Converting automobiles to run on electricity is not a new concept. For a long time, EV conversions were the only type of electric car on the road, but the cost (particularly when battery costs were sky-high), restricted power, and limited range discouraged most people from really considering it.
Now, a big automaker appears to be bullish about returning to EV conversions.
Renault Group, a key participant in electric cars, is establishing itself as a pioneer once more in the development of an innovative retrofit solution. They have collaborated with Phoenix Mobility to introduce a new commercial offer on the after-sales market, meeting the needs of professional clients who are searching for more sustainable and cost-effective mobility solutions.
Renault and Phoenix will begin by producing 1,000 conversion kits combining new Renault EV parts, Phoenix retrofit components, and professional installs in used light commercial vehicles.
This will all be done at a “Re-Factory,” where old vehicles will be stripped of their gas or diesel engines and converted to electric power. This should gradually bring the cost of a conversion down to a reasonable level.
The first 1,000 test installs will assess if these transformations can be done at scale in a factory-like setting in a cost-effective, ecologically friendly, and, perhaps most crucially, with a resultant vehicle that people will want to use for business.
Moreover, by recycling older vehicles and making them an EV, you can skip many environmentally costly moves in the process.
Reference- Renault website & Online Newsroom, Clean Technica, EV Obsession