U.S. automaker General Motors Co. and India's Reva Electric Car Co. will jointly develop a small, affordable electric car for the Indian market, with production slated to begin in 2010, AP quoted executives as saying today. GM India's president Karl Slym told reporters in New Delhi the companies will work with the Indian government _ which has said it wants to decrease dependence on fossil fuels _ to build a network of charging stations and lobby for consumer incentives. Reva's deputy chairman Chetan Maini said the companies would like to transform India into a global base for the development and manufacture of electric vehicles. «Our unique collaboration has the potential to result in far-reaching changes for the industry,» he said in a statement. Reva, based in the southern city of Bangalore, sold its first electric car in India in 2001 and is working to expand its annual production capacity to 30,000 vehicles. GM recently opened a battery research lab in the U.S. to hasten development of electric and hybrid cars. Production of the Chevrolet Volt, which can drive up to 40 miles without gasoline, is slated to start in the U.S. in late 2010. GM also said Thursday that it plans to open a new research center in Shanghai focused on developing «breakthrough» auto technologies for the future, like battery cells and driverless vehicles.
