Regular Maruti Dzire converted into an electric car: How it’s done, EXPLAINED

Electric cars will likely be one of the most common modes of transportation in the future. While the vehicles powered by Internal Combustion Engines (ICE) are already facing a limit of operation in the National Capital Territory of India, the government is pushing new schemes that will allow easy ownership of the electric vehicles in the future. E-Trio, a Telangana-based start-up is currently offering kits that can convert regular ICE-powered vehicles to electric ones.

E-Trio offers a conversion kit, which is certified by Automotive Researched Authority of India (ARAI). Currently, only Maruti Suzuki Alto, Maruti Suzuki WagonR and Maruti Suzuki Dzire vehicles can be converted using the kits, but E-Trio has already applied for the certification of the new kits of popular cars including the Ritz, Indica, Santro and more.

The brand offers different kits of the vehicles and range can vary depending on the size of the vehicle. For example, an electrified Maruti Suzuki Alto will offer a maximum range of around 150 km while the Maruti Suzuki Dzire offers a range of 180 km on a single charge. The brand is also planning to increase the total range of the of the vehicle to about 230 km.

The total cost of the conversion is around Rs. 3.5 lakh plus the donor vehicle, which has to be given by the owner. If the customer wants a fast charging facility, an additional Rs. 2 lakh will be charged from the customer. With regular charging, it will take around 4-5 hours to charge a regular hatchback size car while the sedan will take around seven hours to completely juice up. It gets an automatic cut-off facility that saves the battery from overcharging.

As these are government approved kits, installing them will not break any rule or make them illegal on the road. E-Trio also takes charge of RC endorsement, where the details of the conversion are added to the original RC of the vehicle and changing the insurance type of the vehicle.

The E-Trio converted electric vehicles are easy to maintain too. The ICE-powered vehicles need regular service and maintenance to ensure that they run in optimum condition. But that’s not the case with electric vehicles. With fewer moving parts, EVs need very less maintenance.

The regular engine is removed in the conversion process and is replaced with an electric motor and lithium-phosphate batteries. The fuel filling space gets electric charging socket. The batteries are currently sourced from North Korea but the brand is expected to assemble the battery packs at the Telangana facility soon. The details of the Maruti Suzuki Dzire are not available, but the Maruti Suzuki WagonR E-Trio kit adds a 96V battery pack, which installed under the vehicle. This information is provided by TECH PRASHANT, who also drove the converted vehicle around. It ensures that the space inside the vehicle is not used up. On the inside, the vehicle gets a new instrument cluster that shows the battery level and speedometer. The vehicle gets the automatic transmission and features like AC, music system and other things.

To get the vehicle converted, one can get in touch with E-Trio directly. They are currently serving the southern part of the country, but the services will expand to the Northern part of the country soon.

When can you buy it?

Currently, the company is only targetting the cab fleet owners due to ease of installations, but by next year, private car buyers will be able to install the kit too. Currently, E-Trio is only working with commercial vehicles.

Via AutoAlive