REVA,the car that runs on a battery

REVAi (REVA G-Wiz i in some markets) is an Indian electric car intended for use as a City car. More REVAs have been produced than any other currently selling electric car and sales are increasing. It is manufactured by the Reva Electric Car Co, in Bangalore, India, currently the world's leading electric car manufacturing company .

REVA is the brand of Reva Electric Car Company, a Bangalore based company formed as a joint venture between Maini Group of India and AEV LLC of California and venture backed by lead US investors Global Environment Fund and Draper Fischer Jurvetson.

The Reva is a small 3-door hatchback measuring 2.6 m (8 ft 6 in) long, 1.3 m (4 ft 3 in) wide and 1.5 m (4 ft 11 in) high. It weighs 745 kg (1,640 lb), including its 280 kg (620 lb) lead-acid batteries. The car can accommodate two adults in the front and two children in the rear. The back seats can also fold down to increase cargo space. The maximum passenger and cargo weight is 270 kg (600 lb).

The Reva is intended for city trips and commuting, particularly in congested traffic.

The car may be exported to the USA with a speed limiter for use as a Neighborhood Electric Vehicle (NEV).

The current price in the UK (where it is marketed as the G-Wiz i) is approximately £9,500 (€12,000) for the standard model . It qualifies for exemption from the London congestion charge due to being an electrically propelled vehicle.

REVA has a "running cost of just 0.4 rupees/km" (40 paisa/km)

Power comes from eight 6 V, 200 A h, lead acid batteries wired in series to create 48 V. The batteries are located under the front seats.

In the older model, power flowed through a 400 amp motor controller to a DC motor rated at 4.8 kW (6.4 hp). The motor could handle a maximum of 13.1 kW (17.6 hp).

In the 2008 model (REVAi), power flows through a 350 Amp motor controller to a 3-phase AC motor rated at 13 kW (17 hp) peak. It has a "boost" switch that gives 40% extra torque for improved acceleration and hill-climbing and increases the top speed to 80 km/h (50 mph). The range is approximately 80 km (50 mi), but using the heater reduces the range.

Safety concerns

The G-wiz i is currently exempt from most UK crash test rules, because its size allows it to be classed as a quadricycle instead of a car.

The UK Department for Transport found “serious safety concerns” after crashing a G-Wiz at 56 km/h (35mph) into a deformable barrier on 24 April 2007 , which is the normal test for cars. Likewise, a test commissioned by Top Gear Magazine that followed the Euro NCAP crash test specifications found that the occupants would suffer "serious or life-threatening" injuries in a 64 km/h (40mph) crash .

As a result, the current REVAi model (released in January 2008) features a much revised and reinforced chassis that has been successfully crash tested in India by ARAI. It also has an AC drive system which raises the maximum speed to 80 km/h (50 mph). A 25 mph (40 km/h) frontal crash test video of the new model is available on the GoinGreen website.

Reva claims the car has an excellent safety record, saying “In over 40 million km of Reva usage, there has not been a single fatality or serious injury”.

Traction Motor: AC, 13 kW peak power

Charger: Onboard

Charging connector: Cable to standard domestic 230V 13 Amp outlet

Charge time: 8 hours to full power

Pack voltage: 48 V

Battery type: 8 lead-acid batteries

Battery rating: 6 V, 200 A h each

Batteries location: Under front seats

Maximum speed: 80 km/h (50 mph)