Reva: Electric Car's Future May Be In The Hands Of Small Indian Company

New York Times:

What is indisputable is that as the whole automotive world seems to be racing suddenly toward the age of electricity, the Reva Electric Car Company is in the lead, ahead of better-known local competitors like Tata Motors and global giants like General Motors and Toyota.

Read the whole story: New York Times

Comments

[nextuser]

same old same old. stock market surging. more job loss. no heath care reform. no extension of unemployment benefits. more same cr4p.

good articles; http://financeopinionss.blogspot.com

no point in voting

[edwcorey]

This is a big problem caused by Repuconservatives: To them, what's old is great; they way we have always done things is the best way, etc. And that type of society ends up in the garbage, because younger, nimbler, more liberal societies innovate and pass them by. It's happening now, folks.

[edwcorey]

Wind farms in Texas being built by...China? http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/30/business/energy-environment/30wind.html?ref=science

[PlayTOE]

I'm a bit worried about GM having an interest in REVA. Every other energy efficiency company that got involved with GM lost it's patents and went bankrupt .. and their products still sit unmade.

Reva should just ask for public investment, and make cars ...

[KaptainKen]

Many folks here and elsewhere consider an electric car ... and reject it as their primary car because of its limited range and low maximum speed.

One survey has stated that the average number of cars per household in the United States is 2.28. ( http://www.autospies.com/news/Study-Finds-Americans-Own-2-28-Vehicles-Per-Household-26437/ )

Looked at it this way: an electric can make sense for many two car households. Most trips are local ... say 20 or less miles round trip ... And with two passengers or less. Check for yourself ... examine your own driving routine and/or count the number of cars that pass by with a driver only. I think that a household could cut it's gas usage in half (or more) with an electric and gas fueled PAIR of cars instead of two gas fueled cars. At the present level of technology and our automobile based culture an electric is probably not the best choice as a primary car.

Suggestion: The government could encourage a "Household MPG Fleet Average" through tax incentives and/or penalties. If it was done nationwide our national gas consumption would be reduced. I'd welcome comments on this ...

[wadenelson1]

Isn't it ironic. CARB -- the California Air Resources Board --- forced GM and Ford to develop electric cars in the '90's. GM built the EV-1, Ford built an electric Ranger pickup.

"If you're gonna sell cars in California," CARB said, "X% of them will be ZEV's.

They built them, consumers generally liked them, despite a few technical hiccups, and then GM and Ford terminated the leases and crushed them. "Not enough profit," they said.

People whine and complain so much about "government interference in industry."

If CARB had had the cojones to FORCE GM and Ford to KEEP manufacturing and selling "zero emissions vehicles" it might not be your and my tax dollars bailing them out now.

But no, the Republicans can't allow government to tell industry what to do. Ever.

At least, thanks to CARB, it won't take Ford and GM 20 MORE years to get EV's back on the road. They have SOME of the technology and experience they need.

[michmudder]

You say our tax dollars are bailing out Ford?

[ObamaSheeple]

Yes! Tens of billions in "dirty government don't tell me how to run my business" loans on top of their private loans.

Search "the google". It can be found on the internets which is a series of tubes.

[michmudder]

You mean this:
http://www.google.com/#hl=en&source=hp&q="dirty+government+don't+tell+me+how+to+run+my+business"

Thanks for wasting our time.

[wadenelson1]

You asking questions you already know the answer to?

Pick one detail out of my story and refute it. Then you can ignore the whole premise, right?

[The Professor]

Didn't GM produce an electric car in the 90's? I think CA bought a few or CA leased them. I think they have all been crushed today by GM. Why can't GM produce those cars today?

[michmudder]

"Why can't GM produce those cars today?"

No one wants to buy a vehicle equipped with lead-acid batteries, unless they want to poison the watershed of the local landfill. Ni-Cd is today's technology and Lithium-Ion technology is here soon. Tesla has it here today.

