Home » This European Startup Wants To Turn Your Car Into An EV In A Ridiculously Short 8 Hours
- By Lewin Day
- December 11, 2023
- 2:00 pm
- 46 Comments
“Why we don’t just convert existing gasoline vehicles to electric power?” It’s a common question when it comes to electrifying transport, especially from people less than savvy about how cars and trucks actually function. By and large, electrifying ICE-powered vehicles involves a lot of fussy engineering and compromises that make the juice not worth the squeeze. However, in some niche circumstances, it can pay off – as one German startup aims to prove.
The company, known as e-Revolt, specializes in converting ICE cars into EVs. This is no specialty shop tinkering on Jaguars, Ferraris, and other high dollar classics, though. It’s all about the mainstream, with the startup instead targeting models from the Volkswagen Group. Many of the company’s cars sit on similar or shared platforms, making it possible to build a kit that can suit a wide variety of vehicles without requiring major modifications.
The company’s EV conversion could theoretically be a direct fit for models including the Volkswagen Golf and Polo, along with the Audi A3 and Seat Leon; perhaps as many as 42 models in total. That could be a huge winner, enabling the conversion to sell to a much wider customer base, in turn helping to amortize the cost of development across more sales. It’s far easier for the company to make a profit on a one-size-fits-all kit that suits as many vehicles as possible.
This is the company’s prototype Golf conversion in testing with TÜV SÜD. Note the green frame, which mounts the EV components where the combustion engine would normally go. Beyond slashing development costs, the company also wants its EV conversions to be quick and painless to install.
Presently, conversions are the sort of thing that might take many weeks or months for a dedicated shop to execute.
[Editor’s Note: I’ve converted a gasoline car to electric power, and I’ve even visited one of the biggest EV-converters in the world, EV West. And what became clear to me is just how challenging one-off conversions are. They can take years. You’ve got to choose the right major components and sizes for the job, you’ve got to remove the old gas stuff and find the right packaging space for the new electric stuff, you’ve got to make sure all the electric components are hooked up to get the motor working, but even before that you’ve got to figure out how to keep your existing power steering and braking system and other interior electronics working, you’ve got to make sure your safety systems are still in order, and on and on.
To do an EV conversion in eight hours is madness, and I admittedly am a little dubious and would love to hear more details (is the battery pack air cooled, I assume?); building EV conversion kits really only works for high-volume vehicles, so this kit being compatible with extremely high-volume VWs does make sense. You’ve got to get scale if you’re going to develop and sell EV conversion kits. -DT].
In comparison, e-Revolt is targeting a conversion time more like eight hours. On average, conversions take around a day from start to finish. Same-day, or even same-week service, would be a lot more convenient for customers, reducing the need for loaner cars or relying on other transportation. It would also enable the company to scale its sales far quicker, without having cars stuck in workshops for weeks on end tying up lifts and installers.
Speaking to Euronews.next, managing director and technical lead Rolf Behling noted the company’s mission is all about optimizing for these goals. “It’s a production; that means you have to think about how you can do it quicker and easier and so on,” explains Behling, adding “But this works only if you have a lot of volume, because you have to put in a lot of work and money upfront to develop all this.”
To achieve such a quick and easy EV conversion, the company developed a kit that would simply drop into a variety of Volkswagen Group models. The combustion engine is first removed from the vehicle, and then the EV motor and associated components are installed in its place in a frame that bolts up to the engine’s mount points. “That’s why we are so much faster than an individual solution,” says Timo Walden, an investor and project manager at e-Revolt. “So, the frame here is a big part of our fastness.” The company’s model is to have installations handled by third-party partner workshops.
Eight hours is fast, but it’s a believable and reasonable target for a bolt-in conversion kit. Modern VAG cars can be pulled apart pretty quickly by an experienced wrench, and a kit that’s properly designed to interface with factory pickup points could conceivably be a quick install. It’s an entirely different ball game to engine-swapping or EV-swapping classics in a bespoke fashion, which involves arduous and time-consuming design and fabrication.
