The Reva (sold as the G-Wiz in the UK)

The G-Wiz (known as the Reva in India where the car is manufactured) is quickly becoming the world’s most successful electric car, with 3500 units sold to date.

The creator of the car is a man named Cheten Maini, recently joining BusinessWeek India’s list of the ‘50 Most Powerful People of 2009’. But he’s adamant that the title doesn’t faze him. When asked he dismisses praise with a modest (and cringe-inducing) “it’s not if you win or lose, it’s how you play the game” themed response.

Admittedly though he does deserve his praise. Cheten has worked hard to build his little car make up to actually compete with the big boys, despite the car being plug-ugly and as fast as a glacier. In fact when the car first arrived on the scene just over a decade ago, it was laughed at from around the globe. Yet while the design has barely changed since production started, sales have skyrocketed.

This challenges the firmly held belief that ugly cars don’t sell, especially in First World countries such as the UK. The G-Wiz as it’s called in the UK, does have it’s reasons for success however. It’s so small that it can be registered as a quadricycle (like a 4-wheeled farm bike) which means it qualifies for much cheaper vehicle registration. Also being a quadricycle it is exempt from crash testing, making it very cheap to produce because of a lack of expensive safety features and prohibitively expensive crash testing. One final jewel in the crown of the G-Wiz is the fact that electric cars are exempt from costly Congestion Charges when entering the city.

Cheten Maini has big plans for Reva too, with the company preparing to step up in vehicle options and manufacturing quantities. Just last year the car maker unveiled its high-tech models, the NXR and NXG at the Frankfurt Motor Show. Interestingly it was the only Indian Manufacturer to be present in a global motor show showcasing next-generation electric vehicle models.

Reva’s current production capacity is 6,000 vehicles each year, which will go up five-fold, once work on its new Bangalore plant is completed by the end of 2010. At present, half of all vehicles built at Reva’s facilities are currently being exported. According to Frost and Sullivan estimates, the electric vehicle market forecast is set to grow up to 1.2 million vehicles globally by 2015.

Reva are also involved with the installation of 100 charging points in Delhi. This, coupled with the upcoming release of their new high-speed models means that whether you like it or not, the Reva is a force to be reckoned with and will be play a big part in the electric vehicle fleets we will see on our roads.