General Motors Reva collaborate for electric vehicle venture

General Motors, Reva collaborate for electric vehicle venture

With an eye on ensuring a sustainable, emission-free future, General Motors India (GMI) and Bangalore-based Reva Electric Car (RECC) have entered into a collaboration agreement to develop electric vehicles for the Indian market. To begin with, both companies are developing an existing platform into a full electric car, which would be launched within the next 12 months.

‘We are beginning our electric car venture with Reva on an existing GM platform, and the first car would be an electric Chevrolet Spark,’ President and MD, General Motors India, Karl Slym said. The two companies have been collaborating for 10 months, and have created test models of the new vehicle, Slym said. The proposed electric car is being targeted for marketing both in the domestic and overseas markets.
Under the tie-up, both companies would develop car platforms, electric vehicle technology and advanced control systems and work towards ‘making India a global hub for the development and manufacture of electric vehicles and related technology’, said Deputy Chairman and CTO, RECC, Chetan Maini. Commenting on Reva’s enhanced energy system, Maini said the electric Spark would be available in a series of battery options and price points.

Although a price has not been ascertained for the electric car, Slym said the goal is to keep it affordable. On volumes, he said, ‘The volumes we are talking about are in thousands and not hundreds.’
The vehicle would be produced at both the GMI plants, in Halol as well as Talegaon, which can together produce 225,000 vehicles a year. RECC is building a new plant in Bangalore with a production capacity of 30,000 units, with commercial production slated to begin early 2010. RECC sold its first electric car in India in 2001.

Slym meanwhile was hopeful that the electric Spark would sidestep the infrastructure problem that exists in India. ‘This technology makes good sense as there is no barrier to entry caused by infrastructure,’ he said adding he would like to build a network of special charging stations at GM dealerships and petrol pump stations.