Reva en de Indiase tak van General Motors hebben getekend voor een samenwerking op het gebied van elektrische auto's. Doel: delen van platforms en techniek.

Opvolgen:

Dat moet leiden tot een betaalbare, kleine elektrische auto voor de Indiase markt. De basis voor die auto komt van General Motors: Reva is nu met GM aan het kijken welke compact het beste aan de eisen voldoet. Een van GM's compacte platforms is bijvoorbeeld de Chevrolet Spark (zie foto). De productie zou volgend jaar al moeten starten.

India is een snel groeiende automarkt die voornamelijk wordt beheerst door Aziatische fabrikanten als Suzuki, Hyundai en het Indiase Tata; General Motors wil samen met Reva meer afzet creëren, blijkt uit het persbericht.

GM India and Reva Announce Electric Vehicle Partnership

New Delhi – General Motors India and Reva Electric Car Company announced today in New Delhi the signing of an agreement to cooperate in the development of electric vehicles for the India market.

GM India and Reva will jointly develop car platforms, electric vehicle technology and advanced vehicle control systems. Their goal is to create and launch an affordable small car for domestic consumers.

"We are pleased to be joining hands with Reva, a leader in the development of electric drivetrains and control systems," said GM India President and Managing Director Karl Slym. "We will also work closely with the government of India, which has expressed a goal of reducing fossil fuel dependence, in the development of an electric vehicle infrastructure. We look forward to giving our customers a new choice of environmentally friendly products."

The two companies have begun feasibility studies of GM's small vehicle platforms to host the electric technology. GM and Reva plan to announce more details about the vehicle soon and begin production in 2010.

Chetan Maini, Deputy Chairman and Chief Technology Officer of Reva, said: "We are extremely happy that we have found a partner in GM India that shares our passion for reducing carbon emissions. Reva and GM India will leverage our companies' strengths to help make India a global hub for the development and manufacture of electric vehicles and related technologies. Our unique collaboration has the potential to result in far-reaching changes for the industry."

"Development of small electric vehicles is a growth area for the automotive industry. We expect cooperation with Reva in India to accelerate GM's progress to meet the emerging needs in many parts of the world," said Nick Reilly, President of General Motors International Operations.

GM is pursuing several energy alternatives and advanced technology options to meet the varied needs of customers around the globe. GM believes that electrically driven vehicles, based on battery and hydrogen fuel cell technology, offer the best long-term solution for providing sustainable personal transportation. It will continue its own research and development in this area.

GM recently opened its new Global Battery Systems Lab, which is the largest and most technologically advanced battery lab in the United States. The new lab will lead GM's global advanced battery engineering resources and expedite the introduction of electrically driven vehicles, including the Chevrolet Volt, as well as plug-in hybrid and hybrid-electric vehicles and fuel cell vehicles.