Converting a Vehicle to Electric Drive

In the world of electric vehicles, have you ever heard of retrofitting? It's the conversion of a traditional gasoline-powered vehicle into an electric one. These conversions are not home-made, nor are they conversions of classic vehicles that are no longer on the market, a project that can prove costly. On the contrary, we are talking about conversions of existing vehicles in municipal and corporate fleets, carried out by recognized Quebec companies specialized in this field.

The retrofit rationale

The advantages of adapting a traditional vehicle to electric drive are numerous: the price of gasoline, the difficulty of obtaining new electric vehicles, the circular economy and the preservation of natural resources are often cited.

Various applications

Retrofitting enables an organization wishing to electrify a vehicle to adapt an existing vehicle in its fleet, while avoiding the need to acquire a new, more expensive electric model. Although electric pickup trucks are available on the market, many organizations have already converted their pickup truck or conventional utility van to electric power. In fact, these are the most common retrofit conversions. Over the past few years, custom retrofit projects have proliferated across the province, involving both municipalities and companies.

For example, the municipalities of L'Assomption and Plessisville both have a gasoline-powered utility van converted to electric power. In both municipalities, this vehicle is also offered in car-sharing mode to the population as part of the SAUVéR Project. This kind of initiative can make a real difference, giving residents access to an electric van for occasional needs (visits to the ecocentre, moving, etc.).

The towns of Nicolet and Trois-Rivières are also among those who have converted their vans to electric power. In Trois-Rivières, a local company is behind the conversion of a delivery van. During the three-month trial alone, three tonnes of CO2 were saved.

However, converting a vehicle to electric power is not always the best solution, especially for individuals. For example, converting a gasoline-powered sedan into an electric one can be very costly. And a conversion cannot change the fundamental characteristics of the original vehicle, such as maximum axle loads.

Financial assistance

Organizations wishing to explore this option can count on government subsidies for their retrofit project. In Québec, financial assistance of up to $25,000 for a light truck and $75,000 for a medium-duty truck can be granted to convert a vehicle to electric propulsion.

Retrofitting can be a cost-effective and environmentally friendly solution for organizations. Such an approach would be even more economically advantageous if the purchase of second-hand components, such as batteries, became eligible for government subsidies, which is not currently the case.