PluginIndia recently took a trip to Hyderabad, the city of nawabs and of high technology. In fact, our hotel was in an area synonymous with the latter – Hitec City! That’s where we found ourselves, bleary-eyed after a long overnight bus ride that had brought us into Hyderabad from Bangalore. But we had little time to laze about in our hotel rooms because we had to go check out e-Trio, the only Indian company offering ARAI-certified electric vehicle (EV) conversion kits for your car!
First, some background: Sathya Yalamanchili founded the company with a vision to motivate car buyers to convert their regular cars into electric cars instead of buying new cars. The idea was that this would not only reduce the number of cars on the road, thus mitigating congestion, but also contribute to reducing noise and air pollution by taking loud, exhaust-pipe-wielding petrol/diesel clunkers off the road and replacing them with quiet zero-emission EVs. After three years of R&D, the company started developing EV conversion kits, and in 2018, it received the ARAI’s permission to retrofit the Maruti Alto, Wagon R, and Dzire. Recently, it also received ARAI permission to retrofit the Tata Ace, a cargo loader. That’s right, the Mahindra eSupro isn’t the only cargo loader you can buy anymore!
Your's truly in a Maruti Alto Electric Car
We visited e-Trio’s sales office bright and early in the morning and were greeted by Mr Kushal, who accompanied us to the factory. Before we left, however, we caught a glimpse of a retrofitted Wagon R with the company’s badging all over it. Behind it was a Mercedes that belonged to one of the company heads that cost a cool one million USD! The journey was uneventful, but I wasn’t prepared for what I would see when I finally arrived at the factory: Rows and rows of retrofitted EVs all lapping up electrons from their own charging stations! We saw several Wagon Rs, a Dzire, a Tata Ace, and even a red e2o, which we later found out belonged to Mr Uttiya Mukherjee, the technical director of e-Trio.
We also saw the e-Trio, Mahindra’s electric autorickshaw. Boy, an e-Trio and an e-Treo! How does anyone keep their heads straight around that concept over here? We met Mr Mukherjee in his office, and he walked us through the company’s vision and plans before he took us on a tour of the plant.
Inside, we saw many more Wagon Rs and Dzires being retrofitted, along with the company’s own electric autorickshaw, which will be launched soon. It was sleek and perfectly designed to dart through city traffic, like a good autorickshaw should (I certainly preferred it to the bulky Bajajes we have in Bombay). There was a whole line of vintage cars inside (no, they weren’t waiting to be converted; they just belonged to one of the company heads), including the Fiat 1100, India’s very own Premier Padmini!
Who can forget taking taxi rides in the stinky back seats of these old gems? If I could convert any car into an EV, I’d choose the Padmini, unquestionably.
We also saw the e-Trio, Mahindra’s electric autorickshaw. Boy, an e-Trio and an e-Treo! How does anyone keep their heads straight around that concept over here? We met Mr Mukherjee in his office, and he walked us through the company’s vision and plans before he took us on a tour of the plant.
Inside, we saw many more Wagon Rs and Dzires being retrofitted, along with the company’s own electric autorickshaw, which will be launched soon. It was sleek and perfectly designed to dart through city traffic, like a good autorickshaw should (I certainly preferred it to the bulky Bajajes we have in Bombay). There was a whole line of vintage cars inside (no, they weren’t waiting to be converted; they just belonged to one of the company heads), including the Fiat 1100, India’s very own Premier Padmini!
Who can forget taking taxi rides in the stinky back seats of these old gems? If I could convert any car into an EV, I’d choose the Padmini, unquestionably.
Rows of converted Maruti's along with an e2o!
Mr Mukherjee told us that the kit comprises of
- Battery
- Motor
- Traction Controller
- DC-DC converter
- Onboard Charger
- DC Fast charger port
- Aux parts like Power Steering
- Gear Box designed by them
The conversion kits e-Trio offers: the EV-150 (150 km range) and the EV-180 (180 km range). To convert an Alto using the former kit, one would have to cough up about 6 lac rupees – and another 2 lacs if one wants the company to source the car as well. Sure, that seems a bit expensive, but don’t forget that a new car will also cost you about the same amount, if not more when you opt for more safety features, automatic transmission, etc. There’s also the fuel cost to account for. A new petrol car will cost you about 2,50,000 rupees (at 5 rupees/km) to drive 50,000 km, whereas an EV will cost you about 50,000 rupees or less (at 1 rupee or less/km).
Add in maintenance costs for a petrol car, and you’re looking at expenses of 3,00,000 lac rupees, if not more. Six lacs doesn’t seem like such a bad amount now, does it?
