MAHINDRA REVAi

Introduction : Since the discovery of engine, means of locomotion changed drastically from traditional animal driven vehicles to engine driven vehicles. It made the transportation faster and in sense brought the world closer and within reach. But engines are driven on fossil fuels. Fossil fuels are depleting in nature and are also responsible for the air pollution. Its the time we should search for alternatives to fossil fuels. One of such options is electric car. Electricity can be produced from conventional and non conventional means. A green cycle can be generated by producing electricity by non conventional method and use it for the electric car and thus avoid pollution. In case of electric car, REVAi is the pioneer car in India. A compact hatchback electric car. Mahindra Reva Electric Vehicles Private Limited, formerly known as the Reva Electric Car Company (RECC), is an Indian company based in Bangalore, involved in designing and manufacturing of compact electric vehicles. The company was founded in 1994 by Chetan Maini, as a joint venture between Maini group of Bangalore and Amerigon Electric Vehicle Technologies of USA (AEVT Inc.). RECC joined up with several automotive experts to develop components for REVA. Curtis Instruments Inc. of USA developed a Motor

Controller specifically for the car. The car had a high-tech power pack for which Tudor India Limited supplied customized Prestolite batteries. The Charger for Reva was developed by Modular Power Systems of USA. Later, RECC started manufacturing the charger themselves through a technical collaboration agreement between MPS and the Maini Group.

REVAi : REVAi is a small micro electric car made by Indian manufacturer REVA Electric Car Company since 2001. Its a small 3 door hatchback. The car can accommodate two adults in the front and two children in the rear. The back seats can fold down to provide cargo space. The maximum cargo and passenger weight is 270 kg. REVAi is basically intended for inter city use. As range of the car is around 80 kms in one recharge, it cant be used for long drives or intra city drives. But this car can be a good alternative to big cars to use in city to avoid traffic problems. Technical Specifications: Dimension & Weights

Overall Length Overall Width Overall Height Wheel Base Ground Clearance Kerb Weight No of Doors

2638 1324 1510 1710 150 700 2

Engine: Power Torque Valve Mechanism 18 PS @ 1300 rpm 68 Nm @ rpm 5.3 (kgm@rpm)

Powe System : High Torque,AC Induction Motor, 3 Phase 13kW peak 350 Amp microprocessor based with regenerative breaking 220 V, 2.2 kW, high Frequency switch mode type(optional 100-120 V) Microprocessor-based battery management system 48 V, 200 Amp-hr, EV lead acid betteries

Motor

Controller

Charger

EMS Power Pack

Performance: Top Speed 80Km/Hour

Transmission: Transmission Type Automatic

Suspensions: Front Suspension Rear Suspension Independent MacPherson strut with anti-roll bar A-arm with Panhard rod & coil-over shock absorbers

Brakes: Front Brakes Front Disc

Rear Brakes

Rear Drum

Wheels & Tyres : Wheel Type Wheel Size Tyres Tubeless 13 145/70R13

Safety and Security : Anti-Lock Braking System Driver Air-Bags Passenger Air-Bags Immobilizer Traction Control Child Safety Locks Not Available Not Available Not Available Not Available Not Available Standard

Test Ride Experience: REVAi is available at Mahindras show room in cantonment area, Pune. They have kept only one vehicle in the show room, which is for display purpose. There is no stock for sell. The reason is there is negligible demand for the car. Design: The vehicle may seem compact from outside and one wonders, how am I going to get fit in there? But the vehicle gives the required comfort once you get inside. Front two seats are comfortable but the back set is just about useless for seating, even children, but does add a little boot space to the vehicle. Since theres no gearbox, being an automatic car, theres plenty of leg room. Its also got quite a bit of head room in the cabin which is essential for those who happen to be in the 6-foot range. A simple dial system is designed for various driving modes and looks a bit like a dial on a cooking range. The air conditioner is about the

noisiest thing in this otherwise super silent car. Its hum can be a bit distracting. It features a heater as well and a de-fogger for the windshield and rear glass. The wiper is rather oddly positioned as it tends to wipe just the central part of the windshield leaving a large part of the bottom portion rather murky when driving in the rain. The headlights although small do tend to provide easy viewing while driving at night. Air conditioning provided takes care of the temperature comfort of occupant.

Interior of REVAi A charging cable is provided with the vehicle that goes into the little charging port on the left hand side of the car above the rear wheel. The company also promises to set up a charging post at your residence should you decide to buy the vehicle. Its fuel gauge along with a low battery warning light makes it easy for the driver to estimate the potential driving range.

Charging Port

Charging port

Its unique small size and fully automatic no gear, no clutch technology makes it easy to drive in cities branded for its heavy traffic. Reva ensures passenger safety with high impact resistance exteriors and a specially designed large front crush zone. It has tubeless tyres which help reducing rolling resistance and hence save energy needed to counteract it. Its made up of steel space frame with side impact beams. Its provided with energy absorbing bumpers. All in all, safety precautions are taken as much as possible. Only negative thing is air bags are not provided. Performance: Its smooth, peppy and goes from 0 to 40 in just about 7 and a half seconds which is not bad for a small car like this. In traffic its got great pick up however the lack of power steering can make manoeuvrability a little tedious. On the plus side, a small car like this has a good turning radius making it easy to nip in and out of small spaces and take quick U-turns when you need to. The biggest advantage of Reva lies in its fuel economy at Rs 0.40 paisa per km. There is around 7-8 kms difference in the range of the vehicle with and without AC on. It has only four transmission steps i.e forward, reverse, neutral, boost. Boost gives 40% more power. One can feel the difference between forward and boost while accelerating with full throttle. Customer feedback: Reva is the best and beautiful car. It is so comfortable to drive. Usually the clutch & gear irritates so much while driving the car in the city, Reva had made driving easy in the city. Reva saves money for daily commuting to office in car. The investment; you will get back in 6- 8years. Slightly overpriced but still a worthy buy. Check these items before you buy a reva, Drive atleast 20 KMs a day. Average people going in the car won't exceed more than 4. You don't want to race on the roads, however this is not a slow pickup vehicle but can't zoom like your 2000cc car. Not going to travel long(more than 70km) in own car. The money you save in reva can always be used for hiring a nice taxi, say once in a month. You are not buying car to display your luxury. I bought Reva in 2001 and completed 40K kms. Including battery cost, it has saved me 80K rupees compared to a petrol car.

Marketing strategies: As in current scenario, the sell of the car is almost negligible. Company is planning some market strategies in order to increase their market share in future. The outlet at cantonment area, pune, are planning some marketing strategies after launch of latest verson of Reva i.e. REVA NXR. The idea is to make contacts with hotels, universities, private towns etc. This vehicle is ideal for inter premises use. So it can be used in university or company premises. Future Models: Mahnidra is going to launch two new models of Reva in near future, REVA NXR nad REVA NXG. Some parameters are improved in these models. NXR has capacity to carry four adults. Range of the vehicle is increased to around 150 kms. Top speed is also improved.

REVA NXR

REVA NXG

Conclusion: REVA is a perfect mean for inter city travel. Apart from its main advantage being a green car, it helps display ones positive approach towards green environment. In current scenario, its a challenge to create more and more awareness about these kinds of vehicles. This vehicle succeeds in creating a positive impression when you drive it for first time. No doubt this is the best green vehicle currently available todays in Indian market.