[brilliantlights]

As an owner of Reva (my 2nd car - my wife's car to be technically correct) for over an year can share some of the experiences and will be happy to answer any questions that I can:

The Good
----------

1. It really saves you money that you would otherwise spend on petrol or
diesel.

2. Lovely car to drive - mostly no issues (pls dont compare the shock absorbers with high end petrol cars - more on that later).

3. One point - I've not heard anyone share on forums - in summers you notice the big difference - metal bodied cars heat up a lot, but this one is mostly tough fibre, and does not heat up - considering A/C is on - you still feel very easily that Reva is cooler.

4. Does not cause any pollution, zero CO2/carbon-monooxide emission.

5. Quite a quiet car.

6. The A/C in classe model is very good.

7. In 2 hrs charges almost 50%, so good for emergency charging. Full nice long charge needs 7-8 hours.


The Bad - Scope for improvement
----------------------------------

1. Very expensive - costs 4.5 lakhs for a full loaded one (Classe)

2. Shock absorbers are bad - you know when you go over a hmm what should I say - reverse speed breaker/trough or a not so deep pot hole.

3. The electronic wiper is very delicate - on two instances the IC burnt down (fused) as something got stuck in the wiper (a twig I guess during heavy rains). The power builds up in the circuit and it breaks down, and it was really difficult to drive in the rain with the wiper going down, happened twice. This is one of the risky parts of a beautiful vehicle.

4. Service outlets - hardly any (I know of only one) - unlike Maruti Suzuki or Honda, with Mahindra's majority stake Vs Maini's in Reva, things should change for the better at least on service outlet front. Moreover their customer care number is just the number of a person on duty on mobile phone who is often not sure whats to be done - its not a dedicated call center that gives you a case id or committed response time etc.

5. Without music or A/C on, gives 70 km per charge (Good!), with music system on, gives around 60, and with A/C on gives around 50km per charge.

6. Hand break - its a primitive type - you need to get used to using it right.

7. The side windows,can be rigid and difficult at times to 'click' into locked position.

Anyway - inspite of all of this, its a really good initiative to be encouraged, and an effort in the right direction. I think this technology needs a lot of working, and has a long journey to be a pro-level car, but as I said earlier, with all its shortcomings, is a pleasure to drive.

Cheers!

PS: Will be glad to hear from fellow team-bhp'ians on their experiences and fully appreciate that our experiences may be completely different.

[musicmanaman]

Good review of the Reva, wish they come out with a bigger version now, that can accomodate a family, always felt it's very small, and more for single than a family.

[Rehaan]

Please also see these three related threads :

2006 Maini Reva (G-Wiz) - An Ownership Review

Is anyone driving Reva in realtime traffic?

2007 Reva-i An ownership report

cya
R

[GTO]

Not everyday that we see a Reva review in here, mate. Thanks for sharing your viewpoints with the community.

Originally Posted by brilliantlights

Lovely car to drive - mostly no issues

Agreed. The Reva is so easy to drive, it almost feels like a toy. The only other car that's as effortless in the city is the Nano.

One point - I've not heard anyone share on forums - in summers you notice the big difference - metal bodied cars heat up a lot, but this one is mostly tough fibre, and does not heat up - considering A/C is on - you still feel very easily that Reva is cooler.

Interesting point.

Quite a quiet car.

Not to mention, it does take getting used to. Accelerating with zero engine noise is an experience in itself.

Very expensive - costs 4.5 lakhs for a full loaded one (Classe)

This is the single largest impediment to the Reva's success. Its simply too basic, small and limited (in scope) to command a 4.5 lakh rupee tag. Then, the Nano comes along and makes the Reva look even more overpriced.

Hopefully, Mahindra's acquiring a majority stake in Maini should lead to better economies of scale (nationwide distribution, after all) and more realistic pricing.

with music system on, gives around 60

I'm only wondering how much the battery will be affected with the kind of ICE setups that Team-BHPians get for their cars

Anyway - inspite of all of this, its a really good initiative to be encouraged, and an effort in the right direction. I think this technology needs a lot of working, and has a long journey to be a pro-level car, but as I said earlier, with all its shortcomings, is a pleasure to drive.

I think Maini deserves an applaud for single-handedly creating, and sustaining, the Indian electric car movement. His car is more innovative than what a Maruti has cumulatively managed in 27 years (as the country's largest car manufacturer).

We'd love to see pictures!

[beejay]

Originally Posted by brilliantlights

3. One point - I've not heard anyone share on forums - in summers you notice the big difference - metal bodied cars heat up a lot, but this one is mostly tough fibre, and does not heat up - considering A/C is on - you still feel very easily that Reva is cooler.

Would like to add another point to the shell part. Its been made of the same material used for water tanks.
I don't know how comfortable you would be doing this, yet. Punch the door panel in and it pops back. Dent free. Can take a lot of abuse in the city madness, but not accident worthy.

The only thing I would worry about is replacing the life cell or battery. A very expensive affair.

All the best and some pictures, please.

[jacs]

Thanks for the review. I was dreaming of buying it as an alternate car which can be used for daily commuting to office and city trips in bumber to bumber traffic.

But what is stopping is its price, i never felt its a VFM product. No doubt its a good attempt by an Indian company (remember seeing Lovebird in late 90s which was supposed to be India's first procuction electric car which didnt saw day light).

Atleast if its priced around 3L with reasonable features and atleast the 150KMPC mark, makes sense for us to buy considering the environment and running cost.

