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Monday, 4 January 2010
It is just unimaginable how things have changed around us in a matter of a decade or less. Let’s speak here on the advent of the Electric vehicles in the Indian context. The concept for Electric Vehicles was impossible about a couple of years ago. The scene in India changed after Maini Reva, the first Indian electric car maker put up a bold face and entered the Indian market. Yes, the going was certainly tough for Reva initially, thanks to the overly priced car which was limited only to the city use. It seemed highly impractical when the car was first launched in India. But those were the days and now these are the days. Times do change. Reva surely set up as a pioneer in safeguarding the environment with its non-polluter electric cars. Picking up the cues, even bigger and environment-conscious car makers also joined the fray in a big way after the great recession of 08-09. This was a decisive moment as the mindset of billions of people suddenly started changing in the wake of Copenhagen summit. India almost suddenly became a hot spot for the car manufactures to try out their new electric wares and cars that spat less smoke. This year’s Auto Expo certainly will be serving as a launch pad for more and more electric vehicles to hit India. This could prove a hit provided the practicality issues are sorted out soon. At the Auto Expo, almost all the car manufactures are showcasing their electric car portfolio. Staring from General Motors’s EV’s, Electric vehicles like that of Honda EV-N, Renault Twizy ZE and Toyota’s Prius Hybrid will be showcased. Toyota has been making this hybrid since 1997 but India will see the third generation version of Prius on the roads pretty soon which will have a 1.5 litre petrol engine mated with an electric motor and will give around 20 kilometres a litre. GM will have the concept Chevy Volt and the Chevy Spark Electric prototype at the show. The Chevy Spark Electric will have the same look at the petrol version but the engine will be replaced by an electric motor. The electric power train will be sourced from REVA.It must be recalled that GM and Reva Electric had signed an agreement recently to develop electric cars for the Indian market. The car is expected to debut commercially this year. The Chevrolet Volt is an electric vehicle with extended-range capability. It is said to be designed to drive up to 40 miles on electricity without using gasoline or producing tail-pipe emissions. Tata Motors in the meanwhile is not lagging behind and we are anticipating that Tata showcases an electric/hybrid version of its Nano and also an electric version of its Indica, which has been in development in Norway. Tata had bought Norway-based electric vehicle maker Miljo Grenland/Innovasjon in 2008. The Norwegian firm will manufacture super polymer lithium ion batteries and electric vehicles based on Tata Motors’ range of products as well as conduct research and development in allied technologies. Tata Motors will soon roll out its Rs 160 crore electric car project in Norway and later scale it up for other Scandinavian markets. The Indica Vista EV has been designed and developed by Tata Motors' UK subsidiary, Tata Motors European Technical Centre. India’s largest car maker Maruti Suzuki is displaying its hybrid Maruti SX4 sedan amongst other concept cars at the Auto Expo 2010. The company is working on clean fuel technologies as part of a public-private partnership ahead of the Commonwealth Games, 2010. Reva, which is India’s first electric car, showed off its NXR and NXG range of small EVs at the Frankfurt Auto Show last year. Though these cars will not be showcased at the Auto Expo, the India launch is expected soon. Hyundai too has joined the EV bandwagon and will be showcasing an i10 EV at the Auto Expo. The launch though will be at a later date. Mahindra is not falling behind of the schedule and has a couple of EVs which is all set to be unveiled at the show. Let’s hope that the Indian public gives thumbs up for electric vehicles and hybrids in this Auto Expo 2010. Labels: Auto-Expo-2010, Chevy-Spark-Electric, Chevy-Volt, Copenhagen-Summit, Electric-Vehicles, Honda-EV-N, Hybrid-Cars, Hyundai, Maini-Reva, Renault-Twizy, Toyota-Prius-Hybrid
Monday, 5 October 2009
 Maruti Suzuki Swift is a car which has never lost its steam since its inception in the world market. This is a car which has already scorched the roads of many countries in the world through its radical design and styling. And now creating news all over the world with panache is its hybrid version. This popular car will now be showcased in the upcoming Tokyo Motor show in a plug-in hybrid version. Suzuki Swift Plug-in Hybrid is a surprise for the world; no auto journalists could smell such an interesting development till date. The Swift Hybrid will be powered by a cache of Lithium Ion battery and a 658cc gasoline engine. The combined output of the Plug-in Swift will exceed 74hp out of which 20hp will come from the electric motor. The official launch of this plug-in hybrid will happen after few days. The bulky Lithium Ion battery box will eat up one seat in rear row. Now, for the question that everybody is willing to ask here in India. Will Maruti Suzuki add the Hybrid Swift into their product line up? Well, we are being frank here by saying that this will not happen at least for another couple of years as the Hybrid and electric market here in India is still in its infancy. Anyways the concept image of this spicy hatchback hybrid version is hotter than the fossil fuel version. We liked the images especially the one with a plug chord.  Maini Reva can now breathe in ease as it was the first Indian Car company to show the world that the electric cars will be the “in” thing of the near future. Let’s all wait and watch who else will follow the suit? Labels: Hatchback, Maini-Reva, Maruti-Suzuki-Swift, Swift-Plug-in-Hybrid, Tokyo-Motor-Show
