We took India’s only electric car out for a spin. Here’s what we thought of it
There are various ways in which people think of their cars: Some take it to be purely a means of transport from one point to another; some think of it as an extension of their personality, a sort of status symbol; others look at it as a comfortable and safe transport option for them and their family.
When Mahindra & Mahindra launched Reva e2o in India last month, it got us thinking. It is a car unlike any in the Indian automobile market: It is small, looks quirky, and runs on batteries. Who will buy it? Why? What lifestyle will it fit into? We put the Reva e2o in the hands of four people from Forbes India, each with a different lifestyle and requirement. Each person used the car for two days.
Deepak Ajwani
Current Vehicle: Maruti Swift diesel
Daily Commute: 70 km (approx)
Lifestyle: Long commute, not many meetings in the day, lives in a high rise building, has a dedicated parking spot with provision to charge an electric vehicle
The reva e2o is a pleasure to drive—it is cute and a performer. A crowd puller, because of its novel design, it was a celeb on the roads.
This automatic electric car packs a punch with its multiple features—an AC (the car doesn’t lose momentum or vigour while the AC runs), a radio, an LCD touch screen with digital display and a rear camera view of the car while reversing.
The car has enough space to comfortably accommodate four people for a quick city drive and has adequate boot space for shopping bags. The best part about it was the stress-free drive through traffic. Smooth, effortless, simple mechanism, easy to maneuver and a nifty pick-up is how I would like to sum up the drive.
I accelerated up to 90 kmph on Palm Beach Road in Navi Mumbai, and the car stuck firmly to the road, with no vibrations. Parking is much less cumbersome; you can find enough nooks and crannies to park, and rest assured it won’t be stolen as it starts only with its RFID key.
The RFID key, however, makes it cumbersome to start. Sometimes the car wouldn’t detect the RFID signals; at other times I would have to restart the entire process.
The brakes are really sharp. If you are speeding at 60 kmph or more and if you have to suddenly brake, you might just want to be careful. The car would screech to a halt even with a slight pressure on the pedal. Although the car tells you at the very start of the journey that you can run it for 99 km after a full charge, this can be deceptive if you drive with the AC or music switched on.
My 30 km journey to office without the AC would leave a balance of around 69 km worth of charge, but with the AC switched on it consumed an extra 10 km to 15 km worth of charge. So, if you are planning a 99 km drive after charging it fully, budget for a maximum of 70 km with the AC running.
The price, around Rs 7.4 lakh in Mumbai, is quite an ask. Mahindra & Mahindra also says the battery needs to be changed every four to five years, which may add Rs 2 lakh to the total bill. Now, an electric or non-fossil fuel vehicle should at least be lighter on the pocket for maintenance and running. Reva e2o disappoints on this count. I would love to do my bit for the environment but only if I am not bothered about what it does to my bank balance.
Minal Shetty
(This story appears in the 17 May, 2013 issue of Forbes India. To visit our Archives, click here.)