Mr Mukherjee told us that the company will provide full telematics support for all its EVs. This was heartening news because few other EV companies are offering this support these days. Mahindra stopped providing telematics support for its EV line-up after a few years of doing so. The company seems determined to squander all the goodwill it acquired when it bought Reva. It’s not surprising that that the downhill slide began after it let go Mr. Chetan Maini, the effing founder of Reva!
Anyway, e-Trio will monitor its retrofitted cars remotely and automatically alert drivers if there’s a problem with the car. The software will also collect data on driving and charging patterns and analyse the data to help the company keep improving its technology. No word yet on whether the company will have its own app for users to remotely lock/unlock the car, turn the AC on/off, and other cool stuff, but we’re keeping our fingers crossed. After all, a true EV is a computer on wheels! The technology aspect is a big draw for many potential buyers, and no company can afford to ignore it. It’s the reason why Tesla’s cars are outselling General Motors’ Chevy Bolt, an ostensibly good EV.
Add in maintenance costs for a petrol car, and you’re looking at expenses of 3,00,000 lac rupees, if not more. Six lacs doesn’t seem like such a bad amount now, does it?
Mr Mukherjee told us that the company will provide full telematics support for all its EVs. This was heartening news because few other EV companies are offering this support these days. Mahindra stopped providing telematics support for its EV line-up after a few years of doing so. The company seems determined to squander all the goodwill it acquired when it bought Reva. It’s not surprising that that the downhill slide began after it let go Mr. Chetan Maini, the effing founder of Reva!
Anyway, e-Trio will monitor its retrofitted cars remotely and automatically alert drivers if there’s a problem with the car. The software will also collect data on driving and charging patterns and analyse the data to help the company keep improving its technology. No word yet on whether the company will have its own app for users to remotely lock/unlock the car, turn the AC on/off, and other cool stuff, but we’re keeping our fingers crossed. After all, a true EV is a computer on wheels! The technology aspect is a big draw for many potential buyers, and no company can afford to ignore it. It’s the reason why Tesla’s cars are outselling General Motors’ Chevy Bolt, an ostensibly good EV.
The PluginIndia team finds it difficult to see a 'Maruti' being charged!
Now I know what you’re thinking – did we just talk, talk, talk, or did we actually drive any of the cars? You bet we did! I got to drive the retrofitted Wagon R, and it was a bizarre experience. The Wagon R is one of the best-selling hatchbacks in India, but it’s hardly what you’d call elegant; at best, it’s functional. But replacing that awful ICE engine with a motor and batteries can make a world of difference. I turned the key, and instead of the usual vroom as the engine started, there was a soft beep! The car had turned on. Next, all I had to do was turn this really cool circular silver dial on the centre console from Neutral to Drive, and I was good to go. I gently depressed the accelerator and was shocked when the vehicle took off without a sound. It was a smooth ride, although the steering was a bit stiff. Mr Mukherjee told us that that when e-Trio converted the car, they really meant it! They took out everything, leaving only the exoskeleton. I believed this when driving the car. In addition to an e2o, I own a petrol Wagon R, and my experience of driving the electric Wagon R was totally different.
Finally
Mr. Nitish Bhandari, the COO informed us that the company will be opening franchises in Tier 1 cities in India, which means you no longer need to take your car to Hyderabad for a conversion. Just take it to your nearest franchisee, pay up, and in about a week you’ll drive out with your old/new EV!
Overall, we were incredibly impressed with the work e-Trio is doing, and I certainly hope that retrofitting will become a dominant trend in the EV world. A future where you can drive any ICE car – not just a Maruti – into an e-Trio branch; choose your preferred range and other EV features; and drive out with an ARAI-certified, connected EV is one I want to be a part of. Thanks e-Trio for this opportunity, and we can’t wait to bring you more news from this exciting company!
Finally
Mr. Nitish Bhandari, the COO informed us that the company will be opening franchises in Tier 1 cities in India, which means you no longer need to take your car to Hyderabad for a conversion. Just take it to your nearest franchisee, pay up, and in about a week you’ll drive out with your old/new EV!
Overall, we were incredibly impressed with the work e-Trio is doing, and I certainly hope that retrofitting will become a dominant trend in the EV world. A future where you can drive any ICE car – not just a Maruti – into an e-Trio branch; choose your preferred range and other EV features; and drive out with an ARAI-certified, connected EV is one I want to be a part of. Thanks e-Trio for this opportunity, and we can’t wait to bring you more news from this exciting company!