Reva Electric Car Company Pri- vate Ltd. (RECC), the market leader in the electric vehicle personal transport segment, announced, in the first week of January 2009, the launch of its lithium-ion battery powered electric car, Reva L-ion. Based on its highly successful Reva-i platform, the latest version of the world's best-selling electric car comes with an improved range, faster acceleration, shorter charging time, lower energy consumption, improved cold weather performance, maintenance-free battery operation, and a longer operating life. It is said that Reva L-ion can clock 120 km per charge and touch a maximum speed of 80 km per hour. What's more, RECC has also announced the introduction of a fast charge station that can charge Reva L-ion up to 90% in an hour.
While the booking for Reva L-ion and fast charge stations will open from February 2009 in Belgium, Cyprus, France, Greece, Ireland, Norway, Spain and UK, the customer deliveries will commence from May 2009. RECC, under the stewardship of Keith Johnston, President of its European operations, is eyeing the European market and has plans to appoint new distributors in all European countries.
The Bangalore-based RECC came into being, in 1994, as a joint venture between the Maini Group, India and AEV LLC, California, US, with the aim of manufacturing environment-friendly and cost-effective electric vehicles, and introduced Reva, India's first zero polluting electric vehicle, in June 2001. Committed to what it calls `the zero principle' of the Maini group—that is, zero defects, zero time delays, zero inefficiencies and zero pollution, all achieved through zero wastage and zero compromises—RECC has not only succeeded in its vision of establishing a tradition of excellence and leadership in environment-friendly urban transportation, but also created a globally accepted product in Reva, the zero emission electric vehicle for city mobility.
Reva was designed and developed using in-house technology, making it 95% indigenous. While the lightweight tubular steel space frame that supports the suspension and body components and the body made of lightweight dent-proof ABS plastic panels give the car its unique look, the thermoformed sheets offer it a high impact resistance. Reva has a 3-phase AC induction motor with a torque of 52 nm at zero speed. The motor can run at a high speed of 8,000 rpm. The car has a Power Pack, placed beneath the front seats, which consists of eight 6-Volt EV lead acid batteries that attain 80% state of charge (quick-charge mode) in under 2.5 hours. While the battery pack position is designed to keep the center of gravity low, the onboard charger makes charging easier, as it can be done by plugging into any 15 amp socket anywhere. The car also features a large crush zone in the front portion of the car and dual-hydraulic and regenerative braking for additional safety.
The other attractions of the car include: a `low battery' warning light; a fuel gauge; computer-based Energy Management System (EMS) that optimizes charging and energy output of batteries to maximize the operating range and improve performance; an air-conditioning system that is built around a mechanical vapor compression refrigerant system and a heater; and Climate Control Seats (CCS) that allow the occupant to independently adjust the temperature of the seats by a selector switch to get noticeably cool or warm air in less than 30 seconds after activation. Customers can customize the design of their car by choosing from 2,000 shades and by adding colored bumpers and mirrors. |
