Mahindra-Reva to begin producing 2012 Reva NXR four seat electric car by September end

Mahindra-Reva has just inaugurated a spanking new production facility at Electronic City, Bangalore. The new production facility is capable of producing 30,000 electric cars every year. For now though, Mahindra-Reva plans to produce 6,000 cars per year with plans of scaling up as demand peaks. Mahindra-Reva has some very bullish projections for the electric car business, with the automaker targeting sales of 30,000 cars a year from 2015-16. The new plant would target both the domestic as well as the international markets for its electric car range even as the Reva has traditionally been a strong seller in export markets.

2012 Mahindra Reva NXR Electric Car Front

The first car to roll out from this facility in late September would be the Reva NXR, which was showcased at the 2012 Indian Auto Expo. The Reva NXR is a four seat electric hatchback, targeted at city car buyers. The electric car comes with lithium ion batteries that give it significantly better performance as well as range, when compared to conventional lead acid batteries, which are heavier and consequently limit range of electric cars.

The lithium ion batteries, however are more expensive than lead acid batteries and this is a major barrier for Mahindra-Reva as the cost of the Reva NXR shoots up due to the new set of batteries. The 2012 Mahindra Reva NXR will be capable of delivering a range of 160 kilometers or 100 miles, for every full charge of its lithium ion battery stack. Top speed will be an impressive 105 Kph with acceleration being quite peppy as electric cars produce their peak torque right from the word go.

2012 Mahindra Reva NXR Electric Car Rear

So, the Reva NXR will be quite a zippy ride around town and with Mahindra-Reva managing to make the electric car spacious enough for four adults, the NXR could be the choice of many city dwellers looking for the convenience and economy that a compact electric runabout offers. Driving the Reva NXR will be effortless with the CVT transmission ensuring that all the driver has to do is to steer and manipulate the accelerator and brake pedals.

The absence of a clutch pedal makes the Reva NXR a hassle free drive for everyone who hate shifting gears manually. The key to the success of the Reva NXR in India however, would be the price at which it would be priced at. Mahindra-Reva would be hoping for the Indian government to continue subsidizing electric cars through the National Electric Vehicle Mobility Mission 2020. The new policy is yet to be announced although it should be made public anytime now. The subsidy essentially would make the Reva NXR cheaper by INR 1 lakh, the crucial amount between success and failure. Watch this space.