India's First Retrofitted C-Class EV

Also, because people are switching more towards clean energy and green power, more and more people are moving towards electric vehicles and therefore the demand for these vehicles keep on increasing. Even though it's new, the demand for electric cars in India has come a long way within a very short period. Therefore converting ICE cars to EVs have been a popular idea in India as well for some time but we have seen little success. Hence, to bring down the emission levels many people have converted to sources of electricity in their already existing cars. As we know this, we should even be aware that this is one of the many problems surrounding such a change. Also, the NGT which is the short form of The National Green Tribunal has already said and found out when they had imposed a complete ban on all diesel cars that are 10 years or older and petrol vehicles, 15-year-old, in the National Capital. But nowadays some relief has come to those people who own a diesel car that is more than 10 years old. The Delhi government has even allowed people to drive their 10-year-old diesel car regularly but only if they get their old diesel car retrofitted with electric kits.

The specifications of Mercedes-Benz C-Class from Internal Combustion Engine to EV:

Photo Credit: smartenergy.com

The Mercedes-Benz C-Class has not only been converted to electric but also has been equipped with new-age mobility features like GPS, geo-fencing, and remote performance assessment by the Delhi-based startup Tadpole project. The Mercedes-Benz C-Class that was used for the conversion from ICE to EV was a petrol variant car of 2003. We should even know that the company gives a warranty of 3 years on battery and 2 years on the EV kit which is not very good and is comparatively low but they have said that it could be improved in the future. As for the battery, the car as of now only supports AC charging that takes about 5-6 hours to fully charge and the company has said that if needed, there is a provision for DC charging as well.

The standard retrofitting process:

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The company follows the standard retrofitting process that is based on the vehicle and other elements like the dynamics, structure, wheel, assembly, transmission, etc. The entire research is done by the in-house team. This process is then initiated connecting the research with the client's requirements for range and speed. Accordingly, designs for the motors and rechargeable energy storage systems are made. The entire Tadpole project is not new and the startup is pioneering the conversion of fossil fuel-guzzling vintage cars into electric vehicles in India while also doing the same for modern IC-engine four-wheeler vehicles. Also, this is not new because the company has converted a fuel car into an EV before as well. The company or the startup had already retrofitted vintage cars such as the Volkswagen Beetle of 1948 and also an Austin 10 of 1936. Hence, this is not a new process.

Founder of the Tadpole Projects:

The founder of the Tadpole Projects is Mohammad Jawaad Khan who is 23 years old young Entrepreneur and an electrical engineer. He founded the Tadpole projects in association with the Centre of Excellence for research of clean air, also known as CERCA at IIT Delhi. Jawaad Khan comes from a very humble background wherein his father is a shopkeeper who runs a small store in Bhaderwah and his mother is a school teacher. Even though the city has a relatively high literacy rate, very few people venture into entrepreneurship. Even before he thought of becoming an entrepreneur, he always had a knack for making and innovating interesting things. He made sure that the project was eco-friendly.