It’s not new to convert cars to run on electricity. For a while, EV conversions were the only type of electric vehicle on the road, but the cost of doing so (especially at a period when battery prices were extremely high), the limited power, and the limited range discouraged the majority of people from giving it any real thought. Automakers are now developing electric vehicles in large quantities that are electric from the start and at ever-lower costs.
Currently, a significant automaker feels upbeat about returning to EV conversions.
The Renault Group, a significant player in the electric vehicle industry, is once again establishing itself as a trailblazer in the creation of a creative retrofit solution in a market that is still emerging but has enormous promise. said Renault Group After Sales Director Franois Delion. In order to launch a new commercial offer on the after-sales market and thereby meet the expectations of our professional customers who are looking for more environmentally friendly and cost-effective mobility solutions, we have partnered with Phoenix Mobility. This is the first time a car manufacturer and a promising start-up have come together. This endeavor is entirely consistent with Renault Group’s plan to establish the Re-Factory in Flins as the primary location for the Circular Economy of Mobility.
Beginning with the production of 1,000 conversion kits using new Renault EV parts, Phoenix retrofit components, and expert installations in pre-owned light commercial vehicles, this relationship will be between Renault and Phoenix. All of this will be completed at a Re-Factory where they will take used cars, strip them of their gas or diesel-burning components, and convert them to run on electricity. This ought to bring the price of a conversion eventually to fair levels.
Phoenix Mobility has been a pioneer and a market leader in fleet retrofitting for the past three years, and with the help of this strategic alliance with Renault Group, it has been able to advance its industrialisation goals. Our ability to quickly meet the expanding market demand will be made possible by this new stage in our development. said Wadie Maaninou, Phoenix Mobility’s founder and CEO.
The initial 1,000 test installations are intended to determine whether these conversions can be carried out at scale in a factory-like setting in a way that is affordable, environmentally benign, and perhaps most crucially, results in a vehicle that people will actually want to use for business.
WHY THIS PARTNERSHIP MATTERS There are many firms that perform EV conversions, so it may seem silly to be thrilled about an EV conversion company enough to make it news. However, there is something novel about this partnership that we haven’t seen before: the participation of a major automaker. This indicates that the company performing the conversions isn’t simply purchasing what is available on the open market, but also obtaining parts that the manufacturer is either purchasing in volume from suppliers or producing at a low cost for their own use.
More crucially, because a manufacturer decided to upgrade an existing car rather than create a brand-new one, the environmental impact of putting a new EV on the road is significantly reduced. You can avoid numerous environmentally damaging steps by recycling existing cars and converting them to EVs.
Personally, I’m hopeful that this collaboration succeeds so that other manufacturers, besides Renault, may recognize its viability.
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