17 year old Wagon R becomes electric, costs only ₹ 2.25 lakh; 110 KM range

The Maruti Suzuki Wagon R, which has ruled the country’s roads for over 25 years, may not have an official electric avatar in the market, but an aftermarket modification workshop has made it a reality. Sriaan Electric Vehicle of Madhya Pradesh (MP) has converted the 2009 model year old petrol WagonR, about 17 years old, into a completely electric car.

This entire retrofitting process has cost approximately Rs 2.25 lakh. This experiment, which gives new life to old vehicles that are on the verge of being scrapped, not only provides relief from the rising cost of petrol, but has also emerged as an economical and practical option towards reducing carbon emissions. Let us know how the old Wagon R was made an EV?

ICE to EV: How did the whole process happen?

For this conversion, first of all the old internal combustion (petrol) engine of WagonR was taken out. Along with this, all the unnecessary parts like silencer pipe, exhaust system and petrol fuel tank were removed. These things were kept in mind while making the car electric-

• Gearbox and motor coordination: Instead of fitting a single-speed automatic transmission like a conventional EV, the modifier left the car’s gearbox, clutch and flywheel intact. The main high-voltage (HV) electric motor is directly coupled to this gearbox.
• AC system from e-rickshaw motor: Unlike a normal petrol engine, the electric motor does not run when idling. Therefore, a separate e-rickshaw motor of 1 kW capacity was used to run the air conditioner (AC) compressor.
• Battery and wiring: A custom support frame was fabricated in the engine bay (under the bonnet) to securely fit the battery pack and main motor. High-voltage wires have been safely laid under the cabin carpet.
• Charging Port Setup: There is no expensive CCS2 fast charging port installed in it, rather a domestic 16-amp industrial charging socket has been fitted inside the fuel lid itself.

The mathematics of performance and range

The top speed of this electric WagonR is about 75 km/hour. At the same time, once fully charged, this car gives a driving range of 100 to 110 kilometers. This range proves to be very economical for daily urban commuting, office commuting and local shopping. A smart digital display and DC-DC converter have also been added to the car cabin to check the real-time condition of the battery and motor.

Scrappage Policy and Retrofitting

This modification raises a big question in front of the Indian automobile world. On one hand, strict rules of scrappage are being implemented on vehicles older than 15 years, on the other hand, converting an old vehicle into a pollution-free electric vehicle for just Rs 2.25 lakh is a good step.

Industry experts believe that if vehicle manufacturing companies (OEMs) and the government together give legal recognition and subsidy to such certified retrofitting kits, then the common man can get the benefits of green mobility without buying a new electric car worth lakhs of rupees.