Senior Citizen Builds Home-Made Electric Car That Goes 60 Km For Just Rs. 5 [Video]
Electric vehicles are rising in acceptance in our country. We have seen multiple mainstream car brands come up with new all-electric models recently. Tata and MG have been leading the EV pack here, with Mahindra expected to make it to the top spots with the recently launched BE 6 and XEV 9e. Other than these automotive juggernauts, there are several startups like Waive Mobility coming up with EV cars as well. But did you know that a 67-year-old man from Kerala recently made an electric car at home that lets him travel 60 km with just 5 rupees?!
Meet Antony John, a career consultant by profession, residing in Kerala’s Kollam district. His office is 30km away from the residence- giving him a total of 60 odd kilometres of travel every day. He used to munch these miles on an electric scooter for over 16 years. But as he grew older, Antony wanted a more comfortable mode of commute. He tried looking for a pocket-friendly electric car back in 2018, but could not find any. (If he were to do it today, the Comet EV with BAAS would have been a good fit)
Since he couldn’t get to buy one, he thought of building an electric car of his own. He did thorough research on the topic and made a rough plan on what components and electrical parts to source for the project. He then got in touch with a garage nearby that build body for buses. They helped him with design and fabrication works. He chose to go with a design that he found online. The bodywork is large enough to accommodate two people. There is a rear bench that can hardly fit adults in.
The garage did just the bodywork and fabrications. The electrical works including the installation of the battery, motor and associated components were done by Antony himself. He sourced the EV battery, motor and wiring from a Delhi-based vendor. It took him a few years of work and a handful of mistakes to complete the project.
He says that even with all the mistakes taken into account, the project costed him less than 4.5 lakh rupees. To also consider here, is the fact that it had to be halted temporarily during the pandemic. The associated chaos should have also contributed to the overall time taken.
Human errors from Antony also brought about delays in completion. Since he is not a professional at building cars or EVs, he had to take the trial and error way to get the battery specs and driving range right. The final product he claims, can run 60 km on a full charge.
He was able to achieve this with a higher-capacity battery than what was used initially. It also ensures that he can travel to work and back on a single full charge. Going by the current electricity charges of his place, it could cost him Rs 5 to charge the vehicle fully. This means around 8 paise per km.
This electric car belongs to the category of ‘low speed’ EVs, and thus stays clear of requiring registration, according to the Indian laws. It is thus 100% legal. However, from what we are told, the driver must have a valid driving license to be able to drive this vehicle legally on our roads.
It’s been long since people started converting petrol and diesel cars and SUVs into EVs by using aftermarket kits and components. However, making one out of scratch and being able to use it on a daily basis deserves praise for sure.