How is the kit that transforms a petrol car into electric

Toyota has been clear about the future of electric mobility. In the words of the current CEO and grandson of the founder,
Aki Toyodaare there not enough natural resources to make 100% of the park emission-free before 2050, a horizon set by major supranational organizations such as the UN or the European Union.

However, it does not mean that electrifying the world’s three largest car markets – China, the EU and the US – is a battle to be abandoned. For the Japanese company, which is the world’s largest automaker for the third consecutive year, the key is to convert old combustion models into zero-emission or plug-in hybrids.

The demonstration was presented last January as part of the Tokyo Motor Show. There the manufacturer exhibited two of its legendary 1983 Corolla AE86, which had been converted into clean engines using the technologies available within the Japanese group.

One of them features the Mirai’s hydrogen engine, while the other has been
retrofitted with a battery from the Prius plug-in hybrid and the electric motor of the Tundra hybrid pickup available in the US.

“We are not leaving car enthusiasts behind,” said Toyoda, another car enthusiast. According to the manager, it is much more ecological to adjust the drive of a vehicle that is physically and mechanically in good condition than to have to demolish it and produce a new car.

The kit used by the Tokyo Motor Show Corolla is easy to install, though that should be taken into account
benefits are not the best. The electric motor has 45 horsepower, less than half of the combustion car on which it is installed, and the battery ensures an autonomy of 45 km.

It wouldn’t be an impressive sports car with these features, but it does meet the requirements for Traffic to award it the Zero label. In addition, the price is considerably lower than if you had to buy a zero-emission car, which all start at more than 20,000 euros without a discount.

According to Toyota, any qualified workshop could install a similar system for around €10,000. This would also solve the main problem of the aging Spanish fleet: high emissions. Another price to pay is the loss of trunk space, which would be used to house the batteries.

Of course, this must overcome the legal obstacles that exist in Spain today, which prohibit modifying a vehicle’s drive system. That is, an internal combustion engine can be adapted to gas because it remains essentially the same mode of operation,
but switching from petrol to electric is not yet envisaged by law.

Source: La Verdad

Mary

I am Mary Fitzgerald, a professional journalist and author of the Today Times Live. My specialty is in writing and reporting on technology-related topics. I have spent the last seven years extensively researching and understanding the field of technology so I can properly inform my readers about developments in this ever-evolving world.