A big and revolutionary step has been included in the draft of the new EV policy of Delhi government. Under this, permission can be given to convert old petrol and diesel cars into electric vehicles (EV) in the capital. Not only this, to encourage this technology, the government is also considering giving a subsidy of Rs 50,000 on the first 1000 vehicles. This step is being considered a big change in the direction of reducing pollution in Delhi and saving old vehicles from being scrapped.
How will petrol-diesel cars be converted into EVs?
The technology to convert old vehicles into EVs has been jointly developed by Folks Motor and Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI). This EV retrofitting technology can work in two ways-
1. Hybrid Driving Mode
The car will be able to use petrol/diesel engine as well as electric drive mode.
2. Fully electric driving mode
The car will be able to drive 50–100 km only on battery power.
According to Nikhil Anand Khurana, CEO of Folks Motor, retrofitting is possible without making changes to the existing engine and gearbox of the vehicle. A retrofit motor, gearbox unit and recuperative generator are installed in it.
This generator continuously charges the battery by converting 50–60% of the vehicle’s mechanical losses into energy.
The new batteries are shifted into the trunk using the existing battery space of the car. Nikhil says that including this technology in the EV policy is an important step towards making it available to the common people.
Will vehicle safety and insurance be affected?
Questions have been raised by some experts regarding the safety of the technology. However, Folks Motor claims that 10–12 sensors are installed in the EV retrofitting system, which monitor many parameters from the braking system to the engine. This technology was patented in 2012. Its safety tests and updates have been conducted with ARAI for many years. After retrofitting, the company will also provide warranty on the vehicle, which will reduce the worries of consumers to a great extent.
How long will retrofitting take?
The company claims that EV retrofitting takes only 4–6 hours. That means the same time as normal car servicing.
After getting approval from the government, Folks Motor will develop a 4-acre auto park in Sonipat, where large-scale manufacturing of retrofitting parts and warehousing infrastructure will be developed.
How much will it cost?
The estimated cost of EV retrofitting will be—
Around Rs 2 lakh + GST
However, the decision on which category GST will fall in and in which tax slab the retrofitting kit will be kept will be taken by the Central Government after the implementation of the Delhi Government policy. Folks Motor says that once it gets approval in Delhi, other states can also start adopting this model.
What does the Indian government say on EV retrofitment? The Government of India gave conditional approval to EV retrofitment on 23 June 2016. There were conditions in this – Retrofitment can be done only on vehicles with BS‑II or later engines. The total weight of the vehicle should not exceed 3500 kg. No other retrofitment has been done on the vehicle before EV retrofitment.
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