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Transcript of REVA G-Wiz Electric Car Owners Club newsletter
October, 2011
Chetan Maini: life with
Mahindra and the new NXR
Breaking records with Bluebird
Winter Tyres: do they make a difference?
Available Now – the definitive guide to the REVA / G-Wiz
electric car. Available from Amazon and Waterstones or
available to order at any bookshop on request. ISBN 978-1-907670-05-3.
£7.99
The REVA Club Newsletter is
published on an adhoc basis
by Greenstream Publishing on
behalf of the G-Wiz Owners’
Club and REVA Car Club, and
distributed to approximately
1,500 members online via e-
mail and across the Internet.
The newsletter is Copyright
©2011 by the G-Wiz Owners
Club. Individual articles and
pieces are copyrighted by the
individual authors and may
not be reproduced without
permission.
For more information about
the G-Wiz Owners’ Club and
REVA Car Club, visit either
www.G-WIZ.org.uk or the
main site at
www.REVAclub.com.
Greenstream Publishing
12 Poplar Grove
Ryton on Dunsmore
Warwickshire
CV8 3QE.
October, 2011
Welcome 3
Should EV quadricycles be banned? 4
Talking with Chetan 6
Keep Moving this Winter 8
News from GoinGreen 10
Grow your own provides new growth for successError! Bookmark not
defined.
Reaching the skies 12
Welcome Welcome to another edition of our club newsletter. There has been lots going on in
the electric car world over the past few months, and activity at REVA and with the
G-Wiz is no exception.
It may not be the most newsworthy car out there today, but the REVA G-Wiz
is still the most affordable electric car available today. Despite the combined
marketing efforts of Mitsubishi, Nissan, Peugeot and Citroen – all of whom have
electric cars on sale now – there are still more G-Wiz’s on the roads of many
countries than all of these other manufacturer’s cars combined.
Interest in electric cars in general remains high, as I have seen from sales of
my electric car books this year. Yet people are frightened off by the high purchase
price: people will only buy an electric car when they perceive them to be good
value for money.
So the opportunities for Mahindra REVAs new NXR remain good. Last month
I spoke with Chetan Maini, the founder and Chief Technical Officer at Mahindra
REVA, to find out what has been going on behind the scenes at the company over
the past eighteen months and to find out the latest news on the NXR. You’ll find my
full report inside.
We also have an insightful article on quadricycle safety, written by Keith
Johnston, former REVA European President of Operations, an article on winter
tyres and news about a new 500 mile per hour (800km/h) electric land speed car
being built to break the wheel-powered land speed record.
So there is plenty to enjoy in this edition. I hope you enjoy it!
Michael Boxwell Club Administrator
Should EV quadricycles be
banned? After the first fatal accident in a G-Wiz, some members of the British
media were calling for the G-Wiz to be banned from sale. Keith
Johnston, former managing director of GoinGreen, believes that
quadricycles may be the road ahead and suggests that now is the time
for the current quadricycle legislation to be overhauled.
The British media were reporting at the inquest into
the sad death in her G-Wiz EV of Dr Judit Nadal, a
successful and much loved biochemist who worked at
Imperial College, London. A verdict of accidental
death was recorded following the news that she was
on her mobile phone and not wearing a seat belt and
had made a fatal error in turning into an oncoming
car's path at a known traffic black spot in London.
Dr Nadal's G-Wiz was struck by a larger and
heavier Skoda Octavia and a few
journalists have raised concerns
that the G-Wiz is an unsafe
vehicle because as a quadricycle
it lacks the safety levels present
in conventional M1 cars. What
was not reported (and in order to
to provide a context for
consideration of the safety issue)
is that this tragic event was the
first known fatality or serious
injury in a G-Wiz over a ten year
period in more than 180 million
km of customer driving in 20
countries; or that quadricycles
(the G-Wiz is classified as a L7e
quadricycle and not a full M1 conventional car and
not subject to the same safety requirements) have a
superior accident record to conventional cars,
because of the limited speeds of the vehicles and the
slower urban roads on which they are driven.