Wednesday, 9 September 2009
Pulling itself slowly out of the economic slowdown and its after effects, the American market has a new American dream. In fact they are thinking along the safest way for a better tomorrow. According to a recent survey conducted in America, American car buyers, in a shift in thought, have plans for a greener tomorrow. It seems that they do not want to make yet another mistake about for which they will regret sometime in the future. It is of course planning well for a better tomorrow and the car buyers are just reflecting the trend of the days by choosing to buy hybrid cars. Yes, Hybrid Cars certainly seems to be the mantra of the new era, but what else could be done to bring back the ailing nature? A car buyer need not sacrifice on anything to buy a hybrid car, very soon, the all-knowing car manufacturers will be bundling the car market with hybrid cars with high tech options. But it is true that the car buyers have to wait a little longer before this happens and so a customer who is looking to buy a car in the next few months or perhaps years if stubborn about a hybrid car should settle for the ones that are available in the market currently. In India too, the hybrid car market is booming. And the only electric car manufacturer of the country Maini Reva is planning to launch its two new models NXR and NXG. It is possible that Indians will also ape the western car market, but for a good cause this time. Embracing the hybrid cars there are still many thoughts which lingers in the minds of the car buyer which disturbs them deeply. The disturbing factors of reliability, mileage, and the pricing are just a few of them. But the future of the Hybrid cars seems to be robust and this should be what the car manufacturers should be striving for. Labels: Hybrid-Cars, Indian-Car-Buyers, Maini-Reva
Tuesday, 4 August 2009
 The Indian car market seems to be a safe haven for many car manufacturers especially the luxury car manufacturers. The fascination of Indian car customers for luxury cars is growing every other day and this can be very obvious from the number of new luxury cars launched and the launch of the face lifted version of the existing luxury car model. A survey conducted recently clearly shows the growing interest for luxury cars among the Indians, and how the Indian car buyers prefer a luxury car over a green car. But I don’t think this piece of news will anyway change the mindset of the Indian car manufacturers and will force them to think away from rolling out good electric cars that looks into the future of a more environment friendly tomorrow. The Indian market even though is not rich in electric cars, the future of electric cars in the Indian market seems to be promising. Maini Reva has been enjoying the supreme position of the sole electric car manufacturer in the country since the time it was commercialized in 2001. The Reva is a low maintenance vehicle which moves on batteries. The car till now has thousands of satisfied customers and this number will only increase in the future as the charm of the luxury cars will not lure the customers more, rather the detoriating environment conditions will not let it happen. Bavina cars, seem to be breaking the dominance of Reva electric cars by launching their own electric cars for Indian car market. Bavina has already started working towards setting up operations in Tamil Nadu. The car is expected to launch by 2011 is expected to cause some threat to the existing Reva. Unlike Reva, which is a two seater, Bavina will be a four seater hatchback, a city car with a maximum speed of 55 kilometers per hour. This is not all, The Indian car manufacturing giant, Tata motors is also planning for a safe, eco-friendly tomorrow. It is planning to roll out electric versions of Nano and Indica. With more options of such eco-friendly cars, Indian car buyers will dream of luxury cars, but will buy a green car. Labels: Bavina-Cars, Electric-Cars, Maini-Reva
Tuesday, 21 July 2009
India’s leading  electric car manufacturer, Maini Reva Electric Car Company is all geared up to build the world’s largest manufacturing unit for cheap all-electric cars. The new plant is likely to be over five times the size of its existing factory in Bangalore. The new facility, which is expected to be operational in 2011, will have capacity of around 30,000 units. The Indian electric car company will help to introduce green energy to the subcontinent’s rapidly growing car industry. Electric cars are lately in vogue as a result of the global climate change concerns and environmental awareness. According to a research finding, by 2015 around 15% of the total car sales in India would be of electric cars. The concept of electric cars was not given much importance in the past but; now it is a concept that is fast gaining popularity among countries and communities. Today almost all major car makers of the world are working on some kind of an alternate fuel technology or Electric Vehicle (EV). The first Indian electric car Reva is a small hatchback powered by eight six-volt batteries. It was designed to beat pollution of the cities and to conserve fossil fuel which is depleting day by day. The Reva features a 2+2 seat configuration. The lead acid battery version can travel up to 80 km on a single charge, while a lithium-ion powered cell raises the range by 50% to 120 km. The Reva was introduced in India in 2001 and it has received certification from Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI) and EEC (European Economic Community), which has led to the export of Reva's to UK as the G-Wiz. Reva Electric Car Company is planning to introduce a four-seater sedan by the end of this year. Labels: Electric-Cars, Maini-Reva
