Still no luck finding the car I saw in San Francisco. I even tried searching images to see if I could locate a picture. It was a Volkswagen like car but it was narrower in the body and had wheel wells that were not integrated into the body like this littles electric from India:
http://www.nepalitimes.com.np/issue/2008/12/5/Business/15418
Sunny side up
Lotus Energy’s solar technology shines a light on the future
PAAVAN MATHEMA
It is a sad irony that Nepal, with its sunny winters and the highest hydropower potential of any country in the world, suffers from endless power cuts.
The country is better placed than most to take advantage of renewable energy sources, but successive governments have done almost nothing to make this happen. Private entrepreneurs, however, have stepped in and one of the pioneers in this field has been Lotus Energy.
“You see the dark houses, the power cuts, you see the pollution on the road and you feel that you have to do something,” says Adam Friedensohn who set up Lotus Energy when he moved to Nepal 15 years ago to promote solar and wind energy technologies.
With partner Jeevan Goff, Friedensohn has set up the company to provide Nepalis with affordable solar alternatives for lighting. Starting with just three staff in 1993, Lotus now employs 100 and has branches across Nepal.
Friedensohn started out with trying to light up rural areas of Nepal with solar power, but quickly got involved in trying to find a solution to the extremely polluting Vikram three wheelers. Lotus collaborated with other parters to start Electric Vehicle Company (EVCO). The project to replace the diesel powered smoke belchers with battery-powered three wheelers became a runaway success, and ‘Safe tempo’ has today become a household word.
http://www.greencarcongress.com/2008/05/reva-takes-2008.html
REVA Takes 2008 Frost & Sullivan European
Automotive Powertrain Company of the Year Award
30 May 2008
Frost & Sullivan presented its 2008 European Automotive Powertrain Company of the Year Award to Reva Electric Car Company (RECC) for demonstrating excellence in sales volumes, superior market penetration and high levels of customer satisfaction within the electric vehicle (EV) industry. In 2007, on average one REVA electric car was sold per day in the United Kingdom.
RECC has successfully tested and evaluated lithium ion batteries for the REVA quadricycle. The newly developed lithium ion batteries provide a driving range of more than 140 kilometers (87 miles) compared to 60-80 km from the existing lead acid battery pack.
The company’s current REVAi has been designed to facilitate upgrades to li-ion packs when they are made available for sale this year. With the incorporation of the new AC electric motor, the REVAi increases the mid-range torque by 40% and offers a boost mode for short term acceleration.
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