This Telangana Startup's Aftermarket Kits Let You Convert Your Old Petrol Car To Electric!

Update

The switch to electric vehicles (EVs) is inevitable and the same has been recognised by the Indian government and auto players alike. As a result, we see the constant push by the government towards EVs and manufacturers promising upcoming line-up of battery run vehicles in the coming years. What about the existing IC engine cars though? Are they going to run in the same manner as today, hampering all the positives of the EVs for the environment and the economy alike?

Enter E-trio Automobiles, a Telangana based start-up that focuses on the mentioned issue. India¡¯s first ever ARAI approved company for retrofitted car kits, E-trio eyes to revolutionise the electric vehicle domain by converting the existing IC engine vehicles into EVs. All through the use of aftermarket retrofitted car kits, kind of like CNG installation in cars.

For now, the company has come up with such kits for only two cars - Alto and WagonR, after two years of testing, as per the company. All this with the technology guidance from an R&D team from SFO, headed by Stanford alumni. The result, as mentioned by the founder of the start-up - Sathya Yalamanchili, is ¡°these smart cars currently are the most efficient and economical cars compared to our counterparts in the market.¡±

E-trio

How does it affect your car?

Big talks. But here is how the company promises to fulfil them. E-trio says that the converted electric cars do not require gears and promise a swift and smooth acceleration. Alto and WagonR, once retrofitted with the car kits, will be able to deliver a top speed of 150 km/h, i.e. considerably more than their IC engine counterparts. However, the company also claims that the cars touched top speeds of 210 km/h during testing.

As for the battery prowess, the retrofitted cars would be able to deliver a range of 150 km on a single charge. A total of 5 hours will be needed for a zero to full charge. On top of all this, the company promises that the overall maintenance will be the most cost effective solution as compared to all other prevailing options.

So is it better?

As can be understood, the entire idea makes more sense for many existing car owners than buying a brand new electric vehicle. If the company gets the pricing right on the kits, the kits can considerably lower the running cost for owners of both the cars.

In addition to Alto and WagonR, E-trio is aiming to get kit approvals for other vehicles in India as well. As of now, the company has mentioned a capacity of 1000 cars per month through its factory. The immediate goal, however, has been restricted to a minimum of 5000 cars within the next year.

As per E-Trio Automobiles, the price of these retrofitted cars would be less than $10,000 i.e. Rs 7 - 7.5 Lakh.