REVA REVA
Long before modern electric crossovers, this tiny Bengaluru-built car used eight lead-acid batteries and a smart controller for quiet city trips.
2008 REVA electric car in India · Premkudva · Public domain
Research pending
A matching completed auction sale has not been verified for this exact year, body, trim, engine, transmission and market.
Joyride shows this gap instead of substituting an asking price, unsold bid or mismatched special vehicle.
More than a set of wheels.
Chetan Maini's REVA Electric Car Company launched the REVA in Bengaluru in 2001. It was designed around crowded Indian cities rather than converted from a petrol car. A tubular steel space frame wore dent-resistant plastic panels, and the cabin fit two adults plus two children. Its modest speed and claimed 80 km range were limitations, but its simple home charging and energy-management electronics made it an important early production EV from India.
Look a little closer.
Its 67-inch wheelbase is shorter than the entire width of some large pickup trucks, yet the cabin was arranged for two adults and two children.
Photos show an example of the model or generation. The pictured vehicle’s year, equipment, or modifications can differ from the specification described here.
Designed for the plug that already existed
The early REVA did not need a public fast-charging network. Contemporary launch reporting said it could use a 220-volt, 15-amp outlet and needed about eight hours after an 80 km trip. Its charger was engineered to tolerate roughly 160–260 volts, an important choice for neighborhoods where brownouts and voltage swings were normal.
Source: Indian Institute of Science · REVA power-pack engineering paper ↗A pioneering car with important limits
The original REVA's 80 km range and 65 km/h top speed were manufacturer claims under favorable conditions, not modern certification figures. Its 2001 safety design also predates the reinforced REVAi chassis and later crash work. Treating those generations separately prevents later AC-motor, lithium-battery or safety specifications from being back-applied to this first DC car.
Source: Business Standard · June 2001 REVA launch report ↗Where these facts come from
- Mahindra · Charging Ahead: the EV story
- Indian Institute of Science · REVA power-pack engineering paper
- Business Standard · June 2001 REVA launch report
- Sam's Mahindra Museum · original REVA specifications
- Loughborough University thesis · REVA development case
Selected facts checked for this edition. Some source pages link to broader model families. Last reviewed September 30, 2026.