Indien rüstet alte Verbrennerfahrzeuge auf Elektrofahrzeuge um

This article, which was published in January, only laid out the economic case for retrofitting old combustion vehicles to electric vehicles. But a couple of days back, DW released this video demonstrating an Indian company already retrofitting old trucks to have an electric power train:

https://youtu.be/OlGxk4jHC2Q?si=vpoBiajdFpO8Ou1R

From the article itself:

>India’s push toward electric mobility may find an unexpected accelerator in retrofitting existing internal combustion engine vehicles, according to Exponent Energy executives who argue the approach could dramatically speed up the country’s transition to zero-emission transport.

>With approximately 5-6 million three-wheelers currently operating across India, replacing the entire fleet through new vehicle sales alone would take at least a decade, even if all new sales were electric from tomorrow. Industry observers suggest the actual timeline could stretch to 20 years.

>The economics present a compelling case for vehicle owners. An autorickshaw driver operating a 5-6 year old CNG or LPG three-wheeler could save approximately Rs 3,000 monthly immediately after retrofitting, compared to the Rs 3.5-4 lakh investment required for a new electric vehicle. Once the typical 3-year loan for retrofit equipment is repaid, monthly savings could reach Rs 10,000—representing nearly 70% savings compared to CNG operation.

>The retrofit model requires loans of only Rs 1.5-2 lakh, making financing more accessible while preserving the residual value of existing vehicles. Drivers maintain access to established service networks for non-battery maintenance while benefiting from improved ride quality and reduced noise.

This could offer a faster route in electrifying road transport faster than we once thought.

What a refreshing concept, instead of trying to stomp tariffs on people doing EV conversions, the government could actually facilitate it. Imagine that?

Now imagine subsidies for people who want to do EV conversions at home and tool libraries to make the job easier for them. Instead of begging for more tariffs, perhaps we could ask our Democratic representatives in the US why we can’t have EV conversions in the US too?

This should be a great opportunity but it needs government support. Industry always lies about providing aftermarket EV conversions by making sure they don’t have enough to go around and jacking up the prices to where it’s impractical. Let’s accept that the CEOs are the enemy of the people and get on with the transition without them.