June 23, 2010 by jameslucas.

By Jose Marc Castro

The Reva electric car company was initially a joint venture between Maini Group of India and a group of Californian investors who were willing to take a gamble on this new but relatively immature market. Even though the company has yet to report a profit, ploughing all income backing to research and development, there have been significant changes in the ownership and shareholder structure of late as Reva electric cars hit the market.

Ownership of the company

In May 2010 utility and tractor manufacturer Mahindra and Mahindra of India stepped up to the mark and acquired a majority 55.2% stake in the business. This allowed the initial Californian investors to bail out at a relatively early stage although it is believed that with a value on the company of around USD100 million they left the company with significantly more than they invested!

Even though the exact terms of the transaction were never released into the public domain informed sources believe that the offer did indeed value the company in excess of USD100 million. However, Mahindra and Mahindra is a multibillion dollar business which is able to finance a significant investment into the Reva electric car company. Even though a number of original partnership deals may have to be renegotiated, due to competition issues, there is no doubt that the future looks very rosy for the company.

Why has Reva been so successful?

Like many of the smaller electric vehicle manufacturers around today Reva managed to tap into a growth market at a very early stage when many of the larger players were not interested in investing. However, the company grew and developed vehicles such as the REVAi, REVA NXR, REVA NXG with many other models in the pipeline.

Initially it was very easy to spot an electric car from many miles away but companies such as Reva and the likes of Tesla Motors brought electric cars into the mainstream and increased their profile and their popularity. Significant investments in design and development, as well as the technology, have seen the emergence of a vehicle which is very popular in the mass-market and has now become something of a status symbol.

Is this a new era for the electric car market?

Even though there has been significant growth in the electric car market over the last decade many believe this is a market which is still very much in its infancy. Governments around the world are only just waking up to the possibilities of electric travel which will reduce emissions into the environment and reduce the damage caused by traditional fuel and traditional vehicles. Against this backdrop we have seen significant investment from governments around the world as well as various tax incentives to manufacturers and the public to push these vehicles into the mass-market.

Conclusion

Reva electric cars have a very good reputation in the electric car market and the introduction of companies such as Mahindra and Mahindra into the mix has led to significant investment in design, manufacturing and the development of technology. As a consequence the company is very much on the crest of the wave and well positioned for future growth in the electric vehicle market.

The introduction of Mahindra and Mahindra to the shareholder list of Reva electric cars has had a major impact on the company.

Article Source: Jose Marc Castro
Reva Electric Cars

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June 8, 2010 by jameslucas.

By Lilaa Ivanova

Truth About Electric Vehicles

Japan has been researching EV (electric vehicle) technology since last 20 years but it is fact that Electric vehicle was invented before the gasoline engine vehicle. Electric vehicle did not really gain popularity because of weak batteries and recharge system. Now the scientists have found minerals like Lithium, which can really move this technology to make a larger impact on the consumers.

As everyone of us know that there are 3-types of vehicles running on our roads.

Petrol/Diesel Vehicles

Hybrid Vehicles that are partially electric. &

EV-Electric Vehicles

Many new developers and enterprises are taking bold interest in the production of Electric vehicles, but still the big stake is with the main key players like GM, Honda, Toyota and Nissan. This monopoly will raise the prices because of the long time research and the expensive batteries. Mitsubishi IMIEV has a price tag of Japanese Yen (JPY) 3,980,000. Under Government of Japan support and zero emission promotion program a rebate of JPY 1,140,000 is available to the end-users. This makes a final price tag of JPY: 2,840,000

The 500Cycle motor that moves the car is in back, and the battery -LEV50 x 88 are the main components of IMIEV. It will charge to full in 14Hrs. from a house plug in of AC100V. But since a great time of about 14 hours is still un-acceptable to many. Therefore every maker is focusing in providing a quick battery charge solution to the users. Even the Govt. has announced to provide support is establishing more than 2,000 quick charge points by the year 2020. These points will be useful and the user can re-charge about 80% of the batteries in only 30 minutes, but still this will be a question because a tank fill up from gas station does not take more than 2 minutes.

Besides this if the user drives the car with full beam and full air-conditioning positions then the battery won’t last even half the distance in full charge. Hence the drivers should keep in mind that IMIEV will only run for 80Kms. if air-conditioning and lights are used continuously. But this is how the normal cars do and the alternator in the vehicles keep on charging the battery.

Nissan Leaf another EV has set a total retail price of JPY 3760000 and after a Govt. discount of JPY770,000 the final price will become JPY2,990,000. Well as we discussed above that until the batteries are not loosening prices, these small babies will be expensive. Hence if you do own the vehicle for 7-years then it might become economical in comparison with present gasoline engines.

We believe that there are no instant worries about gasoline engines vanishing from this planet, they have been here for the last 100years or more and will remain around us in future.

Nexusscars is Japanese Car exporter and supply cheap Cars from Japan Auctions

Article Source: Lilaa Ivanova

Unrevealed Truth About Electric Vehicles

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June 2, 2010 by jameslucas.

By Stan Soliday

The main advantages of electric cars are convenience, environmental benefits and fun. EVs are fun to drive while you are doing good things for the world. How so?

