After trying its hands in the electric car making for eight years, Reva Electric Car Company Pvt Ltd is all set to power the commercial vehicle market globally. The company is in talks with global original equipment manufacturers (OEMs)?for technology licensing agreements.
?We are in talks with global commercial vehicle makers, including domestic CV players, for technology licensing tie-ups and expect at least five such partnerships to shape up by 2013,? said Chetan Kumaar Maini, deputy chairman and chief technology officer, Reva.
The company already has an in-house electric bus prototype ready and expects to put its technology on three-wheelers, buses and light commercial vehicles.
In a bid to charge its global plans, Reva is looking at setting up satellite plants through franchisee model in five global locations including US, Europe, South East Asia and Australia. ??We do not want to concentrate our production at one location and so are looking at satellite locations through franchisee model to cater to the expected growth in demand and our business strategy,? said Pavan Sachdeva, head ? marketing, Reva.
The company is yet to zero in on franchise partners and expects to open one such plant by next year. ?These satellite franchisee plants will come up at locations where breakeven will be low, say 5,000 units a year,? said Maini.
Asked by when the company powered CVs will be available in the market, Maini said, ?There is at least one-and-a-half year to go for the product to come out.?
In the passenger vehicle space, the company has tied up with General Motors India for powering the electric Spark that will be showcased at the forthcoming Auto Expo in New Delhi. The company has hinted at powering CVs to be launched from the GM-SAIC platform in the country and extending the tie-up to GM global. The electric Spark will be sold along with the GM products at the latter?s dealerships.
Indicating that the company will be looking at more such tie-ups in the PV space as well, Sachdeva said, ?We will exploit it but for different platforms for the OEMs.? Reva will be launching a four-seater Reva NXR in the later part of 2010 and Reva NXG IN 2011.
Talking about the less popularity of EVs in the country, Sachdeva said, ?There is a need for incentives from the government to push the EV technology.? He added that the country has very few charging stations with Bangalore leading the race. In Delhi, the company has entered into an MoU with BSES Yamuna to help set up charging station and plans to extend it to BSES
Rajdhani and North Delhi Power Ltd and other states as well.
The company is in the process of setting up a second plant in India at Bangalore with a annual capacity of 30,000 units. The existing plant at Bangalore with a annualised capacity of 6,000 units will gradually get be converted into a research and development (R&D) centre.
Till date, Reva has sold around 1,700 units in overseas market and a similar number in India.? With its four seater car to be launched next year, the company expects to see a multi-fold growth in its sales. It has been concentrating on two focus markets including Bangalore and London.