The range of cars converted with the kits is on the order of 250 to 300 km (155 to 186 miles). It’s not a lot compared to modern EVs, and is more in the range of an earlier generation of models like the Nissan Leaf. Like many EV conversions, though, e-Revolt’s kit isn’t exactly cheap, coming in at around €12,000 to €15,000 ($12,915 to $16,143 USD). That’s not a bad price for what you’re getting, but it’s still a hefty sum to spend on an existing car. The company notes that the modular nature of its installs means that upgrades will be possible down the road, too, such as installing newer batteries that could extend range.
For now, the company has its prototype conversion fitted to a Volkswagen Golf wagon, and has been making the rounds of European trade shows. The team is also busy pursuing on-road approval for its series production conversion models through TÜV, the notoriously tough German organization charged with handling inspections and approvals for road-going vehicles. The prototype Golf has already passed this milestone. The Autopian has contacted e-Revolt for more information regarding its timeline and plans to offer conversion kits to the mass market.
The general idea of converting existing vehicles into EVs is an appealing one. It’s often posed as a no-brainer for making the best possible use of existing stock. The idea is that plenty of ICE cars on our roads have perfectly serviceable chassis, interiors, and running gear. Rather than tossing them out, it makes more sense to re-fit them with EV drivetrains so they can be used well into the future.
This argument could make some sense if you were talking about EV converting 25-year-old economy cars with tired engines but solid bodies, for example. When you’re talking about modern cars under a decade old, the justification is a little less clear. Pulling out a functional drivetrain to build an EV that doesn’t perform as well as contemporary models can be a lot of fuss for not a lot of payoff.
e-Revolt still has some hurdles to overcome before it’s a mainstream operation converting German’s ICE-propelled cars into cleaner electric conveyances. Beyond on-road approvals, it also has to be able to build its conversion kits in significant numbers and find a way to connect with customers eager to buy its products. Conversions like these could yet become a nascent cottage industry in Germany, Europe and beyond—if they offer customers a price point and driving experience that suits them.
Image credits: e-Revolt
- Audi, EV, ev conversion, Golf, Volkswagen
A madcap engineer who loves a good montage. Ex-auto industry, ex-agriculture. Currently following a dream to write about cars, while writing killer dance music and building robots on the side.
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Do You Have a Moment To Talk About Renaults?
25 days ago
I feel like this opening paragraph is way too dismissive of what should be an environmental and socio-economic imperative. Retrofitting ICEs may still be somewhat complex at this early stage in the shift towards electrification, but it has gotten easier and cheaper at a quick pace; there’s no reason to dismiss this niche market altogether, as what we learn from it can be very useful in the near future (automakers themselves have been partnering with pioneering startups in this field and with big corporation R&D money being put into it, there’s at least a chance someone will make a bet on it, which could kickstart a full-fledged industry from this niche). This would be key in democratising access to electric propulsion in my opinion and allowing for a quicker shift towards near-total electrification.
Oh but carmakers would never fall for it, it undercuts their end game you say; sure, but EV tech doesn’t necessarily have to come from carmakers, and there may be entire industrial/economic sectors interested in taking a piece of the automakers’ pie. Who knows if companies like Hitachi, Dyson, Bosch, Siemens, Toshiba or similar ones aren’t toying with car retrofitting projects? The market is up for grabs if you ask me.
Then there’s the environmental side of it: as years go by, you start having more stock of EV parts piling up in junkyards that are still perfectly good and can (should, I would argue) be reused, as well as more and more people who learn the trade and take care of the “fussy engineering and compromises”. If this is incentivised you’ll not only be lowering demand for new cars, you’ll be keeping older cars for longer on the road and you’ll be reusing tech that will otherwise end up rotting in junkyards, at least while the demand for used EV parts is not as high as for ICEs.
Do not dismiss retroffiting, is what I’m saying.
Last edited 25 days ago by Do You Have a Moment To Talk About Renaults?
This is the future of ICE’s. I want in on this.