Tuesday, 14 July 2009
In early part of this year we had written about a Bavina Cars India planning to make electric cars just like Maini Reva electric cars is already doing in India. It is now clear that Bavina Cars has received land from Tamil Nadu government. It is now aggressively pursuing its plans to bring out plug in series hybrid cars in a couple of years time. The company has laid out its plans on manufacturing the car. Of course it won’t be a fully indigenous car. At least 80 percent of the car will come from imported sources. Except for the body panels all other parts will be sources from outside the country. The most important of all the fuel cell battery and the onboard petrol engine of a small capacity will be imported. The transmission will be sourced from BorgWarner in the United States. The technology would be sourced Velozzi from US. When the car hits the road in 2011, it is be the closest rival to Maini Revai cars. Bavina will be able to manufacture 40,000 units per annum. Since the prototype of the car has not been tested we are unable to tell how many kilometers the car will run on a single charge. So far Maini Revai manages to deliver 80 kms on a single full charge. Bavina cars will have to outperform Maini Revai cars to get the buyers attention. The price will be of prime importance for Bavina. Since it is importing most of its products compared to Revai which has mostly indigenous parts, Bavina is likely to cost more. It would require a Herculean effort for Bavina to bring prices below the Rs 3 lakh mark around which Revai now sells. Another aspect that will pitch the companies will be forced to market their products in select cities, which will escalate competition. Since Bavina and Maini Revai competition will be sharp as both are located in the south of India and will to capture these markets first. The next decade is going to be an interesting phase in the electric passenger car segment. Labels: Bavina-Industries, Electric-Cars, Maini-Reva, Maini-REVAi
Friday, 9 January 2009
A white Reva plastered with signs displaying positive effects of reforestation is on an environmental tour. The car is on a green journey taking along the vows of Indian Youth Climate Network. Strikingly, this white Reva along with two other cars that run on jatropha oil and waste vegetable oil are driven by 20 people to complete a journey of 4,000 km across the country. This tour is solely organised to spread awareness of environment-friendly cars. The stickers on these cars also depict the same motive - 'save the environment and combat climate change'. The cars started their journey from Chennai and would make pit stops at Bangalore, Nagpur, Mumbai, and Jaipur including various other places. Throughout the journey the drivers and the association members are educating people about the use of innovative technologies and solutions for generating clean technologies and designing green buildings. The main target of these groups are the universities across the country where they plan to encourage students to pick green jobs. They will also stress on various climate change policies. Even the economic factors will be considered because many have a myth that green concept is an expensive affair. But actually it is a healthy and a long-term saving affair that needs to reach the masses. Spreading green awareness can be best done by a car like the Maini Reva, the sole electric car in India. This is the only car in the country that generates zero emission and help us save our environment, thereby maintaining an ecological balance. Labels: Electric-Car, Environment-Friendly-Cars, Maini-Reva
Thursday, 30 October 2008
Driven by the growing awareness of eco-friendly cars and increasing demand of plug-in cars, Maini Reva pla ns to enhance the car production for both domestic and international car market. These days many car consumers across the globe are heading towards green technology due to high oil prices. Some are even making a sudden shift due to high health concerns caused because of increasing automobile emissions. Even today, you can see a number of Reva electric cars on roads and a still higher number will definitely make the roads even more crowded. But does that stop Maini from reducing the production. No! Maini Reva challenges on the availability of eco-friendly range in the next couple of years. Even the government in India and overseas is giving incentives and liberal policies to support such cars. Maini finds it as a good opportunity to expand its car range and announces to increase its car portfolio in the country and attract more car consumers with electric and plug-in cars.
