I had my first chance to drive a REVA last night and it was AWESOME!!! Thanks to Rajiv for letting us drive his car. Sharath, Sunil and me had our turns to drive it and truly none of us were any less than Stunned by it.
- Reva Rocks
REVA cars have been around for more than a decade, i am sure you would have noticed them, but their true worth can be felt now due to the rising Fuel Costs and the Pollution that the ever so multiplying vehicles create. It’s a small ELECTRIC car which can drive around two adults in the front and two kids in the rear. Me and Rajiv could sit it in together and could drive it easily at 50Kmph and yes our heads do not touch the roof !!!!
There are many misconceptions of this car and all the ones that i had were shattered last night.
Key things that I liked:
- Environmental Benefits:
- Hybrid cars and electric cars are increasing in numbers due to their environment friendly nature. They are Non Smoking cars; you should dispose the Lead batteries that are used efficiently though.
- Sound Pollution is NIL. The car will Whiff past you and you will not even notice.
- Fuel Economy:
- 50 paisa per kilometer. That’s how cheap the drive around is. A fully charged REVA can travel 55-60 km before it needs to be charged again and that makes it a wonderful car for city drive. It has a very powerful A/C too; hence the usage might vary accordingly.
- It just needs a 15Amps socket to charge. There is an indicator that displays the amount of charge left (Analog one though. would be nice to have a digital indicator)
- Seats:
- REVA has one of the best seats for the small cars. It easily beats Indica, Alto and the likes. The seat is at a good height; you can just turn around and get out of the car as if you have been sitting on your chair in office.
- Leg Space:
- Wow!! I was amazed by the amount of leg space the car has. Very comfy. You can stretch your legs and sit the way you like.
- Steering Wheel:
- It felt like an X Box 360 Steering Wheel and me playing a racing game in Amoeba
- It felt like an X Box 360 Steering Wheel and me playing a racing game in Amoeba
- Turning Radius:
- I think it would beat my Pulsar at this. It is so neat in turning around that I was amazed. Like turning a Go-Karting car.
- Size:
- (Smile) Well as Rajiv put it “It will give the Auto Drivers a run for their money”. Truly the maneuverability and the size put together make a lethal combination for City Comfort Driving. Small in size means, no parking concerns too.
- Usability:
- The car runs on a battery and has no engine, no gear lever, no clutch…. none of all that. Just an Accelerator and Brake. Switch on the car, choose one the mode (F – Forward, B – Boost, R – Reverse or N-Neutral) and get going. It will not switch off till you turn the key off, so don’t worry of half clutch and all the other concerns. Simple isn’t it. Better than an Activa, you will not fall :)
How much does it cost? Good Question.
The basic model is about 3.5 lakhs and the high end version is 4.5lakhs. Costly i should say considering that it is manufactured in Bangalore,India and comes from an Indian Company. (yes i was surprised to hear this too). I dont think Government is aiding this company in ways it should. They support Maruthi Udyog and the likes in extraordinary ways and reel out lakhs of smoking cars onto indian roads, REVA lacks the support for sure.
All in all, a wonderful second car to have. It suits perfectly for day to day work like household shopping, kids to school, office nearby or even movies on weekends.
Kudos!!!!
PS: Thanks for the title Sharath. I could not think of a better one than that.