[The Professor]

Actually, the public should want to buy a vehicle with Lead-acid batteries to "save" the planet, Ni-Cad and Lithium are not as "green" as you might think. Lead-acid batteries are easily and totally recyclable, Ni-Cad/Lithium batteries are not. Producing Ni-Cad/Lithium batteries more energy intensive than Lead-acid batteries and cause pollution, not only in production, but also in recovery. What Ni-Cad/Lithium batteries have over Lead-acid is weight/duration and more recharge cycles. What Lead-acid has over Ni-Cad/Lithium is cost. And Lithium has to be imported, Lead does not.

[Travis bdboy]

For all you NAH sayers...my wind generator will produce enough power to change

my car.....so don't start talking anti-green until you actually do GO green

[Travis bdboy]

And here we are in North America, bailing out the car companies and being

overtaken by a country that has more poverty than anywhere....wake up White

House, America will be left behind and the bailout money will go to India

[Pippen]

Our entire economy is built around the auto mobile; stock market, investments, labor, plant, production, oil, gas, etc....

Until we get jobs in this economy with an overhaul stimulus bill on energy this is all just verbal masturbation.

Nobody except the ultra rich will green light an electric car or moving vehicle production back to America. The rich don't want whats best for America they want slaves and all the wealth in the world. You, an American consumer are NOT part of that plan.

Get a pitchfork or get back to grazing. See ya in the field munching on oats.

[leduck]

"Our entire economy is built around the auto mobile; stock market, investments, labor, plant, production, oil, gas, etc...."

THAT'S WHY PEAK OIL WILL BE SO PAINFUL

[Blurp]

Uh, no.

[Democratuser]

We need more stimulus spending. More jobs programs. Lets pray that Obama can get it done. Millions of lower & middle class Americans are falling through the cracks. We need a bailout to help them, not the banks.

hat tip to http://financeopinionss.blogspot.com

lets get unemployment benefit extension passed

[leduck]

for Obama to succeed, first he needs to start dealing with reality
so far, he's just another politican

[ResidualSelfImage]

Good for the electric car company.
We need Obama to fix bad trade deals so we can afford the electric cars that are being made here.
We need a 20% tariff on all imported cars and parts.

[deepfreezevideo]

Here's what I've never understood about "city cars" like the Reva, and all the talk about how "city cars" are an important part of car sales:
If you can show me how it makes sense for the average American, who is severely affected by the current economic conditions, to make a special purchase of a special car that is actually LIMITED to ONE TYPE of travel (city driving) instead of an all purpose vehicle that can go anywhere, I will buy into all the hype.
"Nope, sorry I cannot go to that meeting"
"Nope, sorry I can't go do that job tomorrow"
"Nope, sorry I can't apply for that job"

WHY? Because all three would involve travel on a freeway or travel at speeds above the maximum speed of your "city car".

So...you have a car, but it's not REALLY A CAR, because it can only take you certain places!
You might as well not have a car and take the bus. Fifteen thousand bucks buys an awful lot of bus passes with taxi fare left over!

[The Meek]

This car is not meant for the American market. If you live in London and have the money it makes huge sense because they have to pay a punitive fee for driving a full size vehicle in the city. More European city will probably adopt London's model because big cars are a big problem on narrow streets. Electric delivery vehicles are also being made for the European market.

[apoyo]

And there you have concisely stated the master plan to make you a slave to your car and oil prices.

Decentralize everything and spend as little as possible on mass transit.

Detroit and the big oil companies made it big on that very premise.

[KaptainKen]

I dis-agree, freeze.

The average number of cars per household in the U.S. is two. (I can't find a reference, but I remember seeing it somewhere.) If one of them were a rechargeable, limited range electric then that car could be used for routine local driving ... like to the local grocery store or to drop-off the kids at school.

The other "un-limited range", gas fueled car would be used for trips beyond the range or passenger capacity of the electric car. Think semiannual family trips to grandma's house.

Even the most notorious gas-hog is "green" when it sits in the driveway and is not used.

[leduck]

The only force great enough to get people out of their cars...,
IS MOTHER NATURE

and it will happen

PEAK OIL

[apoyo]

Everybody talks about China.

But, India is the up and coming world power.

[leduck]

burb

[leduck]

ooops


BURP

[quiviran]

Actually, the burbs are part of Americas problem.