Captain Muppet
25 days ago
The guy on the left in the team photo needs to find some safety shoes if he’s going to be in the workshop.
I’ve worked on a few EV/REEV conversations and this level of plug and play is the dream. Get all the HV boxes, drive motor, vacuum pump, etc to fit where the ICE used to be on one subframe, then stick the batteries where the fuel tank and exhaust system used to be.
I’m always concerned about rear crash when a HV battery pack goes where the crushable muffler used to be. Both impact severity and risk go up a lot. I’m not sure how much passing the TUV inspection would mitigate this.
There are some parts of the EU that don’t let you change your ICE engine from OEM spec, I wonder how they would treat an EV conversation.
rctothefuture
25 days ago
Reply to Captain Muppet
He’s just doing the David Freiburger method with those jesus walkers on!
OnceInAMillenia
26 days ago
While this is cool, the choice of vehicle to specialize in seems weird. VW already made an eGolf from the factory -like these, it was just dropping an EV power train instead of the ICE one. Theoretically, you could swap this into a wagon with no issues. The only upgrade you’d want is to add more battery capacity to improve the low range of those factory models
Think about it this way: you have a VW tdi from diesel gate. When, not if, your Bosch High Pressure Fuel Pump grenades everything and VW tells you it’s because you used bad diesel and refuses to pay for the repair, and you’re stuck with a an $11,000 bill, this seems like a cost effective thing to do. If you pay to repair the car, it will happen again, in addition to some kind of transmission failure relating to the mechatronic unit.
GenericWhiteVan
26 days ago
Stop me if you heard this one before:
“How do make a small fortune in the EV conversion business?
Start with a large fortune.”
Way too many compromises for this to be a viable business.
Hugh Crawford
26 days ago
First time I skimmed the headline I thought it said Eight Hour EV Recharging and wondered what was so special about that.
That’s only about the cost of a Bugatti Veyron oil change and probably takes about as long so it is definitely a bargain!
Probably makes sense with European gas prices, but not in America (at the moment). That’s a lot of coin for many years of ROI
I like that they’re doing this with Volkswagens because I’m always disturbed by the number of dirt cheap VW Golfs on FB marketplace with high mileage but good bodies, interiors, and chassis, knowing that it’s because VW reliability is dog crap horrible long-term.
I’m not even bothered that they’re focusing on relatively new VWs because they’re basically used up much sooner than an equivalent Japanese or even American car around here. This makes them ideal for EV conversions – they can still be relatively new cars with engines that are just junk, and converting them to EVs for less than what any new EV costs is a great way to make sure good bodies and interiors don’t go to waste.
I’m on board with any plan that tries to extend the lifespan of existing cars by recycling and reusing the good parts and just replacing the bad parts with stuff that should last much longer.
Boxing Pistons
25 days ago
Reply to Austin Vail
I’m all for recycling/upcycling as well. People seem to only focus on emissions reduction while some much material waste gets dumped into the environment with a tiny fraction getting reused outside of metal. However, I find it hard to believe that many people are actually going to bite on this. Most people are just waiting for an excuse to dump their existing car for the new shiny thing. Are they really going to get a loan to convert their car into an arguably LESS useful vehicle? I just don’t see it happening. Now, if this company bought up super cheap cars with bad engines/trannys that were still on relatively good shape and did a full refurbishment (not just the drivetrain) and sold them as a certified pre-owned with a warranty, then maybe a few people would bite. Then again, there will always be the new shiny thing..
Last edited 25 days ago by Boxing Pistons
Reply to Boxing Pistons
Yeah I imagine these conversions will mostly be done by flippers and secondary market shoppers. There’s always a market for used cars, and if you can get a used car with a new electric drivetrain, for some people that’s killing two birds with one stone. It also helps that Volkswagen’s styling stays very similar from year to year, so an old Golf doesn’t look much different than a new one. If it looks new, it might as well be new if you’re putting a new drivetrain in it.
Chris Stevenson
26 days ago
Of all the issues and concerns I have regarding the change to EVs, conversion time is nowhere near the top of the list.
