REVA

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For other uses, see Reva (disambiguation).
REVAi
Manufacturer REVA Electric Car Company
Also called REVA G-Wiz i
Production 2001 - present
Assembly Bangalore, India
Class Battery Electric microcar
Body style(s) 3-door hatchback
Layout Rear wheel and rear motor
Length 2.6 m (100 in)
Width 1.3 m (51 in)
Height 1.5 m (59 in)
Fuel capacity 200 A·h (9.6 kWh)
Electric range 80 km (50 miles) on 8 hour charge

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 [1] and sales are increasing[2]. It is manufactured by the Reva Electric Car Co, in Bangalore, India, currently the world's leading electric car manufacturing company [3].

Contents

[edit] The 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.

[edit] The Car

The Revai 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).

[edit] Cost and Price

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 [4]. It qualifies for exemption from the London congestion charge due to being an electrically propelled vehicle[5].

REVA has a "running cost of just 0.4 rupees/km" (40 paisa/km)[6].

[edit] Electric power

REVAi Electric power
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)
This article is part of the electric vehicle series.

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),[7] but using the heater reduces the range[8].

[edit] 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 [9], 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 [10].

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.

The car appears to have an excellent safety record, as “In over 40 million km of Reva usage, there has not been a single fatality or serious injury”[11].

[edit] Future

In 2009, high performance lithium-ion batteries are expected to be available for the latest model. These can be charged much quicker than lead acid batteries, offer greater speed, acceleration, range, cost, and are less affected by variations in temperature.[12] The anticipated new range for a REVA with lithium-ion batteries is expected to be 112 km (70 miles) or more.[13]

[edit] Appearances on Top Gear

red reva

In a segment of BBC Television's Top Gear news[episode needed], a clip was shown of Conservative MP David Cameron driving a G-Wiz around the Top Gear test track. When Kristin Scott Thomas appeared on the show[episode needed] it was revealed that Thomas had driven a G-Wiz around London while performing in Anton Chekhov's The Seagull. On Jeremy Clarkson's solo DVD Supercar Showdown, the G-Wiz was bashed continuously by Clarkson in a number of staged segments; being first raced by a Renault Alpine A610 and losing, and then losing to a heavy wooden table carried by four men. The table was then placed on its side and the G-Wiz rammed into it at 40 mph (64 km/h), bouncing off and destroying the front of the vehicle.[citation needed] In the final episode of Top Gear Series 10, the G-Wiz was turned into a radio-controlled car car with its electrical systems modified so that it could beat a Ford Mustang Shelby GT in a race. The modified G-Wiz was then raced against a scale model radio-controlled car, which carried a bomb[citation needed] to destroy both vehicles before they could finish the race. Nevertheless, the G-Wiz was named as Top Gear's "Worst Car of the Year".[year needed] The G-Wiz featured in Series 11 Episode 6 where James May drove it in a drag race against his fellow Top Gear co-presenters, and hosts of the German television motoring show D Motor.

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ "About Us". Reva India. Retrieved on 2008-02-28.
  2. ^ "Indian electric-car maker gears up for global market", The Peninsula On-line (2007-08-17). Retrieved on 2008-02-28. 
  3. ^ "In The Slow Lane", Newsweek:para 3 (2008-02-16). Retrieved on 2008-02-28. 
  4. ^ "The new G-Whiz". GoinGreen. Retrieved on 2008-02-28.
  5. ^ Discounts and exemptions | Transport for London
  6. ^ http://www.thestar.com/Business/article/501395
  7. ^ "The REVA". Reva India. Retrieved on 2008-02-28.
  8. ^ "G-Wiz - our urban friend's electric", Scotland on Sunday (2006-04-30). Retrieved on 2008-02-28. 
  9. ^ "Celebrity green car is declared unsafe", Times Online (2007-05-09). Retrieved on 2008-02-28. 
  10. ^ "G-Wiz crash test news - Electric shock", Top Gear (2007-05-09). Retrieved on 2008-02-28. 
  11. ^ "Reva Takes Charge", Businessworld (2008-04-22). 
  12. ^ GoinGreen - G-Wiz FAQ
  13. ^ GoinGreen - Showroom_G-Wiz

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