First, let’s take a look at the conveniences of battery powered electric cars:

1. EVs are simple to start compared to gas powered cars. You never really “start” the car. As long as the batteries are charged up, all the driver does is close the switch and the car is on! No more accidentally grinding the starter or waiting for the car to warm up. Turn the key; put it in gear, and go.
2. No more tune-ups with an EV. You may need to change out the battery pack once in a while or replace a fuse, but the EV is very low maintenance. Engine repairs are almost not existent since electric motors are very reliable and long lasting. Older motors may require some work on the brushes, but not much, and hardly anything compared to the work required to keep an old gas powered car going!
3. Cheap to operate. At this time, electric cars are still expensive compared to gas powered cars. This has to do with the higher cost of relatively newer battery technologies, and the lack of real mass manufacturing of the components - economy of scale. However, the EV costs only a few cents per mile to drive. The new Nissan Leaf costs about $0.03 USD for the electricity! Try that with a gas burner.
4. EVs are cool. At the present there are not many electric cars around. EVs are different, and still pretty cool. Maybe you can get a date over your EV!

Next, the environmental benefits:

1. Cleaner air. Note that we do not claim that EVs have zero environmental impacts. All vehicles and manufactured machines in general put some dent in the environmental fabric. However, EVs are cleaner than gas powered rigs, the carbon argument notwithstanding. It is argued that if the source of electricity is coal fired power plants that you are just moving the pollution from one place to another. This can be shown to be correct in some cases, but overall it is a lame attempt to resist improvement.

Number one; there is the option to switch to cleaner energy sources such as wind, solar, wave, geothermal and solar power. In fact, it would be a good thing if EVs could force this switch!

Number two; electric cars use energy more efficiently than gas powered cars. Gas powered cars waste about 2/3 of their fuel in excess heat…gone, bye bye, up and away. Just think that of every $1.00 you put in the gas tank, only $0.33 goes towards actually moving you towards your destination! Electric cars use almost all of their energy to move forward to where they are going. What a concept! Take a look at any electric car today, they carry the energy equivalent of like 1 gallon of gasoline, but are doing the same job in many cases. So, less energy used means less pollution any way you shake it.

2. Attitude. It is all about attitude the coaches tell us. It is no different with cars. If you have an attitude of disrespect for the air you breathe, you will help make it less breathable. That’s fine, except that people with this attitude also junk up the air for the rest of plants, animals, and people here on this 3rd planet from the sun. Electric cars help promote an awareness of conservation of resources and an attitude of gratitude for the resources we have and need to keep on keepin on.

3. Conservation of resources: Since transport uses much of the World supply of petroleum, and the World is facing Peak Oil at some point here, electric cars have the advantage of helping in a major way to conserve existing petroleum reserves. This will help preserve lower costs to consumers and ease shocks from the pounding of peak oil.

EV Fun:

Finally, remember the Fun! Here is an interesting and not much talked about aspect of the electric vehicle: the EV Grin.

For some reason, almost everybody that first drives an electric vehicle gets this kind of grin, smile or whatever. It has been called the EV Grin. There is something about the silent, smooth power of the electric car that just makes the driver smile.

Electric cars (set up properly) are quick off the line and run smooth. There is no shifting required many times, and the driving is easy and fun. At stop lights you do not need to worry about revving up off the line, or holding your foot too hard on the brake, unless you own an EV like the Tesla which is programmed to “idle” like a contemporary car.

EVs can smoke the tires too. If you are so inclined, take advantage of that low end torque and smoke it!

These are some of the advantages of electric cars. Of course there are drawbacks to EVs, but that is another article.

Happy Motoring!

Thanks for checking out this article.

For more on electric car advantages, just visit: http://evsroll.com/Advantages_of_Electric_Car.html

For more on the entire EV story, visit: http://evsroll.com/

Article Source: Stan Soliday

Advantages of Electric Cars

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April 16, 2010 by jameslucas.

By Matthew Keegan

By the sound of it, electric cars are poised to reshape the automotive industry in a way not seen since, well, the internal combustion engine was introduced. 2010 is shaping up to be an important year for electric cars as several new models are slated to hit the market.

That’s good news for environmentally conscious consumers, but do electric cars deserve our attention more than highly fuel efficient gas or diesel models?

Certainly, electric cars offer a huge appeal for the simple reason that visits to the gas pump are no longer part of the equation. Instead of fueling up, electric car users will plug it in at home, at work or while on the road. It’s all about tapping the power grid in ways not seen before.

I’ve been covering electric cars on my flagship The Auto Writer blog for several years, but not too many people dig deep when investigating vehicle electrification. I’m not about to tell you to buy one product or stay away from another one, but what I will say is that there are some things to consider before deciding in favor of an electric model versus something else:

Vehicle Cost - Surprise, surprise! Electric cars are pricey as we learned when the then $98,00–now $109,000 on up–Tesla Roadster hit the market in 2008. Sure, Tesla is an exotic car, but most electric vehicles are priced north of $40,000. The good news is that some models carry a $7500 federal rebate with individual states adding their rebates or tax abatement into the mix.