Quadricycles, also known as microcars, exist in
a continuum of vehicles. They offer customers a
vehicle that is safer than a motorbike or scooter and
in the case of electric quadricycles, more affordable
than a conventional electric car (the G-Wiz is one third
of the price of a Mitsubishi iMiEV, for example). In
addition to being zero emission at the tailpipe and
extremely low cost to operate, the G-Wiz is small,
lightweight and nimble and so is easy to drive and to
park. In traffic congested central London, where the
average speeds are about 10 to 15 mph and most
speed limits 30 mph, there are approximately 1,000
G-Wiz used on a daily basis
resulting in a small but loyal
following. G-Wiz drivers are
fully aware that they are driving
a vehicle in which they are less
protected than if driving a
conventional car.
Quadricycles are quite a
common sight in some
European cities, with
approximately 400,000 on the
streets of Western Europe,
particularly in France and Italy.
If anything, the category is
about to become more popular
because automakers see it as a
potential growth segment. Renault are launching the
Twizy quadricycle in 2012, whilst VW and Audi are
showcasing single and two seat urban EV concepts at
the recent motor shows.
The last government announced an intention to
review quadricycles on the grounds of safety,
following a government crash test of a G-Wiz to M1
safety standards (which it failed, unsurprisingly, and
Quadricycles... have a
superior accident record
to conventional cars,
because of the limited
speeds of the vehicles
and the slower urban
roads on which they are
driven.
which led to the development of an improved safety
cage for the current model). There were calls then
from Labour politicians to ban quadricycles, leading to
an equally vociferous defence from now London
Mayor, Boris Johnson. My own position is that I
support any constructive review of safety - but I do
not see the point of a witch hunt to ban quadricycles
which does not consider all the facts.
The existing L7e quadricycle regulations limit
the vehicle weight to 450 kg excluding batteries,
which effectively limits the safety level that can be
achieved in the vehicle. One option might be to
increase the existing 450 kg limit to say 650 kg
excluding batteries, which would enable additional
safety features to be incorporated into the vehicle
and using the latest technologies, to achieve a target
NCAP safety level of 4*. I am not alone in calling for
such a move - Professor Gordon Murray of Gordon
Murray Design has called for a new
category of 'Urban M1', which would
focus automakers on small,
lightweight, safe and energy efficient
vehicles suitable for everyday
commuting.
Our challenge is to ensure that
vehicle safety is optimised whatever
the category. We must design the
regulations correctly to enable and
ensure that manufacturers build
vehicles with appropriate levels of
safety given the state of technology at
any given time and with due regard to
usage and affordability. In other words,
let's reform the quadricycle regulations
by all means, but let's approach such a
move without the mass of emotion
swirling around a single event.
As the former Managing Director
of GoinGreen, I launched the G-Wiz
and was almost certainly head of the
company when Dr Nadal purchased
hers. Her death has touched everyone
involved in the business past and
present. I hope that any debate can be
constructive and undertaken with the
aim of creating a category of safe,
energy efficient and affordable electric vehicles.
Let us also remember that it is heavy, large,
energy wasteful cars marketed for their excessive
speed or size and which perpetuate dangerous or
careless driving, that are the real problem here.
Keith Johnston is the former managing director of
GoinGreen and previously the President of
Operations for REVA across Europe. He blogs on the
subject of electric cars at connevted.blogspot.com
Above: Like the current REVA i, the 2012 Renault Twizy is a quadricycle
and is exempt from M1 safety testing. Peugeot are also considering
launching an electric quadricycle in 2013, whilst VW and Audi have both
been showing electric quadricycle concepts over the past few months
.
Below: After the UK Government’s crash test of an early model G-Wiz,
REVA developed an improved safety cell for the REVA i, which was
independently crash tested by ARAI.
Talking with Chetan Chetan Maini is the founder of REVA. Under his direction, he grew
REVA into the largest independent electric car manufacturer in the
world. Now as part of the Mahindra & Mahindra empire, he talks to the
club about life with Mahindra, new vehicles and how the new enlarged
company can compete – and beat – mainstream manufacturers. /
What has been happening REVA since Mahindra &
Mahindra have invested into it?
