Reva Ev

Crowded roads, climbing fuel prices and gridlocked traffic are problems many Indian cities know well. The Reva electric vehicle was one homegrown answer: a small car that produces no tailpipe emissions and aims to make cleaner commuting practical.

Dr S K Maini tells how Reva, India's first commercially produced electric car, came to exist. He follows it from the first spark of an idea through the design work and on to the effort of introducing the car to buyers in other countries. The account moves through hope and doubt, setbacks and breakthroughs, and the satisfaction of seeing the project succeed.

At its heart this is about a team that kept faith in its product when conditions were hard. It shows what it took to put India near the front of the electric vehicle movement, and it will interest anyone curious about how a bold manufacturing idea gets built from scratch.