GM, Reva to Develop EVs for Indian Market

General Motor Co. and electric-vehicle maker Reva Electric Car Co. Pvt. Ltd. will collaborate to develop new products for the Indian market.

GM and Bangalore-based Reva jointly announce the project today.

The auto makers say they will release additional details soon. But Karl Slym, president and managing director-GM India, says the two will make “affordable small-car-platform based vehicles” and suggests incentives will be provided to consumers.

“GM’s ability to develop platforms and Reva’s capability in developing electric drive-trains and control systems will result in the consumer having a wider choice of EVs,” Slym says in a statement.

“We are going to be working closely with the central and state governments in India to develop infrastructure for electric-vehicle charging and providing specific financial benefits to consumers who make the choice to adopt an environment-friendly mode of personal transport.”

Chetan Maini, deputy chairman and chief technology officer at Reva, says the goal is to make India a hub for the development and manufacturing of EVs and related technologies.

The two companies say they already have begun feasibility studies of GM platforms that might fit the program.

GM to partner with electric-vehicle maker Reva in India

Reva currently builds and sells a line of three EVs, with a fourth model coming soon. The cars are 2-door, 4-passenger hatchbacks with a range of 50 miles (80 km) and a top speed of 50 mph (80 km/h). The cars utilize a 48-volt lead acid battery and an AC induction motor with 38 lb.-ft. (52 Nm) of torque.

GM will bring to market in the U.S. late next year the Chevrolet Volt extended-range EV.

A sedan based of the auto maker’s new Delta compact car platform, the Volt utilizes a lithium-ion battery pack capable of providing an all-electric range of 40 miles (64 km) before a range-extending internal combustion engine takes over to help propel the car another 300 miles (483 km).

GM also showed a 2-passenger EV at the New York International Auto Show earlier this year developed using Segway Inc. technology. The vehicle is one-sixth the size of a U.S. midsize car and designed specifically for urban use.