We have been working on improving our existing
product line. An updated Reva i has been developed
with lithium-ion batteries, providing a 100km range.
These are being shipped to Europe now.
In India, we have been focused on improving
distribution, opening 24 outlets across India, which
will grow to fifty by the end of this year.
The Mahindra and Mahindra Group have a
number of other vehicle ranges that they produce. A
lot of work has been carried out in evaluating the
electrification of a number of different platforms and
a number of different prototypes have been
produced.
A new state-of-the-art manufacturing plant has
been built in Bangalore and this is now being fitted
out and prepared.
There was a lot of positive feedback following
the Frankfurt motor show in 2009. Since then, the car
has undergone a number of upgrades, in particular
with an improved interior design. Significant amount
of time has been spent in additional testing, with
winter testing in Europe, summer and monsoon
testing in India. Production will commence at the end
of this year.
When will we now see the REVA NXR and NXG
models?
The NXR will be available in India during Q1 of 2012.
Europe will follow during the second half of 2012.
The NXG will arrive, but the timeframe for
releasing this car has not been finalised. We see a
great opportunity for this car but since the original
announcement of the car in September 2009, many
other companies have been announcing electric cars
and we need to further define our market segment
for this car.
A new state-of-the-art manufacturing plant has been built in
Bangalore. This is the car assembly building under construction.
What are the plans for Mahindra REVA in Europe?
We have a number of excellent distributors already in
Europe. Mahindra and Mahindra also has a presence
in a number of European countries. Furthermore, the
group acquired Ssang Yong earlier this year, who have
in the region of 700 dealers across Europe.
This means that there are number of
opportunities for REVA in Europe and we are working
on an improved distribution model for Europe, which
we hope to have in place by the end of this year.
In the past few months, major car manufacturers have
been launching their own electric cars, and have
achieved notable success: Nissan winning 'World Car
of the Year' with the LEAF, Mitsubishi winning some
significant sales (they are the best selling small car in
Norway with an overall 2% market share). Can
Mahindra REVA compete in the market now the larger
manufacturers are selling electric cars, and if so, what
is the unique selling feature of Mahindra REVA cars?
In the early years, we expect a lot of co-operation
between different companies – working together
rather than competing directly. The industry needs to
create a category and an awareness for electric
vehicles and in the first two to three years, we see
little one-to-one competition between different
products and companies.
Mahindra REVA are focused on creating
affordable city vehicles, which is a major challenge for
the whole industry right now. We are driven by new
technologies. Vehicle telematics is going to be a big
area for electric vehicles and this is an area where we
have real specialist knowledge.
One of our benefits is that we have a very
flexible architecture, with lots of power options that
we can offer to the consumer. So, for instance, if you
have a customer who only needs to travel 20 or 30
miles each day, it does not make sense for him to
have a car that can do 100 miles.
What are your aspirations for Mahindra REVA?
We are now part of a $12bn automotive group and
this is providing the financial muscle that we need to
grow our business. Our aspirations remain to be ‘The
Earth’s Favourite Electric Vehicle Company’, building
vehicles in an environmentally responsible way,
building cars that put smiles on people’s faces and we
are confident that we can achieve all of that in the
next three to five years.
The G-Wiz is no stranger to snowy weather. But winter tyres makes it safer. Photo: Markus Lieb.
Keep Moving this Winter Summer is over, winter is coming and for UK drivers at least, memories
of the treacherously icy roads last winter are near the surface once
more. Many people are asking whether this year they should be
switching to winter tyres, and if so, when they should be doing it?
Michael Boxwell investigates.
Here in the UK, we may have had an unseasonably
warm autumn so far, yet winter is just around the
corner. You don’t need a long memory to remember
how bad the driving conditions of the past two
winters have been. Driving conditions were perilous
and images of cars stuck in snow and sliding on the ice
made front page news. So it is not surprising that tyre
manufacturers have been stocking up on cold weather
tyres to help keep people moving when the snow and
ice finally hit us.
“We’re bringing in twice the number of cold
weather tyres into the United Kingdom this year
compared to last,” says Paul Cordle at Michelin.
