Wednesday, March 30, 2005

REVA - India's First Electric Car...

It is too hot in Bangalore. Too hot to think straight! Maybe that is why I felt a deep urge to buy this miniscule electric car that can go only 80 km on a single charge! (65 km if the AC is on...and you better have it on in this weather)

My line of thinking goes like this...."Why is it so hot in Bangalore? Probably because of all these vehicles spewing out smoke and heat. Ghosh!! I drive one of these vehicles. I must do something about this situation. I must buy an electric car"

So I called up the Reva dealer on Lavelle Road. Here are some random facts from the conversation:
  • The cool looking Zephyr convertible is not yet available. It will be commercialized in 3-4 years!!! Why did they have to tempt me with the picture of the convertible when it wasnt ready? I was happy with the knowledge that there is no convertible.
  • The base model without the AC costs Rs. 2,54,000/-. The one with the AC costs Rs. 2,94,000/-. The "Classe" one with all the cool features costs Rs. 3,24,000/-. Seems quite expensive considering that a Maruti 800 is available for about 2 lakhs. However, if you were facing the heat in Bangalore today, you wouldnt really have such considerations.
  • Starting April 1, all these cars will cost Rs. 30,000/- more because of some new tax. I thought the government was supposed to encourage the use of electric cars (pollution free, energy efficient and what not). Bottom line - I need to buy one either today or tomorrow to save 30,000/-
Signing off for now. Maybe the next time I'll write, I will be posting pictures of my brand new Reva.