[honeybee]

For ABS, I don't see any major maintenance needs. Look at your car's dashboard. Other than possibly fading because of harsh sun, there's very little by way of wear and tear to it.

For mainstream automakers, making steel bodies is economical because the processes are known/set and there would be volume discounts. For a new carmaker, these may pose challenges in terms of lack of economies and setting up manufacturing processes.

Also as you have rightly said, the safety of the vehicle is also important. I have a hunch that the ABS would probably offer better safety in the right price bracket than steel, but's it's more opinion than substantiated information.

One big difference between Reva and the other mainstream manufacturers is the scale at which they operate. While the mainstream companies are clocking a few thousand units every month, Reva has probably sold a few thousand in its lifetime. So the so-called economies of scale might actually be a mountain for Reva than a molehill.

[hkollar]

Originally Posted by xoom

Shai Agassi did just that in Israel with Better Place - a model that allows one to to swap a battery pack in less than 5mins in a gas station, and pay for "electric miles" and not for the actual battery.

Yes, and betterplace went bankrupt! That business model isn't somehow workable :(

I think the best model will come from hybrids for now. And once the battery prices are cheap enough the Tesla-S model is perhaps the best.

[xoom]

Originally Posted by hkollar

Yes, and betterplace went bankrupt! That business model isn't somehow workable :(

I think the best model will come from hybrids for now. And once the battery prices are cheap enough the Tesla-S model is perhaps the best.

BetterPlace is still a great idea, the problem with their business was primarily around the need to "get big fast", and that required multiple car makers to standardize on this model - that turned out to be a tall order in spite of having spent over 800M!

Given the fact that battery technology is rapidly evolving, it will be a difficult choice for one to lock in to a ownership given the high costs today.

Wishful thinking - May be Mahindra should offer a 3year lease (effective life of today's batteries), with a sweet offer to renew the lease with next gen batteries.

[2000rpm]

I think e20 makes great sense in smaller cities and towns where people have individual homes rather than apartments (like in mumbai).

This will help in
1. Having charging points in parking
2. Smaller commuting distances thus sufficiency of range

[SS-Traveller]

Just a few interesting trivia, for an e2o that I keep close track of:

1. In real world running, daytime, 40-45*C heat, full AC, moderate traffic, the e2o manages ~80-85 km per charge.

2. At 100% charge, the range in forward gear shows 100 km. In reverse gear, it shows 114 km. Learn to drive backwards to go even more green.

3. The wall-mounted newer generation charging unit for the e2o went kaput twice - ultimately, an old charging unit for the Reva Li-ion is doing duty until M&M figures out what to fix in the new unit. The old design unit has a detachable cord that can be parked in the boot, but the new-design charging unit has it's cord permanently attached to the unit.

[IndianGuardian]

Can anybody please let me know what the capacity of the battery is? For example, Tesla has a 85Kw hour battery.

Since I couldn't find the information anywhere, I called up Mahindra.

1st answer:
19KW @ 3750
My answer: That is a statement of the horsepower of the motor, not the capacity of the battery.

2nd answer:
48V Lithium-ion
My answer: Tells you what the voltage is, but again is not a measure of the storage capacity of the battery.

---

So does anyone know. Am I mistaken in my concepts? Is 19KW really a reference to a 19Kw hour battery?

[Rehaan]

Originally Posted by IndianGuardian

So does anyone know. Am I mistaken in my concepts? Is 19KW really a reference to a 19Kw hour battery?

Nope, you're not mistaken.

Initially by my calculations I was guessing it would be a 15 kwh battery pack, (but then i also didn't factor in regenerative braking etc). Mahindra mentioned it was 10 kwh, as mentioned in the review >

Originally Posted by Rehaan

Charging the e2o

• Both e2o variants come with a 48-volt Lithium-Ion battery pack with a 10 kwh capacity.

cya
R

[chennai-indian]

There is a mention of TBHP in the latest Fortune India magazine - They quote the TBHP review of Reva in an article about Maini and Reva

[9thsphinx]

Found this standing outside the Honda Showroom yesterday.

I must say it looks weird in the pictures but it really isn't that silly looking in person. The blue color suits this small little tree-hugger!

[S_U_N]

Saw the blue one yesterday while I was heading back from work.
Did not know about this official review until then. The car looks good in person and the projectors are indeed very bright. The car seems quite settled on the bad roads.

[SPIKE ARRESTOR]

I have a question, if your vehicle is being towed, does the recuperation work then?

Spike

[slamnos]

Originally Posted by SPIKE ARRESTOR

I have a question, if your vehicle is being towed, does the recuperation work then?

Spike

Hi Spike,

The vehicle should not be towed when the vehicle is switched on, and when the vehicle is not on recuperation doesnt work. It is effective only when you are driving in a down slope and when you are decelerating/braking.

[Rehaan]

Originally Posted by slamnos

The vehicle should not be towed when the vehicle is switched on, .... It [regeneration] is effective only when you are driving in a down slope and when you are decelerating/braking.

Hmmm... but what is the real difference between:
a) Coasting down a long mountain road
b) Being towed with the car on

?

I don't really see a difference
Brakes could be lightly pressed in both cases if required.

cya
R

[slamnos]

Originally Posted by Rehaan

Hmmm... but what is the real difference between:
a) Coasting down a long mountain road
b) Being towed with the car on

?

I don't really see a difference
Brakes could be lightly pressed in both cases if required.
R

Hi Rehaan,

In both the conditions of Coasting down/Being towed, the electric motor rotates in opposite direction compared to the regular drive mode, hence there is regeneration of power.

In case of normal drive/coasting its a mix of acceleration and deceleration, hence the regeneration of power is safe, but in case of towing regeneration happens constantly and might affect the batteries due to thermal runaway condition, hence its advised not to keep the vehicle switched on during towing.

[Rehaan]

Originally Posted by slamnos

In both the conditions of Coasting down/Being towed, the electric motor rotates in opposite direction compared to the regular drive mode, hence there is regeneration of power.

Opposite direction?

How does it handle quick changes between deceleration and acceleration (in terms of the inertia of the rotating mass)?

Originally Posted by slamnos

In case of normal drive/coasting its a mix of acceleration and deceleration, hence the regeneration of power is safe,

I figured this would be a reason against it, thats why i chose "long downhill stretch" in the example

Nonetheless, i get your point.

cya
R