Labels: eco-friendly-cars, Maini-Reva, Oil-Prices
Tuesday, 30 September 2008
Long before when green cars was only a concept for global car industry, a small two-seater boxy car came rolling out a small factory in Bangalore. This boxy car was named Reva, a car that shines above all in the electric car segment. The Reva, brainchild of Chetan Maini, rolled out the car during the period when feasibility of electric vehicles was skeptical. Today, the car has scored the highest in the global car market with its bright colours, curious looks and modest appeal. It is believed to be the world’s first electric car sold commercially. The car built of lightweight steel and plastic is entirely indianized. People just love this car and the fact is proved by having a look on the Bangalore city roads. The fully-automatic version of Reva, delivering a top speed of 65 km/h, is not as popular among Indian populace as the entry-level car. After Bangalore and New Delhi, Reva made its debut in the international market as well. In United Kingdom and Europe, Reva is sold by the name of quadricycles and in Britain it is branded as G-Wiz. Reva is now also exported to various other countries including Cyprus, Malta, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Spain, Norway, and Sri Lanka. Maini is still working to produce high-end versions of its electric car. Reva Maini-holds the history of electric cars! Labels: Electric-Car, G-Wiz, Maini-Reva
Thursday, 4 September 2008
Maini Reva, the manufacturer of electric-friendly cars who flaunts itself with is E factor in India has a reason to smile. After being crushed in Australia as it did not carry any sales certification or license, this Indian made electric car is now available in the Germany, Austria and Switzerland. The REVA is already in the roads of England and is now spreading its wings to other countries too. The entry level is rated with a 50-mile range, whereas the high-end model offers 90 miles per charge. The 48V worth of lead acid batteries can be fully charged in eight hours with an eighty percent charge in 2.5 hours. This four-seater offers top speed of 40mph. Eco-friendly cars are the latest trend in the Indian market. Ajanta group, the well known clock makers, is also planning to roll out an electric car that will be priced lesser than the Nano. The Tata has also announced to introduce E-Nano, the electric version of the ultra-cheap car Nano by 2009. Hope the e-cars in India do not phase out as our country is already facing the power shortage. Labels: eco-friendly-cars, Electric-Cars, Maini-Reva
Thursday, 28 August 2008
Luxury and comfort conscious travelers have increased in India which has given a new way to the car rent business. Many companies in the country are looking forward to gain profit from the surge in car rental business. Companies into car rental services are increasing their fleet size and are also reducing their prices to lure more customers. The Carzonrent is one such company that provides car rental services in the country. The company is in process to increase their car fleet size from 180 cars to almost 500 by the end of this fiscal. With this effort, the company expects more than a 100% increase in the number of reservations. Car rental services not only include a rented car with a chauffer but it also includes an option of self-drive business. Self drive service is a service where the car rental company rents only the car not the chauffer. Carzonrent lays emphasis on the self-drive business. The company feels that Indian people are not much aware of this kind of business in the car rental industry. To spread the awareness, the company is ready to invest out an amount of Rs 5 crore for marketing and promotion. Another known company is the car rental services is the Sixt. The company is planning to sign a memorandum with the Maini Reva to add electric cars to its fleet. So far, the company had focused only on the B-to-B segment but now it feels that it is profitable to foray into the retail segment. Apart from the self-drive business, other car rental companies like Meru, EasyCabs, CoolCabs and Forsche (women’s taxi service) provide cars on rent but with a chauffer. These companies till date have not entered the self-drive business. Sooner or later, will these companies enter the self-drive business? Labels: Car-Rental-Industry, Maini-Reva
Friday, 25 July 2008
One more jump in the electric car segment. Pininfarina, the Italian design house plans to roll out electric cars to India. The design house is a known designer of the Ferrari cars and Tata Indica. The launch date is still not announced. The renowned car design company is planning to manufacture the cars first for the European market which is expected to get the cars by 2010. For the next four years, the company would judge the response of the car in the market. It is expecting to reach the sale target of 15,000 units by 2014 in Europe and US. After achieving the sales target, the company will roll the car in India and other countries. But if the expected target is not achieved, the launch might get delayed or even vice versa. The projected date is likely to be altered depending on the achievement of the target. The cars will be designed at Pininfarina’s facility in Italy. The electric car will cover a range of 250 km in one full charge, almost double of what Reva Maini offers. Driven by such a high range, will Pininfarina beat Maini in India? It’s still a long way to go, nothing can be claimed. Just wait and watch. Labels: Electric-Cars, Maini-Reva, New-Cars
Thursday, 26 June 2008
Join for a ride with Reva. Delhities will now have the opportunity to drive the wonderful, cute little Reva car. There are many people in India who wear a green conscience and attracted to the electric car model manufactured by Reva. Unfortunately, this model was launched only in Bangalore but now the cards of fortune have opened. Maini Revai has launched the advanced version of the Reva for Delhi roads.
Seven years ago when Reva was launched in Bangalore, the company was not sure of its performance and success. That time Reva was not able to make further launches because of the absence of subsidy but now Delhi is putting forward hands to support Reva in all aspects including subsidy, VAT exemption, refund of road tax, low registration charges and much more. This has eventually reduced the price tag of Reva from Rs 4 lakh to Rs 2.99 lakh in Delhi. Such a low price tag will definitely make a stronger move towards Revai. Labels: Electric-Car, Maini-Reva, New-launch
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