Mahindra Reva - A car that can power your house with an inverter

A car that can power your house with an inverter.

The eco-friendly car will soon have another version that will tap solar power.

Imagine owning a car that runs with zero fuel bills,lets you become a power supplier and earn money on the side and sleep at night without the guilt that you are spewing tonnes of CO2 into the atmosphere.This is no dream.Bangalore-based Mahindra Reva Electric Car Co will soon be offering such a car to buyers across the country.

The new technology that Mahindra Reva had recently showcased not only uses solar cells to recharge its battery,but is also capable of powering your house using an inverter.

Chetan Maini,Mahindra Reva's chief of technology and strategy and co-founder of the company,believes that such a car would be in the market soon.The company, in which Mahindra Mahindra picked up a 55 percent stake some two years back,is now promising car buyers that their car would not only be a green transportation solution,but would also be a income generator.

During day and evening peak hours,electric cars can be connected into the suppliers grid and reverse the flow of power for consumption by other consumers.Power suppliers can pay you for supplying power into the grid, said Maini.Car buyers will have to invest in an inverter the battery,which is the most expensive part of conventionalUPS,is already in the car.

Mahindra Reva has also developed another model under the Sun to Car banner,where cars parked under solar paneled roofs can be charged using solar energy.For an additional investment of Rs 1 lakh,Maini says the cars can technically be run over its lifetime of 10 years without any additional fuel cost.Cars with solar roof panels arealso being developed, and these can reduce dependence on conventional form of charging by 15-20 per cent.
Over a period of 10 years,these new models promise to save nearly 40 tonnes of CO2 each,thus allowing car owners to earn carbon credits too.
India imports 80 per cent of its oil needs.These solar powered cars not only helps tackle climate change problems,but also provides energy security for the country, Maini said.
Since the first Reva car rolled out in 2001,the company has managed to put around 3,500 cars on the roads.However,with Mahindras dealer network,the company hopes to increase the numbers significantly.
Under the National Electric Mobility Mission Plan,the government hopes to put 6-7 million solar powered vehicles on the Indian roads by 2020.Last week,it had approved a $4.1 billion plan to boost the sales of hybrid and electric vehicles over the next eightyears.Themissionstargetisfeasible,considering a lot of investment in infrastructure (like charging points for electric cars) and support the government is offering, Maini said.

(article from Times of India)