REVA: the first electric car from India

The first REVA was a small three-door electric hatchback made by the Reva Electric Car Company in Bangalore between 2001 and 2007. In the United Kingdom it was sold as the G-Wiz. The car was later improved and renamed the REVAi, but it was this first version that established the model in London and other cities.

REVA at a glance

The first REVA is described in a section of the English Wikipedia article on the REVAi; this page is based on one source.

History of the REVA

The REVA was the first car of the Reva Electric Car Company, based in Bangalore. It went on sale in 2001 as a purpose-built city electric car rather than a conversion of a petrol model, and in Britain, its most important export market, it was marketed as the G-Wiz. The vehicle was originally known as simply the REVA; a revised version introduced in 2008 took the name REVAi.

Design

The car is a three-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, with room for two adults in front and two children in the back. The rear seats fold down to make cargo space, and the maximum passenger and cargo weight is 270 kg (600 lb). Power comes from eight 6 V, 200 Ah lead-acid batteries installed under the front seats and wired in series to give 48 V. A 400 amp controller feeds a DC motor rated at 4.8 kW (6.4 hp) and capable of 13.1 kW (17.6 hp) at its maximum.

Rules and markets

Because of its low weight and power the REVA is registered in Europe as a heavy quadricycle (category L7) and is exempt from most European crash test rules. In the United States it could be exported as a neighbourhood electric vehicle with a speed limiter set to twenty five miles per hour. Sales reached about 4,600 vehicles worldwide by late 2013, India took 55 per cent of them and 40 per cent of the Indian total was sold in Bangalore. In Britain the G-Wiz was the top-selling electric car for several years, helped by its exemption from the London congestion charge.

Safety

The first REVA did not have the strengthened chassis that allowed later versions to pass a crash test at 40 km/h (25 mph). On 24 April 2007 the UK Department for Transport crashed a G-Wiz at 56 km/h (35 mph) into a deformable barrier and reported serious safety concerns, and a test commissioned by Top Gear Magazine following Euro NCAP procedures found that occupants would suffer serious or life-threatening injuries at 64 km/h (40 mph). In October 2010 a G-Wiz was involved in a fatal accident in London with a Škoda Octavia.

Design and features

• Batteries under the seats: eight lead-acid units keep the floor flat and the weight low in the car.
• City dimensions: 2.6 m long, small enough for narrow streets and tight parking.
• Quadricycle registration: the L7 class brings lighter rules and, in London, exemption from the congestion charge.
• Simple DC drive: a 400 amp controller and a motor rated at 4.8 kW continuous.

REVA versions

• REVA (2001–2007): the original model, sold as the G-Wiz in Britain.
• G-Wiz: the British name for the same car, the version that became familiar in London.
• REVAi (from 2008): the improved model with an AC motor, a stronger chassis and a top speed of 80 km/h.
• REVA L-ion (from 2009): the later lithium-ion version of the REVAi with a longer range.

The first REVA was replaced in 2008 by the REVAi, the version sold in Britain as the G-Wiz i. More electric city cars are in the REVA collection.

Video: Reva Standard Q, second place

Video on YouTube.

Sources

• REVAi, English Wikipedia: first model, design, sales, safety