GM and Reva announce Indian EV partnership

General Motors India and Reva Electric Car Company announced today in New Delhi the signing of an agreement to cooperate in the development of electric vehicles for the Indian market.

The two manufacturers will jointly develop car platforms, electric vehicle technology and advanced vehicle control systems. Their goal is to create and launch an affordable small car for domestic consumers.

“We are pleased to be joining hands with Reva, a leader in the development of electric drivetrains and control systems,” said GM India President and Managing Director Mr Karl Slym.

“We will also work closely with the government of India, which has expressed a goal of reducing fossil fuel dependence, in the development of an electric vehicle infrastructure. We look forward to giving our customers a new choice of environmentally friendly products.”

The two companies have begun feasibility studies of GM’s small vehicle platforms to host the electric technology. GM and Reva plan to announce more details about the vehicle soon and begin production in 2010.

“We are extremely happy that we have found a partner in GM India that shares our passion for reducing carbon emissions,” said Mr Chetan Maini, Deputy Chairman and Chief Technology Officer of Reva.

“Reva and GM India will leverage our companies’ strengths to help make India a global hub for the development and manufacture of electric vehicles and related technologies. Our unique collaboration has the potential to result in far-reaching changes for the industry.”

GM is pursuing several energy alternatives and advanced technology options to meet the varied needs of customers around the globe. GM believes that electrically driven vehicles, based on battery and hydrogen fuel cell technology, offer the best long-term solution for providing sustainable personal transportation. It will continue its own research and development in this area.

“Development of small electric vehicles is a growth area for the automotive industry. We expect cooperation with Reva in India to accelerate GM’s progress to meet the emerging needs in many parts of the world,” said Mr Nick Reilly, President of General Motors International Operations.

GM recently opened its new Global Battery Systems Lab, which is the largest and most technologically advanced battery lab in the United States. The new lab will lead GM’s global advanced battery engineering resources and expedite the introduction of electrically driven vehicles, including the Chevrolet Volt, as well as plug-in hybrid and hybrid-electric vehicles and fuel cell vehicles.

The Chevrolet Volt, which is scheduled to start production in The United States in late 2010 as a 2011 model, is expected to travel up to 65km on electricity from a single battery charge and be able to extend its overall range to more than 480km with its flex fuel-powered engine-generator.

The Chevrolet Volt uses grid electricity as its primary source of energy to propel the car.

With: GM India