The Reva i/G Wiz I The micro electric vehicle (EV) with 0% carbon dioxide emission In light of the fact that the UK is the most car dominated economy with the highest congested and most intensely used road network in Europe it is no wonder that emissions from road transport are the biggest cause of carbon dioxide pollution in this country. Ladies and gentleman I introduce to you the solution to this problem, the Reva i /G-Wiz i electric vehicle.

Body Architecture

The Reva i is a small electric vehicle with zero percercent carbon dioxide emission. It is manufactured by the Reva Electric Car Company of India and has become the fastest selling car in London.

Dimensions The three door hatchback,pictured in slide 2, measures 2.6m long 1.3m wide and 1.5m high making it the smallest hybrid car on the market without compromising on safety and comfort. The car has a total weight of 665kg which includes 270kg battery weight. Because of its small size the car only needs a 3.5m radius to make a u-turn. It occupies very little parking space and is economical to run, 1.2p per mile.

Electric Design The car does not utilise a combustion engine. It is powered by a 13kw AC motor controlled by a 350A variable speed AC drive. Power supply comes from 8 series connected 6V, 200Ah lead acid batteries giving it a 48V supply.

Environmental Friendliness This EV has zero percent Carbon dioxide emission from the exhaust giving it an emission reduction impact of 98% according to Ecolane studies. However, because the car is charged from electricity which is sometimes generated using less environmentally friendly fuels, the emission reduction impact is reduced to 74%.

The impact on company success By the end of 2009,1100 cars had been sold in UK alone and 3500 globally. Because of the success of the Reva I, the manufacturing company has expanded to ten European countries despite the global financial meltdown. The CEO and founder of the company, Chetan Maini,said in his financial report at the end of the trading year ending April 2009 that the company had seen a growth of 20 to 25% and was expecting a further growth of 30 to 40% by the end of 2009

Impact on society attitude The mayor of London announced that electric vehicles are now exempted from the £8 congestion charge in London and do not pay parking parking fees. On 6 November he announced the creation of Source London Network tasked with installing 1300 public charging points by the end of The chancellor Alistair Darling announced that the EVs are now exempted from paying road tax and the government has set aside a grant of up to £5000 for those wishing to purchase electric vehicles.

Improvements The 2008 model had a maximum range of 48 miles per charge and a maximum speed of 50 miles an hour The 2009 model has a maximum range of 200km per charge and a maximum speed of 80km/h. This has been achieved by using a lithium ion battery pack which is lighter in weight, stores more charge and charges fully in 20% less time.

Conclusion It can be argued that the success of the of the Reva i has had an impact not only on the general society but also on policy makers. It has made people realise that its possible to do something to help reduce carbon dioxide emissions, a major contributor to global warming

References 1) Driving Down Pollution-Going Green 04/05/2009 2)G-Wiz –Green Car Guide 14/05/2008 3)The New G-Wiz – Going Green 28/02/2008 4)Electric Car Reva’s Sales Pick Up- News Center 14/01/2009