Feb 13, 2010, 12.23 PM IST

The e-Spark unveiled

GM motors in collaboration with the REVA Electric Car company have unveiled the e-Spark, a Battery Electric Vehicle (BEV).

Source: Overdrive Magazine

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_Mr. Chetan Maini, Deputy Chairman and CTO, Reva Electric Car Company in his speech said, "We aim to make India a global hub for the development and manufacture of electric vehicles and related technologies. I am extremely happy that we have found a partner in GM India that shares our passion for reducing carbon emissions and look forward to the continued patronage of the Honourable Chief Minister, Smt. Sheila Dixit who has always been a strong supporter of green technology. Her continued support and blessings will take this initiative to large scale adoption of EVs in the years to come." Mr. Maini added.

The e-Spark is a true Battery Electric Vehicle (BEV). It is going to be based on the existing Chevrolet Spark architecture. The vehicle will be equipped with a host of smart consumer friendly features. The e-Spark will be an "automatic drive" four-door car owing to its unique propulsion system; therefore will be extremely easy to drive without the hassles of using a clutch in the dense city traffic conditions. The easy drive system will be coupled with an equally informative and intelligent Driver Display system that will provide all the necessary and vital signals on the dashboard, easily visible to the driver.

The Electric Drive AC Motor provides 100% torque on tap as soon as the accelerator pedal is pressed down. This leads to fantastic acceleration performance. The e-Spark will have a Regular Drive Mode and a Boost Mode that will provide power to the vehicle through a high torque AC electric motor. The Boost Mode will provide additional torque to the driver for a short duration to manage driving style and during those critical moments on the go!

The car will come with similar safety standards as on the Chevrolet Spark and will have class leading active and passive safety features such as Directional and Torque Security System ensuring that the EV driving experience is best in class. Multi-layer safety redundancies built into the electrical architecture will make the e-Spark a safe and trouble-free vehicle providing miles of happy motoring. The e-Spark is currently being tested in host of driving terrains, conditions including testing at International Proving Grounds to ensure that the vehicle conforms to the highest motoring standards of General Motors.

It will have an Intelligent Energy Management System that will ensure proper charging of the batteries and will provide the electric power to the motor as per the driving style of the consumer while ensuring that the driveable range of the vehicle is optimized at all given times. This system enhances the efficiency of the batteries and will add to the overall vehicle reliability. The Regenerative Braking System further enhances efficiency by adding back charge to the battery system every time the brakes are applied.

The e-Spark will come equipped with Remote Diagnostics System that will allow Service Engineers to monitor each car remotely for vital parameters and customers can be informed in advance if the need arises. This will minimize vehicle downtime and allow for advance readiness for vehicle servicing prior to arrival at service stations. General Motors also held a green drive on the opening day of the on-going 10th Auto Expo in New Delhi. The e-Spark will enjoy the service support of the wide dealer network of Chevrolet in India and will be available for sale in India shortly."