Reva NXG Electric Car

[Mike Gatting]

GM India and the Reva Electric Car Company (RECC) are in the process of form i ng ajoint venture to tap the nascent Electric Vehicle (EV) market in India and abroad. The joint venture will look at a wide range of activities which include manufacturing and distribution of EVs. GM India has been exploring alternative fuels like LPG, CNG, bio-diesel, hydrogen and even electric power and has hence jumped at the opportunity to partner with RECC, a home-grown company which has a unique expertise in EV technology. From RECC's point of view, collaborating with GM India makes huge sense for several reasons.

RECC's core skills lie in developing EV powertrains but it has struggled with the development of the rest of the car. This arrangement allows the Bangalore-based company to concentrate on powertrains since the donor cars will be provided by GM India. The other advantage RECC gains from this partnership is access to GM India's national distribution network. RECC plans to sell its own range of products, the next-gen NXG and NXR models through Chevy dealerships.



The first project of this new joint-venture company is to electrify the Spark. Prototypes are currently being tested in Bangalore and a launch at the Auto Expo in January 2010 is planned. The electric Spark uses a similar powertrain as the existing Reva but the motor has been uprated to develop around 35kw.

This gives the Spark an estimated top speed of 110kph and a range of 80km on standard lead acid batteries. Lithiumion batteries which wouldsignificantly boost range are also being considered; however, this would send costs spiraling out of control.

The electrification of the Spark has been done by RECC with GM's engineers from the US giving their inputs. The fuel tank area has been modified and enlarged to accommodate the battery pack while the engine bay houses all the electronics and the electric motor. Weight has increased significantly but, according to company sources, acceleration is still brisk thanks to the higli-torque characteristics of an electric motor.

With worldwide interest in electric vehicles at an all-time high, GM India and Reva are hopeful that the electric Spark will find takers not just in India but abroad as well.