Don’t want to be THAT naysayer guy.
I just have so many questions about how the car would actually drive. Meaning…
1) Does the weight distribution and suspension dynamics completely change how car handles?
2) do the hydraulic steering and brakes get boosted from the power system? Driving modern cars that lost power steering/brakes is untenable
3) does the HVAC system not work since you no longer have a heater core and coolant and no A/C compressor fed from engine? Could be uncomfortable.
4) I saw the regular lead-acid battery in place still that would run all the interior components and outside lights, wipers, radio, seat warmers etc, that no longer has an alternator. Some of the battery juice would have to be used for all that to recharge the lead acid battery. Would new electrical gremlins arise for the creature features, like windshield wipers?
If have no doubt that they could get the thing to move under its own power with electricity, but would you still really want to drive or be a passenger in this thing?
Reply to Bob Syruncle
So I can take a quick stab at some of your questions off semi-related experience:
1: Oh yeah, for sure. Depending on the weight delta of batteries/motor/other components over ICE components, this could be a huge issue with GVWR/chassis limitations, not even counting suspension which will likely need upgrading to handle an increae in mass.
2: As far as I know, all MQB Chassis cars are full electric power steering, and brakes may or may not be electrically boosted in some way, so that may be a non-issue or fairly trivial relatively speaking.
3: There are some Off-the-shelf components for AC such as HV compressors. Same goes with electric heaters that could be used, but this is likely a serious issue as EVs and ICE cars do tend to manage HVAC in largely different ways, and swapping components is NOT cheap.
4: This is actually a very simple fix in the scheme of things, a basic DC-DC converter handles this job in all mainstream EVs and simply steps down the HV voltage to 12V and charges the 12V system like an alternator would. Gremlins will only arrive or not based on how they manage all of the in-vehicle CAN communication which is a LARGE task, and I doubt VW would want their entire vehicle communication system to be widely available and reproducible.
All that to say, yeah this is possible, but I strongly doubt it will be profitable at the prices they’re stating, as scale will not be particularly large. I suspect this is a push to get the company bought out by a larger EV/Tech company or to go public and for investors to cash out and to let someone else figure out the marketability issues.
Reply to Alexk98
Thanks. That helps me understand it more.
I’m truly amazed at how much everyone knows on this site. The collective mind of all of us is stunning.
Just put an idea out there and someone will have already done it a dozen times or written a PhD on the matter.
Reply to Bob Syruncle
1: That’s for the unsuspecting owner to worry about, but seriously stronger springs, though that is probably the biggest hurdle for meeting TUV. Proving that the springs were the limiting item in the original GVW.
2: Small electric pumps, many hybrids and PHEVs use an electric vacuum pump to keep the booster supplied during engine off operation. If said vehicle is already EPAS then it doesn’t matter.
3: Electric A/C compressor and tank with electric heater, like EVs and Hybrids already use.
4: DC/DC converter, like EVs and Hybirds already use.
The bigger hurdle is where to put the batteries.
If they choose the components correctly and come up with standards and an inspection process, it should be possible to make these quickly-converted EVs Tesla Supercharger compatible. That will negate most of their range limitations. I could do without all of this “connectivity” crap though. Seriously thinking of designing a home EV charger compatible with today’s mass market EVs that is NOT online, because I know there are people who will want that.
Last edited 26 days ago by Toecutter
My 0.02 Cents
26 days ago
Reply to Toecutter
Just make it Bi-Directional and I’ll buy one.
I don’t want to buy static storage when I already have a very large battery on wheels.
Reply to Toecutter
There are lots of non-connected chargers already on the market, that is what my and my son’s Fords came with, since the connectivity is built into the car/truck.
Reply to Scoutdude
Can it do Level II charging at home?
