REVA

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Jump to: navigation, search
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, SUV
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 the UK market) 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 Company (RECC) in Bangalore (India), currently the world's leading electric car manufacturing company [3].

Contents

[edit] The car

REVA i 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.

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. 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 passenger and cargo weight is 270 kg (600 lb).

The REVA is intended for city trips and commuting, particularly in congested traffic. It is registered in Europe as a heavy quadricycle (category L7). It may be exported to the USA with a speed limiter for use as a Neighborhood Electric Vehicle (NEV).

Three models are available: REVA (now discontinued), REVAi (with lead-acid batteries) and REVA L-ion (with lithium-ion batteries).

[edit] REVA (discontinued model)

The first model, produced from 2001 to 2007, was simply called REVA (G-Wiz in the UK). Its 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). Power came 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. This model did not have the strengthen chassis that allows subsequent models to pass a crash-test at 40 km/h (25 mph).

[edit] REVAi (model with lead-acid batteries)

In January 2008, a new model was introduced, the REVAi (G-Wiz i in the UK). It has an AC drive system which raises the maximum speed to 80 km/h (50 mph). The power flows through a 350 Amp motor controller to a 3-phase AC motor rated at 13 kW (17 hp) peak. Power also comes from eight 6 V, 200 A h, Lead-acid batteries located under the front seats.

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). It weighs 665 kg (1,470 lb), including 270 kg (600 lb) batteries. The nominal range is 80 km (50 mi),[4] but driving fast or using the heater or air conditioner reduces the range[5]. Several new safety features were added, such as front disk brakes, a collapsible steering column, and a much revised and reinforced chassis that has been successfully crash tested at 40 km/h (25 mph) by ARAI in India.[6]

[edit] REVA L-ion (model with Lithium-ion batteries)

In January 2009, a new model was launched, the REVA L-ion. It is similar to the REVAi but powered by high performance lithium-ion batteries, which reduce weight to 565 kg (1,250 lb), offer greater accelerations, reduce charging time to 6 hrs, and extend the nominal range to 120 km (75 mi).[7] Also, the performances of these batteries are less affected by variations in temperature.[8] In addition to the Li-ion batteries, REVA L-ion will also feature a solar panel affixed to the roof for utilizing the solar energy.[9]

In addition to the on-board battery charger, an off-board charging station requiring 3-phase power is available, that gives a 90 percent charge in an hour.[7]

REVA L-ion is expected to be rolled out in June 2009 and the estimated price for the base model is $14,500.[9]

[edit] Cost and price

The current price in the UK (where it is marketed as the G-Wiz i) is approximately £7,995 for the standard model, or £15795 for the L-Ion model [10]. It qualifies for exemption from the London congestion charge due to being an electrically propelled vehicle[11]. REVA has a "running cost of just 0.4 rupees/km" (40 paisa(0.8 US cent)/km), assuming Indian petrol price of 1.3$/litre[12].

[edit] Safety concerns

The REVA is exempt from most European crash test rules, because its low weight and power registers it in the European "heavy quadricycle" category instead of the "car" category.

The UK Department for Transport found “serious safety concerns” after crashing a now discontinued G-Wiz at 56 km/h (35 mph) into a deformable barrier on 24 April 2007 [13], 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 [14].

As a result, the current REVA i and REVA L-ion models include several new safety features such as front disk brakes, a collapsible steering column, and a much revised and reinforced chassis that has been successfully crash tested in India by ARAI. A 40 km/h (25 mph) frontal crash test video of the new model is available online.[6]

The REVA Electric Car Company (RECC) claims the car has an excellent safety record: “In over 40 million km of Reva usage, there has not been a single fatality or serious injury”[15]. Indeed, because of its limited range and top speed, it is mostly driven in slow urban traffic where hazardous situations requiring advanced safety features are less likely.

[edit] Future

A new 30,000 capacity assembly plant has been announced by REVA, due for completion in the second quarter of 2009.

[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[16], 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 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[17] 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" for 2007. 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] Competitors in light electric vehicles

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ "About Us". Reva India. http://www.revaindia.com/aboutus.htm. Retrieved on 2008-02-28. 
  2. ^ "Indian electric-car maker gears up for global market". The Peninsula On-line. 2007-08-17. http://www.thepeninsulaqatar.com/Display_news.asp?section=Business_News&subsection=market+news&month=August2007&file=Business_News2007081735819.xml. Retrieved on 2008-02-28. 
  3. ^ "In The Slow Lane". Newsweek:para 3. 2008-02-16. http://www.newsweek.com/id/112730/output/print. Retrieved on 2008-02-28. 
  4. ^ "The REVA". Reva India. http://www.revaindia.com/aboutevs.htm. Retrieved on 2008-02-28. 
  5. ^ "G-Wiz - our urban friend's electric". Scotland on Sunday. 2006-04-30. http://scotlandonsunday.scotsman.com/uk/GWiz--our-urban-friends.2771500.jp. Retrieved on 2008-02-28. 
  6. ^ a b REVA i safety
  7. ^ a b Reva Electric Car Company offering lithium ion option
  8. ^ GoinGreen - G-Wiz FAQ
  9. ^ a b http://www.newsweek.com/id/192145?from=rss
  10. ^ "The new G-Whiz". GoinGreen. http://www.goingreen.co.uk/store. Retrieved on 2008-02-28. 
  11. ^ Discounts and exemptions | Transport for London
  12. ^ http://www.thestar.com/Business/article/501395
  13. ^ "Celebrity green car is declared unsafe". Times Online. 2007-05-09. http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/science/article1764088.ece. Retrieved on 2008-02-28. 
  14. ^ "G-Wiz crash test news - Electric shock". Top Gear. 2007-05-09. http://www.topgear.com/content/news/stories/1832/. Retrieved on 2008-02-28. 
  15. ^ "Reva Takes Charge". Businessworld. 2008-04-22. http://www.businessworld.in/index.php/Automobiles/Reva-Takes-Charge/Page-3.html. 
  16. ^ Top Gear series 9 episode 5
  17. ^ Top Gear series 10 episode 10

[edit] External links

 This article's external links may not follow Wikipedia's content policies or guidelines. Please improve this article by removing excessive or inappropriate external links.
Sister project Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Reva vehicles

[edit] Distributors

REVA distributors worldwide (by alphabetical country order):

[edit] News

Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/REVA"
Personal tools