Pune-resident Abhishek Mane has been living an eco-friendly life for many years with his entire house running on solar energy.
In yet another step towards sustainable living, he decided to switch to electric vehicles. So, he started off with an electric two-wheeler, which he enjoyed using.
However, when he tried to buy an electric car, the price range did not fit his budget. So he thought of buying a second-hand Mahindra e2o car and turning it into an electric one.
“At the centre, they scanned my car and identified areas that needed work, like tyres and suspension. They gave me an estimated cost of Rs 63,000 for this, which I thought was a lot,” he says.
“So I purchased the spare parts from them for about Rs 12,600 and approached my trusted mechanic,” says Abhishek, adding that he further purchased three tyres for Rs 9,900 and replaced a cell in the battery for Rs 25,000.
He says that he also fixed the Electric Vehicle-Intelligent Energy Management System (IEMS) at Rs 40,000.
And the remaining expenses were in replacing balance rods, studs, rubber parts and onboard charger.
After completing all the repairs, Abhishek’s EV was charging fully within four hours and could go to 100 kilometres on a single charge.
While charging the car might have cost him Rs 2,000, thanks to solar charging at his home, he bears no additional cost.
“My running cost is Rs 1-2 per kilometre, which is almost 80% less than my previous petrol car, which was Rs 8-9 per kilometre,” he says.
For battery maintenance, Abhishek says that he charges it every three days and only after the charge comes down to 30-40%.
“Look out for the health of tyre, suspension, battery, motor, and transmission when purchasing a second-hand car,” recommends Abhishek to anyone looking to convert their car to an EV.