Indian Autos blog

The Chevrolet Spark EV could be priced around 3.5 lakh rupees

REVA, the Bangalore-based electric car maker has sold just over 3,000 EVs around the world just before unveiling the NXG and NXR at the Frankfurt Motor Show. That makes REVA the largest maker of electric vehicles in the world.

Come next year, GM India could pip REVA and occupy the top spot, with heavy assistance from REVA themselves. GM India claims it will sell not hundreds, but thousands of Spark EVs in India.

The skeleton and panels including the dashboard and furniture will remain the same. Changes will be made inside the structure as the IC engine will be done away with and instead an electric powertrain supplied by REVA will guard the space.

The customer will be given the option of either the high powered lithium ion battery unit or the cheaper Lead Acid option. Depending on his choice, the car could cost up to 3.50 lakh rupees.

click through to read more

A few months back, on an article regarding the Chevy Spark, we wrote how deeply GM India is obsessed with it, and in the future, it even awaits a diesel engine and smaller 800cc petrol engine. We never imagine this was in the roster – Chevrolet Spark with electric power train sourced from REVA.

Economic Times -

The two companies (REVA and GM India) will enter into a 50:50 joint venture (JV), which is currently awaiting the green signal from GM’s Detroit headquarters. If the JV goes through, it will be GM’s first deal since it filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.

P.Balendran, GM India’s vice-president of corporate affairs -

We have been pursuing opportunities for commercial application of alternative fuel options, including bio-diesel, jatropha arrangement with CSMCRI (Central Salt and Marine Chemicals Research Institute), electric, fuel cell, hydrogen etc, with many parties for quite some time.

Obviously, GM is interested in strapping vehicles with more than just petrol and diesel motors. Thus far, it has not come out with any prototypes or suspicious looking test mules have not been reported. GM will introduce the Volt in India as a fully assembled vehicle in the future, probably to take on the Prius, which is certainly coming to India sooner or later.

With Tata studying the possibility of introducing the Indica Vista EV in certain cities, REVA bringing in the next generation NXG, and Bavina Cars setting up a high capacity plant in Chennai, the EV scene in India is the one to watch out for. If not this Auto Expo, the next one in 2012 should have more contenders displaying their concepts and production EVs.