[honeybee]

Originally Posted by GTO

I'm only wondering how much the battery will be affected with the kind of ICE setups that Team-BHPians get for their cars

I guess you would have to rip out the rear bench in the Reva to accomodate your speakers, tweeters, subwoofers and whatnot

Brilliantlights, you have mentioned the Classe model. If I recall correctly it was one of the first models of the Reva launched. Did you purchase this model back then, or have you purchased it of late from another Reva owner?

How long have you owned it, and how long has it run? The Reva claims 80 kms per charge, while you have been getting about 70kms. If you can tell us the age and running of your Reva, we might be able to understand how long the battery pack can last. After all a lead acid battery of those days would probably last for three years if maintained well. If you are getting as much as 70kms, I would say it's a good average. Has the battery pack been replaced anytime?

Regarding saving money, can you share some info on the increase in your electricity bills after you started charging the Reva from your own power socket? While you don't spend as high as on a petrol or diesel car, charging it would still require money at the end of the day (or month to be precise). So any inputs on the relative increase in the electricity bills would be great.

@GTO, the biggest problem for the Reva is IMO lack of charging infrastructure. As you had mentioned in a post on the Mike Boxwell (sp?) thread, it's not easy to get a separate connection for charing a car. In our neighbouhood, where the newest buildings were built 20 years back and owning cars was a novelty, there's no parking within the building premises, which adds to the hassles of charging a Reva. Though I should say the small size of the car would enable one to bring it inside the compound for the night, charge it up and drive it out in the morning. Still, not exactly as easy as simply parking the car on the road. Also, sadly charging it anywhere else isn't as easy as going to the petrol pump and filling it up.

The second biggest problem is financing. About six years back when I was considering my first car, I was seriously thinking about the Reva. The finance options on the Reva were more difficult/costly than a new M800.

Some way to charge the cars more conveniently and easy financing would go a long way to bring more Revas on the road. Just imagine if half the Mumbai traffic were Revas, you would at least get rid of most of the noise pollution.

[zulfi hansi]

Originally Posted by brilliantlights

As an owner of Reva (my 2nd car - my wife's car to be technically correct) for over an year can share some of the experiences and will be happy to answer any questions that I can:

Have you changed the spare tyre in Reva so far, if you have, please let me know hoe to do it as I am completely blank as to how you remove it from where it is fitted in the front under the hood, it looks like it is bolted like an engine.

[Ragul]

How man KW per hour of charging? Or how many units on electricity bill extra per month for an average of how many kms per month.

--R

[brilliantlights]

Originally Posted by zulfi hansi

Have you changed the spare tyre in Reva so far, if you have, please let me know hoe to do it as I am completely blank as to how you remove it from where it is fitted in the front under the hood, it looks like it is bolted like an engine.

Hi Zulfi,

Changing the spare tyre is relatively a little tough in Reva compared to your regular car. The spare tyre is under the front of the car under the bonnet. The wheel is screwed to a metal rod that is screwed to the body of the car so you need to have the tools (that come with Reva) to remove the two screws to free the metal bar from the body and then unscrew the wheel from the metal bar.

Use the jack as usual to change the tyre and you need to repeat the same procedure to place the removed tyre back under the bonnet (or just keep it in the car, have it repaired and fit it back - why refit it twice?)

Hope this answers the question. cheers.

[brilliantlights]

Originally Posted by honeybee

Brilliantlights, you have mentioned the Classe model. If I recall correctly it was one of the first models of the Reva launched. Did you purchase this model back then, or have you purchased it of late from another Reva owner?

How long have you owned it, and how long has it run? The Reva claims 80 kms per charge, while you have been getting about 70kms. If you can tell us the age and running of your Reva, we might be able to understand how long the battery pack can last. After all a lead acid battery of those days would probably last for three years if maintained well. If you are getting as much as 70kms, I would say it's a good average. Has the battery pack been replaced anytime?

Regarding saving money, can you share some info on the increase in your electricity bills after you started charging the Reva from your own power socket? While you don't spend as high as on a petrol or diesel car, charging it would still require money at the end of the day (or month to be precise). So any inputs on the relative increase in the electricity bills would be great.

The second biggest problem is financing. About six years back when I was considering my first car, I was seriously thinking about the Reva. The finance options on the Reva were more difficult/costly than a new M800.

Some way to charge the cars more conveniently and easy financing would go a long way to bring more Revas on the road. Just imagine if half the Mumbai traffic were Revas, you would at least get rid of most of the noise pollution.

Hi Honeybee,

We bought the highest end model that comes with an A/C and a music system in around 2008 if I recollect correctly. Finance was not an issue at all. Reva (now Mahindra) would help you with that. Battery was replaced in 2012, it lasted for a full term that they say (5 yrs if maintained well) and was a trouble free experience.

It is running great now. All limitations are there in my earlier post.

Note: The A/C had started making a loud sound sometime earlier this year and had to be repaired. The service has improved after Mahindra acquisition.

How many kms has it run - I need to check but it is not more than 35,000 Km for sure. My current electricity bill for Reva alone comes around 800 rs for driving around 1200 Kms a month - so I think it is a significant saving compared to petrol expense for the same kms.

Hope I answered most of the questions (although not in exact details that you asked for, sorry about that).

Cheers.

[honeybee]

Hmmm... the cost of running is about 1/4th of the Nano. At 20kmpl and approx Rs 80 per litre I spend above Rs 800 per week which is more than 200kms.

At this rate paying 1L for the battery pack doesn't sound astronomical.

[Dry Ice]

Living with a G-Wiz (in 2022)

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=fLTFL7NX3J8