About Reva Electric Cars
The Reva range Reva cars were designed to be nimble, simple electric cars for non-polluting urban travel. They were designed for inner-city use, where performance and long-distance driving is not a major requirement.
They were imported into the UK by
GoinGreen
who still act as the main supplier of cars and spares.
Reva dc-drive
The original Reva is the dc-drive model. This car first went into production in May 2001 and remained in production until the summer of 2006. It had seating for two adults and two children. Initially only available in India as a right hand drive car, the car was subsequently exported to Malta and the UK where it was branded as the G-Wiz. In late 2005 the car became available in left hand drive form, which allowed the car to be exported to a number of other countries. The dc-drive model had a range of 30-40 miles and a top speed of 40mph.
Reva ac-drive
In mid-2006, a new, more powerful version of the Reva car was launched. Visually identical to the earlier dc-drive model, the Reva ac-drive had a more efficient and more powerful ac-drive electric motor, providing better acceleration and improved hill-climbing performance. Top speed increased to 45mph and the range increased to 40-48 miles thanks to improved 'regenerative braking' (where the batteries are recharged by the motion of the car whenever the driver takes their foot off the accelerator.
Reva i
In the middle of 2007, the Reva dc-drive was crash tested by a motoring magazine, using the stringent 'frontal offset' impact test laid down by the Euro N/CAP standards. The car performed badly in these tests and Reva responded rapidly by asking Lotus to help them develop a new frontal crash structure for the car. This was implemented at the end of 2007 in the Reva i model. The Reva i is a substantially reworked car, with the new frontal crash structure, new braking system, enhanced suspension, new windscreen, styling enhancements and improved internal layout giving improved head and leg room inside the car. Performance was been improved with the car now reaching a top speed of 50mph and with better mid-range acceleration. The Reva i has undergone crash testing and is a significantly safer car than earlier models.
Reva NXG
Launched as a concept car in 2005, the Reva NXG Concept was a substantially different car to the other Reva models. Designed as a two seater electric car with higher performance, the NXG was limited to a top speed of 130km/h (81mph) but had rapid acceleration and huge mid-range torque. The NXG had a range of around 125 miles and included a touch screen computer with high speed internet connectivity. The car was launched late on 16th September 2009, but was never sold in the UK.
Reva NXR
The NXR was a lithium-ion electric car which was launched on 16th September 2009 along with the NXG. Top speed was 65mph with a range of 100 miles between charges. The car was sold in the UK from April 2016 as the Mahindra e2o. The e2o was retired from the UK market in May 2017 due to poor sales. The company bought back the cars at full price.
Reva Zephyr
Another concept car, the Zephyr was a two seater convertible with wheel arch extensions, electric windows and a new nose. A few cars were built, but the Zephyr was not put into production.
Reva 'Estate'
Another Reva concept car, this car was capable of carrying four adults and was significantly more spacious than the other Reva models. Again, this car was not put into production but was used to gauge public response. The four seat Reva had an upgraded full leather interior including a leather covered dashboard and door cappings.
Reva Fuel Cell
Another test vehicle, the Reva Fuel Cell car used a fuel cell as a range extender. Seen testing in Bangalore, this Reva was an early prototype for the next generation of Reva electric car. Little is known about the technical configuration of this new model (although that didnt stop the speculation)