According to automotive industry research firm Hedges & Company, there are roughly 1.47 billion cars in the world. Most of them have an internal combustion engine as EVs have only been gaining traction in the last decade or so. With emissions regulations getting stricter globally, there’s more and more pressure on automakers to roll out EVs. But what will happen to the cars that have been already built?
Toyota is trying to keep ICE alive by making it run on hydrogen while Porsche believes synthetic fuels could be the savior. These two proposals don’t seem viable for industrialization, at least not right now, which is why a German startup based in Dachau has a different approach. It wants to convert existing gasoline and diesel cars to pure EVs. Of course, e-Revolt is not the first to offer this solution, but it has optimized the process to cut the conversion time to just eight hours.
While most of the companies that do ICE-to-EV conversions are specialized in high-end classic cars, e-Revolt targets common vehicles. There’s nothing more mundane than this Volkswagen Golf Mk VII wagon that had a diesel engine before its oily guts were replaced by electric bits. Euronews Next learned from the company’s managing director and technical lead Rolf Behling the conversion is currently compatible with as many as 42 different models.
How Much Does It Cost?
It costs anywhere from €12,000 to €15,000, which works out to $13,000 to $16,000 at current exchange rates. It’s not cheap by any stretch of the imagination, especially since you’re spending the money on an existing car. On the other hand, truly cheap EVs are still few and far between in 2023, so this conversion might make sense for eco-conscious people who can’t splurge on a new EV. Even a basic China-made Dacia Spring retails from over €20,000, before incentives.
What About The Range?
As far as range is concerned, e-Revolt claims the battery has enough juice for 250 to 300 kilometers (155 to 186 miles). It’s still improving the technology, so there’s definitely room for more. Since the bolt-in conversion kit is modular, a car that has already gone through the transformation can switch to a future upgraded battery when it becomes available.
The ICE To EV Conversion Process
The conversion process starts with doing a precheck of the car to make sure it’s eligible to receive the electric treatment. After that, the gasoline/diesel engine is yanked off, along with the rest of the components that are no longer necessary. The startup is not throwing the old parts into the trash can as it’s either recycling them or reusing in other applications.
After making room in the engine bay, e-Revolt installs what it refers to as a “plug and play frame” hooked up to the mount points originally created to hold the ICE. There’s also an e-CAN (controller area network) module that makes sure the newly added parts work in harmony with the car’s original components.
The company supplies everything that’s necessary to complete the conversion, including hoses and screws. It also adds a new infotainment-like setup atop the dashboard that provides all the EV-related info.
Questions That Need An Answer
However, there are some missing pieces of the puzzle. For example, it’s unclear how much power the electric motor delivers and we don’t know the capacity of the battery either. In addition, the charging time is also a mystery, and we’re certain the ICE-to-EV conversion increases the car’s weight and impacts how it’s distributed. Consequently, the suspension must support a heavier load.
We’ve reached out to e-Revolt to clarify these concerns. We will update the article once we hear back.
