An ever-awaited electric era?

Even as leading car makers go on an electric overdrive, the real revolution on roads is a distant dream

India's first electric car manufacturer, Reva, has announced two major developmentsu00a0the launch of its new next gen model, and retail facilities at Reliance Digital stores. Mitsubishi, too, has declared a 2010 launch for its first electric vehicle. Another auto firm, Nissan, is all set to roll out itsu00a0 electric baby by 2012. But considering Mahindra's earlier innovationu00a0- Bijleeu00a0and the Indica Electric (yeah, we know you hadn't even heard of it!) drove into oblivion even before making their presence felt in the market, we wonder if the average Indian driver is ready to usher in an electric era on urban streets.

Not good enough?

"Electric vehicles (EVs) have a good scope, provided they are packaged and priced right. Just the way electric scooters are becoming increasingly popular, these cars can be a hit with office-goers who need to travel 50-60 kilometres a day," says auto specialist Shyam Gupta. "But right now, EVs like the Reva don't live up to public standardsu00a0they are extremely small, have poor lighting and no roll down windowsu00a0features that make for a 'proper' car," he adds. Consumers agree. "I feel that the time for EVs has not arrived in our country. I wouldn't go in for one even if I had the money," feels Sanyam Nagalia, a young pro on the go. Not everyone, we see, is ready to plug and play, and the reasons are obviousu00a0high prices in the age of the Nano, short running capacity, charging woes and low power.

So, we asked producers if they're thinking beyond eco-friendliness. "It's natural for people to compare, but we don't want to become just another car. We've always said it's an ideal second car, and never claimed you can go from Delhi to Chandigarh in it," defends R Chandramouli, president, sales and marketing, Reva. "The new base model is priced at Rs 2,99,000, but that is only the initial cost (sorry, no rate slashes in the offing). No gears, no parking problems, easy maintenance and zero emissions. And, when there's a petrol strike, home's all you need," he signs off.