I have a non-connected offline charger for my Triumph GT6 EV conversion, a Brusa NLG3, but it only works with 110V/60Hz outlets and is not able to do Level 2. It interfaces only with Windows XP computers. The pack is 20.8 kWh. Charging it from empty takes a bit over 10 hours. I’ve never fully tested the range, but in theory, it will get 200 miles at 70 mph if I get all the aerodynamic modifications implemented.
My homebuilt “bicycle”/microcar has 1.7 kWh, so the 110V outlet is almost the equivalent of a Tesla Supercharger for that. This vehicle gets about 150-200 miles range at 30-35 mph on that 1.7 kWh.
Reply to Toecutter
The one that came with my PHEV is just Level 1, but I purchased a unit that will do Level 1 and 2 from Amazon. The unit is good for 16a on either voltage but the car will only accept 10a on 110v since that is what the factory unit can do. I went with that one since my detached garage had 3 20a 110v circuits, one for the lights and two outlet circuits. The car’s onboard charger is only 3.3kw so no need for anything more powerful. So pretty easy to put 1 set of outlets on with the lights and use that freed up circuit for the charger.
Here is one similar to the one I have https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09YTYBYNG/ref=twister_B0CBSFJ6JP?th=1 but there are several other options of that model as well as other brands that have dumb chargers.
The unit that came with my son’s Lighting will do level 1 presumably at 10a, haven’t really looked into it or Level 2 at 32a.
Blahblahblah123
26 days ago
Reply to Toecutter
In Europe all cars, including Tesla’s, use the same high speed charging port. It is a standard across Europe. Tesla cannot use the NACS plug in Europe – it is legislated that all EVs Europe use one IEEE ratified plug.
So European Telsa charging stations have plugs that will work for every car in Europe – I don’t know if Tesla allows that, but there is no technical reason.
Reply to Blahblahblah123
They need to make sure the selected battery pack voltages, and motor/inverter are also compatible with the Tesla Supercharge stations for it all to work. Then there’s the software issue. Nevermind the potential liability if something went wrong. Depending upon the components chosen, there could be a charging speed restriction. So I’m curious to see what sort of battery pack will be the standard in these converted cars, or if there will be multiple standards. If the wrong battery is chosen, trying to dump the full capabilities of the Supercharger into it could make it go up in flames in a most spectacular manner!
Blahblahblah123
25 days ago
Reply to Toecutter
I don’t think so. Tesla has to use the standard CCS-Type2 plug in Europe like all other cars in Europe. The CCS-Type2 plug uses an IEEE ratified charging standard that all cars use. All European Tesla Supercharger stations uses CCS-Type2 plugs.
CCS-Type2 is a UNIVERSAL plug and communication protocol. The way power is provided is standardized. You can’t muck around and use anything proprietary with this plug or you violate IEEE which is a big no no in Europe. So you can definitely plug any car into a European Tesla Supercharger and it will work. There is absolutely no risk.
The only issue is whether Tesla will let its Superchargers charge a non-Tesla car. That is something they can control.
I would seriously consider something like this for my TDI Sportwagen. It runs fine now, but there are a lot of big expensive acronyms that could go wrong at any time (DPF, HPFP, DSG, etc…). The car itself is worth very little to trade in, and a new electric system under warranty would be a cool way to extend its useful life (plus EV wagons aren’t exactly a thing). Realistically, $15k is about what you’ll pay in depreciation over the first 3 years of owning a new EV.
Reply to R53 Lifer
I came here to say the same thing about my TDI Sportwagen. I wouldn’t want to do something like this any time soon, since I only drive about 8k miles a year the car has a lot of life left in it. But if I held onto the car long enough for EVs to become fully mainstream, it would be a great way to keep a car I love on the road. By then, I bet the range for such a kit could be improved as well.
Reply to R53 Lifer
I think TDI’s are the biggest market, in Europe anyway, since the were so popular there.
Reply to Scoutdude
Another plus is that towing & Tiguan springs can be used to handle the increased weight from batteries.
It’s a good idea but may have limited takers. You’d need a sweet spot car with a very nice body and interior that happened to blow its engine. It has to be old enough to toss the engine but new enough to be worth $15k in upgrades.