“Demand for cold weather tyres is higher than it ever
has been and we are recommending that our
customers fit cold weather tyres for increased safety
throughout the winter for all road conditions.”
The contact area of a typical tyre – the area in
contact with the ground – is surprisingly small. At
around 23 square inches it is a similar in size to the
palm of your hand. In fact, the contact area of all four
tyres of a typical small car is comparable to the
contact area of a pair of men’s running shoes. It’s not
surprising therefore that when conditions turn icy,
normal road tyres start to lose grip.
The answer, according to Michelin is to fit cold
weather tyres to your car when the temperatures
drop to below 7°c and keep them on all winter. “Cold
weather tyres have a special rubber compound,
special tread pattern and deeper groves. They give ten
times the grip of conventional tyres, biting deeper
into the road surface for greater adhesion,” claims
Cordle. “At all speeds, stopping distances in ice, snow
and rain are virtually halved by using cold weather
tyres.”
In the UK, cold weather tyres are perceived as
only being useful in the snow. They have the
perception of being noisy, chunky, giving a poor ride
and damaging the road. Not so, claims Cordle.
“Winter tyres can be as fuel efficient and long lasting
as summer tyres. They have low noise levels and
excellent grip on snow, ice and on cold, wet winter
roads.”
To prove the point, Michelin and the Society of
Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) recently
held a cold weather tyre testing event on the
Silverstone handling course. Twenty-five journalists
were invited to try driving in simulated snow, ice and
heavy rain, first using a car fitted with conventional
tyres, then trying an identical car fitted with cold
weather tyres.
The Silverstone handling course includes a
driving route designed to simulate driving in heavy
snow, an ice hill, designed to accurately simulate
sheet ice on a steep incline, and an aquaplaning track
with powerful jets of water designed to push a car out
of control. The circuit is used by many top car
manufacturers when testing and setting up their cars
prior to launch.
My first test was to drive a Ford Focus on a
snow handling circuit. Driven with conventional tyres,
the car very quickly lost adhesion and left me sliding
out of control. Corners became perilous at low speeds
and I managed to slide the car off the road around a
roundabout at little more than walking pace. Touching
the brakes even gently activated the ABS and easily
induced slides.
Switching to the same car on winter tyres
transformed the car. The car gripped around the
corners, responded to steering corrections and could
stop quickly. Had I not driven the car on conventional
tyres just moments before, I would not have believed
the difference the tyres made.
Driving a VW Golf across the aquaplaning circuit
was a similar experience. Instead of spinning entirely
out of control on conventional tyres, I was able to
correct the slide and safely stop the car on cold
weather tyres. Tyre noise, ride and handling on all
other surfaces were comparable to conventional
tyres.
Driving up and down the ice hill in a Toyota
Yaris was another eye-opening experience. On
conventional tyres, the car could not gain enough
traction to pull away up the hill covered in sheet ice.
Braking and turning downhill put the car into an
uncontrollable slide, resulting in me running off the
circuit. Using cold weather tyres, not only could I pull
away and accelerate up the hill, but I could turn and
brake downhill at high speed, rapidly changing
directions and come to an emergency stop at the foot
of the hill.
According to the SMMT, a set of winter tyres
should not be viewed as a cost, but an investment. By
swapping from summer to winter rubber for up to
half of the year, both sets will wear half as much,
lasting twice as long as a single set of tyres. “With
temperatures starting to drop and the wetter seasons
approaching, motorists should make sure they have
the best tyres for the road and climate conditions,”
said Paul Everitt, SMMT Chief Executive.
Had I not seen the difference for myself, I
would have taken those claims with a pinch of salt.
Yet having tested them, I’m convinced. Winter tyres?
You’d be crazy not to.
Five Top Tips for driving
safely this winter The G-Wiz is often better than other cars
when driving on packed snow or ice. It’s
light weight, narrow tyres and low power
means the G-Wiz can often get through
where a bigger, heavier car will struggle.
But that does not make it infallible. Here
are five top tips for driving safely this
winter:
1. Snow may be perceived as the
biggest issue, but actually ice
causes more accidents than snow.
Watch out for ice whenever the
temperature is below 5°c.