Vehicle Availability - When the first big wave of electric vehicles rolls out, the Nissan Leaf, Ford Transit Connect EV, Chevy Volt and other models will be available in limited numbers. That’s because manufacturers still aren’t sure if customers will embrace the technology. Some models will be scarce until production is ramped up which means you may have to wait six months, perhaps a year before buying one.

Weather Extremes - Just how durable are electric cars when facing weather extremes? Manufacturers are trying to find that out by putting their vehicles through various tests, but a Minnesota winter or Arizona heat may be hard to replicate. Look for these cars to carry generous warranties just in case the unthinkable happens…whatever that might be!

Unseen Pollution - Electric vehicles emit no carbon pollution, right? Well, while on the road they don’t. However, when powering up electric vehicles use electricity derived from coal burning plants. And, in the manufacturing process they consume precious resources just like any other car. Overall, their impact on the environment may be lower than a clean burning diesel or highly efficient gas engine, but if you’re trying to “save the earth” with an electric vehicle you may be disappointed.

There are other factors such as registration costs, insurance, maintenance and repairs and depreciation which also must be factored in. Likely, electric vehicles will improve over time and prices will drop, making power grid enabled vehicles hot sellers down the road.

Matthew C. Keegan is a freelance writer who resides in North Carolina. Matt is a contributing writer for Andy’s Auto Sport an aftermarket supplier of quality parts including Acura parts and Honda parts.

Article Source: Matthew Keegan

Can Electric Cars Deliver As Promised?

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March 25, 2010 by jameslucas.

By Ron Schepmann

With the talk about all electric cars and hybrid cars, have you been thinking about your own home built electric car?

I am sure that if you are like me you at least dreamed about such an animal sitting in your garage. It does however, seem like those “things”, electric powered vehicles, are about the ugliest, smallest, most inconvenient, looking car a guy or gal could be caught in. To say that, all electric cars, are in this category though, would also be an inaccurate statement. Certainly, electric car manufacturers, have a thought on this, and could change the looks of their electric powered vehicles to something that we could all be proud to own. I am sure they will in the next few years.

Then there is the price to consider on these new cars. For most of us, they are priced way out of our range. The $35,000 to $50,000 ones are just to much, especially in these times. There are a few coming down below that now, around $15,000.

If that price is still out of range for you and you still want to join the electric car club, you could consider your very own homemade electric car. You would need some time, you would need some knowledge or expertise, you would need some type of shop with basic tools, but most of all, as with anything worth getting, you would need some desire, and as always, you would need some of the green stuff (money) to go green, however much less than a new electric car. We call these the 5 “you would need some’s” to end up with your home built electric car.

Lets start with “you would need some” time. First you will need to decide which car or pickup you want to convert to electric. By the way, out here in Kansas we call a pickup, a pickup, not a pickup truck. A pickup by my definition is a small less than 1 ton rated vehicle for light hauling purposes. A truck is used for hauling heavy payloads that require more suspension and capacity. I hope that is not confusing for you. Anyway, all electric cars have a certain amount of weight to carry in the batteries and electric motor, and other components. The more batteries equals more distance between charges. That is why small pickups work the best for, electric conversions. If you shop around, you can find a small, used pickup with a “bad” engine and replace the engine with the electric motor. This will definitely save you lots of money.

Have you ever heard this before? “We can have that engine out in 1 hour”. I have heard it, but never said it. Because, it just never seems to work that way. 4 hours later the engine is hanging from the shop hoist dripping oil, antifreeze, and greasy dirt. Yep, it is out though.

Now, you have to find and mount an electric car motor to the drive train of the vehicle. Next, we have to come up with the electric parts, where to get them and how to install them correctly. Also, how to install and wire the batteries into the electric system so that they are working properly. Also, where to locate and buy batteries, new or used. How heavy the wire needs to be from battery to working component and many other parts that need hooked up and mounted in and on your homemade electric car.

For me to say this do it yourself project will take a certain amount of hours, would not be fair. I will say this though. With proper guidance and educating yourself, you and a friend with average mechanical skills working for 2 weekends and doing some phone calling and chasing electric car parts during the week, would most likely be driving up and down the neighborhood streets, in your very own home built electric car, in a couple of weeks.

I am writing about all of this so that you will know the truth, about our friend “how much time” involved to do electric conversions as best as I can tell you, from my own experiences of doing things myself. I want to encourage you to look at the possibility of you doing this for yourself and your family. In the future you may be one of these guys or gals joining the electric car club. Who knows this could even turn into your very own business, if you find that you enjoy doing this type of work. Doing a project, like a homemade electric car or pickup, could be a very rewarding and fulfilling experience for you.

Look for part 2 in this series of 5 articles, titled, you will need some, written to help you decide if building your own homemade electric car would be a benefit to you or your family.

The author of this article has a passion to help people become educated and aware of methods and products that have or do work to improve someones use of energy. Ron feels that alternative energy must be more seriously considered and applied to our everyday lifestyles and living. He feels that education and just to let people know, that there is another way to turn the wheels of society, and get things done.

http://www.allaboutalternatives.com

Article Source: Ron Schepmann

Your Homemade Electric Car

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