Some men succeed because they are destined to, but many because they are determined to.
This holds true for Chetan Maini, Managing Director, Reva Electric Car Company, who launched Reva, India’s first electric car last year at Bangalore. 250 cars later he came down to Chennai to display his electrifying Reva Classe, a luxury model.

The two-door hatchback fully automatic car, “answers the need for a small car with excellent mobility inside the city,” points out the young Chetan Maini, 35, and sporting a French beard. The lack of an engine, gear, clutch, radiator, spark plugs, fan belts and oil changes leads to 40% less maintenance, with minimum wear and tear.

Conceived in 1995 as an environment friendly cost-effective city car, the Reva was developed by the Maini Group in a joint venture with AEVT Inc. of Irvin Dale California. Though the first prototype was unveiled in 1995, nearly 100 engineers worked on the initial batch of 40 cars, drove a million kilometers before confidently handing the car to customers in 2001.

Environment friendly, the Reva’s running cost is just 40 paise/km. Lending 80 kms on a single charge (of 9 units) using a 220 volt, 15 amp power source, the Reva is surely an economy vehicle. Eight percent charge is done in 2.5 hours and 100% in 6 hours. The Rs.30,000 battery has a three year warranty.

Priced at 3.06 lakh for the luxury model, its an intelligent car whose two on board computers monitor the car’s performance facilitating computer controlled fault diagnostics.

Technically, the lack of an engine has resulted in a large crush zone in front. The steel frame with side impact beams offer good safety for occupants. The body is made of ABS, which unlike steel, does not result in a dent on impact. As if to prove a point, Chetan Maini, proceeds to whip out a hammer and deal a few heavy blows on the bonnet. And lo! The body bounces back to shape in an instant. "Would you like to try," he asks to convince any ounce of skepticism in us.

You could customize your Reva choosing from over 2000 trendy colours and designs to suit your taste.

A service centre with a 24-hour mobile Reva Service Car assures buyers of help on road. Those interested in a test drive can stop by at Patel Automobiles at Nandanam.

A Mechanical Engineer, Chetan, has over a decade experience in electric vehicles developing 6 electric, solar and hybrid electric vehicles. Recipient of the Thomas Alva Edison Award for Innovation, he says if he isn’t at the wheel, he’s scuba diving, mountain biking or aeromodelling.