I feel like the person who takes care of the interior and exterior of their car would also maintain the engine and be unlikely to blow it up. I also feel like if they had $15k, they’d either install another ICE at a portion of that or use it towards a factory built EV with more features, range and warranty.
Reply to Anoos
This seems like an idea best suited to stay in Europe, where cars and fuel are both more expensive, distances are shorter, and winters/rusting problems aren’t as severe as large portions of the US.
Reply to V10omous
How is depreciation across Europe? I feel like used cars were pretty cheap in the UK a few years back although I haven’t really kept up with the market (and that was pre-Brexit).
With Germany’s tough testing of road cars, I’d think used cars would become undesireable (and cheap) pretty quickly there.
Jim Galbraith
25 days ago
Reply to V10omous
In the UK at least, a used 2019 e-golf is cheaper than the petrol or diesel version and has about the same range as this conversion. If this had 200+ mile range that would be more compelling, but as it is…
Reply to Jim Galbraith
I’d be more inclined to buy the e-golf.
This implant is a major aftermarket upgrade – significant enough that it would feel like driving a project car. I’m fine with driving a project car, but I don’t want to rely on a project car as a daily.
Just looked up used Teslas in the UK and there are plenty for less than GBP 20k (Model 3’s with ~60k miles or Model S with ~120k miles).
Reply to Anoos
I just thought of another thing, but don’t know about it in detail. I know some cities and towns in Europe have restrictions on where and when you can operate certain types of vehicles.
Would an EV make you immune from these rules or reduce/eliminate some sort of congestion charge?
If so, this kit may be the cheapest way into an EV. If I were commuting into town daily and driving an EV meant no tolls and cheaper parking I could probably justify the cost… although you’ll be able to pick up a whole used Model 3 for this price before long.
Edit: Didn’t realize how right I was. Seems like 100k mile Model 3s aren’t hard to find for just under $20k right now.
Last edited 26 days ago by Anoos
Reply to Anoos
It’s designed for Volkswagens, so those “sweet spot” requirements should be easy to meet. I see gazillions of the things for dirt cheap that look pristine inside and out but are basically used up after 100k miles because Volkswagen.
Reply to Anoos
The other thing to factor in is if they could get some sort of gov’t incentives to cover part of the owner’s cost.
Read the article twice and understand that the green cage holds the motor and electro-guts in the engine compartment. But I couldn’t figure out where you put the extra 2,000 lbs of batteries, cables, coolant, and other needed stuff in a Polo? I guess it turns into a single passenger vehicle.
Reply to Bob Syruncle
Can’t wrap my head around the transmission and braking systems in an ICE VW going electric. Still use unassisted hydraulics/fluids or do they go electric too?
Reply to Bob Syruncle
They probably just add an electric vacuum pump and keep the braking system intact. I’m pretty sure some turbo cars already run electric vacuum pumps so they’re relatively common parts.
Steering could go with electric assist if the car doesn’t have that already.
Last edited 26 days ago by Anoos
Reply to Bob Syruncle
I was looking at the battery packs on the floor in the picture. I can’t imagine many open spaces large and square enough to fit those.
If they’ll do this for an Audi A2 I might have to get one, have the conversion done, and have it shipped to the states.
I have many questions about this. Starting with where they are putting the battery packs and whether they are using the existing transmission. That would seem like a long term repair nightmare, as you’d have a tranny to deal with in addition to replacing the battery packs. I say this because I don’t see any wheel hub motors in the picture displaying their parts up above.
Reply to James Kohler
The photo of the motor in the green frame seems to show a diff hanging off the back of it, so I think it would still run CV shafts from one motor to the hubs, how most EVs are currently designed.
Sorry, my MQB TDI will continue to be powered by an available fuel!
This is the idea I floated about companies complaining about EV’s cause they decided to reinvent everything, just plug a giant motor into where the ICE output shaft used to go and slap some batteries anywhere there is space. At even $15-20k if the IRA gave you $7500 to do this, imagine how huge that would be.