Back To The Future: 1948 Volkswagen Beetle Converted Into An Electric Vehicle By IIT Delhi's CERCA

The Centre of Excellence for Research on Clear Air, CERCA, at IIT Delhi, in a feat worth celebrating, retrofitted a vintage Volkswagen Beetle into an electric vehicle.

This major step towards electric mobility and eventually a sustainable future took place on November 16, as per the statement released by the institution. And the modifications weren't even the hard part. Quite the opposite. Since only the engine and a few components were changed, the original petrol engine can be easily put back.

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Centre of Excellence for Research on Clean Air (CERCA) at #IITDelhi launched its maiden initiative on electric mobility with the retrofitting of an old vintage Beetle car of 1948 model into an electric vehicle. pic.twitter.com/ASQj7QEHyM

¡ª IIT Delhi (@iitdelhi) November 17, 2020

¡°E-mobility has been the buzzword in the automobile industry and the need to adopt e-mobility is not just essential, but pressing for safeguarding the planet since the last half-century has seen adversarial changes in climatic conditions as a result of the ever-increasing pollution with vehicular emissions being one of its major contributors," said Professor V Ramgopal Rao, Director, IIT Delhi.

Twitter/IIT Delhi

"It is high time to realise the damage already caused and bring a halt to this by shifting to more sustainable alternatives such as electric vehicles which are the right, and the most suitable substitute. With Indian startups spearheading a revolution in this area especially battery technology, vehicle diagnostics, analytics and charging; the time is not far when India will also join the league of EV capitals,¡± he added.

With electric vehicles earning the rep for being 100 percent emission-free, their role in creating a sustainable future and helping the environment can be denied by none.

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Twitter/IIT Delhi

Mr. Arun Duggal, Founder of CERCA and a former IIT Delhi Alum agrees that EVs remain the best response to the problem of air pollution. "One of the most amicable answers to the problem of air pollution today is the transition to EVs which are considered 100 percent emission-free as they do not release any toxic gases into the environment which is already in a critical state in several parts of the country.¡±

Another voice rallying behind the cause is that of Mr. Diljit Titus, Secretary of the Heritage motoring club of India and a lawyer who founded his firm Titus & Co.

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Twitter/IIT Delhi

Mr. Titus, known for his collection of vintage cars, explained that converting to an EV means better torque and a longer lifespan for a classic. "I plan to send one of my Classics this month for conversion to electric drive to do my bit to reduce pollutants and to enjoy driving using clean technology," he said.

"Thousands of Classics in the west have been converted to electric over the years and there are many collectors across India owning multiple Classics who may actually opt to convert at least one of their cars as a part of this pioneering initiative by CERCA, IIT Delhi," he added.