2. Give yourself time to react: don’t
drive faster than you feel
comfortable, and leave plenty of
space between you and the car in
front.
3. If you’re driving your G-Wiz,
you’re at an advantage. The
regenerative braking can actually
aid smooth braking. Brake early
and gently: not only is it safer, it
improves your economy and
range as well.
4. Keep it smooth: accelerate gently,
slow down gently, steer gently. If
your car feels balanced when you
are driving it around the corner,
you’re not unsettling it. That
means you’re less likely to slip.
5. Make sure you have the right
tyres on your car, and make sure
they are inflated to the right
levels. Cold weather tyres will give
you much more grip, but all tyres
will grip better if they are inflated
correctly.
News from
GoinGreen GoinGreen are now offering Pay As
You Go servicing packages for all G-
Wiz DC-drive, AC-drive and i models
for just £250.
They are also offering £250 off new
battery packs installed by the end of
the year, bringing the total installed
price down to £1950 inclusive.
Contrary to the rumours earlier in the
year, GoinGreen are still supplying
brand new cars: both the G-Wiz i and
G-Wiz L-ion remain available.
For more information on these offers,
contact Philip Maria at GoinGreen
Smiles AG, REVA’s German distributors have a number
of Dynex battery sets available on sale at a special price.
They are available for €1,000 a set plus shipping.
They are also offering a lithium-ion upgrade for existing
REVA G-Wiz owners, extending the range to around 80
miles (130km).
For more information, please e-mail Sebastian Sauerbrey
at Smiles AG on [email protected].
www.Smiles-World.de
Bluebird, here seen travelling at approximately 125mph (200km/h), accelerating on its way to the measured mile.
Reaching the skies This summer, the historic Bluebird land speed racing team took to the
sands once again to break a land speed record. Sadly, the new Electric
Bluebird didn’t manage it on this occasion, but they’ll be back, and this
time they’re going for a new world record – 500mph in an electric car. Words and pictures: Michael Boxwell
Think ‘Bluebird’ and you think speed. One of
the most iconic names in both Land and Water Speed
record breaking, Bluebird vehicles won fame first at
the hands of Malcolm Campbell, then his nephew
Donald Campbell, and then Donald’s daughter, Gina
Campbell, as they piloted cars and boats to ever faster
and faster speeds. Since the first Blue Bird car in 1912,
the Campbell family have amassed over 30 speed
records on land and water.
It is a tradition that continues to this very day.
With the exception of the 1970s, the Campbell family
have been breaking speed records on land and water
with Bluebird in every decade since the 1920s.
The current two members of the Campbell
family to be racing Bluebird cars are Don Wales, and
his son Joe. Don is the grandson of Malcolm Campbell
and has been breaking land speed records since the
mid-1990s. This year, Don, Joe and the Bluebird team
returned to the historic Pendine Sands in Wales, in
search of new land speed records in the latest
electric-powered Bluebird land speed car.
Pendine Sands has a long history of record
breaking. Back in the 1920s, the sands were used by
both Malcolm Campbell and his rival John Parry-
Thomas to break the World Land Speed Record on no
less than six occasions between 1924 and 1927. It is
also the location chosen by the
Bluebird team in 2000, when the
previous Electric Bluebird racer
broke the European Land Speed
Record at a speed of 137.15mph
(220km/h).
At the beginning of 2011,
the Bluebird team announced
their plans to build a series of
new speed record challengers:
an electric car, an electric boat
and then a new, even faster
electric car. The plan was to
break the UK Land Speed
electric car record in 2011; go
for the world electric boat water speed record in 2012
and then develop a new electric car, using the
knowledge gained with the first two speed record
attempts to build a car capable of breaking the
500mph barrier, and establishing a new record for the
fastest wheel-powered car in the world.
“Our first target was simply to get past 150-
160mph on land in the UK,” explains Martin Rees,
Project Director at Bluebird Speed Records. “That
would have increased our current UK electric vehicle
record. We would then use the knowledge learned
from that attempt to improve the vehicle further with
the aim of getting closer to 200mph (320km/h).”
