Maruti Suzuki WagonR is one of the best-selling cars in India and has been very popular since it was first launched in 1999. It has been a little over 26 years of WagonR in India and this tall-boy hatchback has faithfully served the market with Petrol and CNG engine options. However, there hasn’t been an electric version of WagonR in production, yet.
That hasn’t stopped aftermarket modders converting an old WagonR from Petrol to Electric with conversion kits. One such example can be seen in the recent video from Sriaan Electric Vehicle where they convert a 17-year old 2009 WagonR from Petrol to Electric at a nominal cost of around Rs 2.25 lakh.
Old WagonR Electric Conversion
The WagonR in question here is from Madhya Pradesh and it is a 2009 model, making it 17 years old. This aftermarket workshop aims to breathe a new life into this ageing WagonR with an electric conversion. The modder dismantles the original engine from the engine bay along with all engine-related components like gearbox, fuel tank, exhaust system and others.
Original clutch, gearbox and flywheel have been retained and the conversion is executed in such a way that the main HV electric motor is directly coupled to this gearbox. Conventionally, OEMs use a 1-speed transmission system and not a fixed ratio gearbox like this. The throttle pedal is re-used with a converter.
For HVAC, a dedicated 1 kW motor from an e-rickshaw was used to run the compressor because the main electric motor does not run at idling like an engine does. A DC-DC converter along with a smart display was used to monitor battery and motor stats. The motor controller had N, D and R modes on top of the reverse gear already present in the manual gearbox.
Battery and motor were fitted in the engine bay with additional support custom fabricated for this application. HV wiring harnesses were arranged underneath the carpets. Charging port is not a conventional CCS2 port. Instead, it is an industrial 16A port positioned in the fuel filler cap and there is an electrical board inside which is plugged to the battery.
Should OEMs Offer Conversion Kits?
The top speed achieved from this Maruti WagonR converted to electric is said to be around 75 km/h and the range is said to be around 100 – 110 km on a single charge. This conversion attempt is a reminder that mainstream carmakers can develop a mass-manufactured electric kit that could transform ageing vehicles and give them a new life.
However, OEMs don’t offer electric conversion kits yet, but there are multiple carmakers offering an all new electric vehicle. The Government is yet to advocate electric conversions in the country to reduce the ecological adversities involved in manufacturing a vehicle from scratch.
