base version is rated as having a 50-mile range, with a high-end model getting 90 miles per charge. The 48V worth of lead acid batteries of the base model can be fully charged in eight hours with an eighty percent charge in 2.5 hours from a 230V outlet. It's unknown at this time if the animal print finish will be standard or an extra cost option. The 40mph top speed will definitely preclude these machines from using the autobahn.

[Source: Edmunds, thanks to Davide for the tip]

Indian electric car manufacturer Reva has just scored additional investments of $20 million from Draper Fisher Jurveston and Global Environment Fund (GEF). Reva's cars are currently available in UK, Italy, Malta, Sri Lanka, Cyprus and Greece, but not in Australia. The new money will be used to expand their production and distribution capacity, and develop new models. According to GEF president and CEO Jeffery Leonard this is the fund's first investment in an electric vehicle manufacturer. The Reva has a range of about 50 miles and a top speed of 40 mph.

[Source: TechWhack.com via Hugg]

Last week AutoBlogGreen ran a story about an Indian built electric car that is due to be crushed in Australia because it has not been certified. The owners had imported in on a temporary import certificate that expires this week. Under Australian law, cars must be crash tested before they can be registered. Reva has not certified their cars, so individual importers must do it.

The Western Australian government agreed to test the car there, but the federal government rejected the offer. Federal Roads Minister Jim Lloyd said that more information about the test procedure, and issues like insurance and any conditions or restrictions that would be put on the use of the car before approval could be granted. The idea of crash testing a single vehicle never seemed very practical and now this particular car seems to have run out of road.

[Source: ABC News Online, hat tip to John Stockard]

The electric cars built by the Indian manufacturer Reva aren't legal on Australian roads right now, but the Aussie Green party is trying to change that. So far the Australian based importer the Reva, the Solar Shop, has made no attempt to test the car for compliance with Australian safety regulations so the cars can't actually be registered for road use. The Green party wants the government to allow the car in spite of safety concerns. Roads Minister Jim Lloyd has said he is open to discussing the issue with the owners of the only Reva currently in the country, but the vehicle needs to undergo some testing before approval. The car, which was imported under a special one year license, may need to be crushed as soon as the license expires. Lloyd however, says that such drastic action may be unnecessary and they are still discussing the issue.

[Source: SMH]

Just as the documentary "Who Killed the Electric Car" opens in Australia, the country's only electric car may have to be exported or crushed due to government regulations.

A local businessman wants to import and sell the REVA, also known as the G-wiz, but the test evaluation import license expires in November. If a decision to allow the vehicle in the country isn't made before then, laws call for it to be crushed or exported. According to a story inthe Sydney Morning Herald, the West Australian government is considering another trial for the vehicle.

Apparently the Australian officials are classifying the REVA as a car and not a quadricycle as in Europe. As a car, the vehicle would have to pass stiffer crash tests. The businessman doesn't want to front the cost of three crash tests if the REVA must meet car standards.

[Source: Sydney Morning Herald]