“The current car is a test
and development vehicle that
we have been using to try
different battery technologies
and drive units,” said Rees. “This
will allow us to evaluate and
develop the right package to
take the project forward towards
our long term goal of 500mph
(800km/h)”
Sadly, for this year at least,
no Land Speed Records were
broken by the team. Delays due
to late supply of parts meant the
first run was postponed, whilst
bad weather and poor sand conditions meant the
team struggled on the first rescheduled date. Then on
the second day of running, the speed attempt nearly
ended in disaster when driver Joe Wales lost control
of the car after veering off the course at over
120mph.
Two generations of the Campbell dynasty: 19 year old Joe Wales is the great
grandson of Sir Malcolm Campbell and the fourth generation of the family to
attempt to break speed records in Bluebird. His father, Don, is an experienced
speed racer and the current holder of the UK Electric Car land speed record.
“If we can get an
electric car to beat a
combustion engine
car, that makes a hell
of a statement for the
future of our
motoring”
The incident occurred shortly after the car left
the east-side of the beach travelling towards the
measured mile. “Visibility was poor (due to water
spray) and the beach surface was very soft in places”,
said lead driver Don Wales. “Due to the vibration and
the visibility, Joe came off the marked circuit and hit a
pothole at over 120mph and came to an abrupt halt.
As a consequence, the car suffered suspension
damage and we had to abort all further runs.”
Thankfully, damage to the car was subsequently
found to be remarkably light. “The real fear in these
circumstances is the vehicle can roll”, explained Chief
Designer, Paul Sparrow. “The car did its job and
protected the driver and I am very pleased with the
way the car performed.”
Whilst it was a frustrating end to the first speed
attempt, Don Wales remained philosophical: “Joe is
healthy and well... we live to win another day. That is
the story of record breaking.”
“I broke the European electric car land speed
record over ten years ago. Nobody has since broken it.
So now was the right time to get back out as a team
and start a new campaign. What we aimed to do in
2011 was a good start, but eventually, we aim to have
a Bluebird electric car travelling at over 500mph.”
The significance of breaking the 500mph barrier
is huge. Not only would it make Bluebird the fastest
electric car on earth, it would be almost 50mph faster
than any combustion engine car. “If we can get an
electric car to beat a combustion engine car, that
makes a hell of a statement for the future of our
motoring,” says Don.
Meanwhile, work is progressing on another
Bluebird speed vehicle: an electric hydrofoil, which
the team hope to race in 2012, with the aim of
breaking the electric boat world water speed record.
Featuring ground effect aerodynamics to help
the boat skim over the water at speeds of up to
150mph, and looking more like a Formula One racing
car than a boat, the prototype caused a sensation
when it was recently unveiled in Birmingham.
“The design allows the boat to skim over the
Is it a plane? Is it a car? No, it’s a boat. The unique design of the Bluebird water speed record challenge
enables it to skate over the water at speeds of up to 150mph.The team plans to race it in 2012.
Thousands of people came to spectate at Pendine
Sands. Bluebird was widely covered in the media,
reported on all the major television news programmes
and attracted huge public interest.
water on a cushion of air,” explains Rees. “Not only is
this faster, but it is safer and more stable than trying
to push the boat through water. Its radical looks come
purely from optimising everything for performance.”
In 2012, Bluebird celebrates its centenary year.
Over the past 100 years, Bluebird has inspired, excited
and thrilled generations of fans. In 2012, there will be
Bluebird celebrations with a large party in the centre
of London, with many of the Bluebird record breaking
vehicles on display. But the team isn’t looking back.
With its focus on electric powered racers, it’s clear
Bluebird has an eye to the future, to inspire, excite
and thrill the next generation of fans, and push the
boundaries of the possible, all over again.
Bluebird Speed Records is currently looking for
sponsors for the 2012 season. Sponsorship packages
start from under £5,000. For more details, visit
www.BluebirdSpeedRecords.com.
Joe was on target to break a Land Speed Record when the accident happened. It was a frustrating end of the
day for the young driver, but he emerged unscathed and the car had remarkably minor damage, despite the
impact speed of around 120 miles per hour. As father Don says, “We live to win another day. That is the story of
record breaking.”