Reva unveils plans for 30,000-capacity G-Wiz production plant

As conventional car firms the world over announce lay-offs and plant closures, Reva, the India-based electric car manufacturer behind the iconic G-Wiz, has today announced plans to increase its production capacity four-fold with the construction of a new assembly plant in Bangalore.

Despite widespread recent reports that sales of electric cars have been badly affected by the economic downturn, the company is to invest in a new plant with a capacity of 30,000 units a year designed to serve what the company regards as a still fast-expanding global market.

"We are taking the long-term view," Keith Johnston, president of European operations at Reva, told BusinessGreen.com. "Even though sales in most independent markets are down slightly, our total sales in 2008 were up as a result of our increased distribution network and we expect sales to continue to grow globally in 2009."

Having originally launched in India and the UK, Reva electric vehicles are now available in Ireland, Belgium, Spain, Cyprus, Greece, France and Norway, while distributors in Hungary and Slovenia have just been signed up and a master importer/distributor is being sought for all remaining European countries. Plans are also in place to develop a wider distribution network in South America and other parts of Asia.

Johnston declined to give precise details of the company’s sales performance, describing the figures as "commercially sensitive", but he added that the Reva was also expecting to see increased sales as a result of continued improvements in electric car technologies.

The company plans to have a new version of its G-Wiz i featuring a Lithium-ion battery, capable of delivering an increased range of 75 miles, on the road by May and Johnston said that another model would be launched by the end of the year.

"We will now aim to launch a new electric car each year from this year onwards," he said, adding that the new assembly plant would be designed to be " very flexible", allowing it to support new production lines relatively easily.

The new plant will also be built to achieve platinum-level LEED certification and is expected to have several environmentally friendly technologies, including rainwater harvesting, natural light and ventilation, solar energy systems and a CO2 monitor.