In 2010, Uruguayan President-elect José Mujica made headlines with the bright blue mini-truck he drove to his inauguration ceremony.
The vehicle, which looked like a regular pickup truck, was meant to send a message: Uruguay was serious about becoming more environmentally friendly. The gasoline-powered four-wheeler was converted into an electric vehicle by Organización Autolibre, a local conversion company.
Viral coverage of the ceremony put the company in the spotlight and sparked interest among electric car enthusiasts inside and outside Uruguay who wanted to convert their gas guzzlers into fuel-efficient electric vehicles.
“This coverage in many media outlets throughout Latin America brought a lot of attention to this technology, and to this day we tour the region every year, through Peru, Mexico and Argentina,” said Gabriel González Barrios, founder and CEO of Organización Autolibre. Rest of the world“The same distributors of Autolibre systems constantly invite us to train the necessary technicians to create the local ecosystem for the local development of this industry.”
Over the years, González Barrios and his team at Organización Autolibre have helped convert thousands of conventional vehicles to electric cars in 14 Latin American countries. The company trains individuals and mechanics through online courses and oversees conversions for corporate fleets. So far, at least 40 companies have used Organización Autolibre’s services, González Barrios said. While some countries have raised concerns about the safety of retrofitting vehicles, González Barrios said his company is leading efforts to make the practice safer and more standardized across Latin America.
“We want to show that it is an industrialized process,” said Andrés García, the owner of an aftermarket workshop in Bogotá, Colombia, that works with Autolibre. Rest of the world“This is not for hobbyists or inexperienced people.”
González Barrios had the idea for the company in 2006 after watching the documentary on climate change produced by Al Gore An inconvenient truthAs a distributor of chemical products for gas-powered vehicles, he was inspired to address environmental issues from his part of the world.
“We have decided to replace the combustion engines of our own vehicles with zero-emission electric vehicles,” said González Barrios. The experiment was successful and affordable and led him to found the Organización Autolibre.
González Barrios initially used some American EV kits to retrofit the vehicles, but when these became too costly, Autolibre partnered with Zhuhai Enpower Electric, a Chinese power systems company.
In recent years, as electric vehicles have become more popular, so has interest in retrofitting conventional vehicles, said Bruno González, sales manager at Autolibre Rest of the world. In 2011, the company retrofitted a fleet of delivery trucks for Bimbo, the world’s largest bread-making company. Bimbo did not respond to questions from Rest of the world.
The Latin American Association for Sustainable Mobility announced in its 2020 report on the practice that at least 145 retrofitted vehicles had been officially registered.
The Latin American Retrofit Association, co-founded by González Barrios, now has over 30 members across the region. All of them are either dealers of retrofit kits for electric vehicles or operate workshops specializing in this process.
Electric vehicle retrofitting has been practiced worldwide for over 30 years, with countries such as Japan and Australia establishing national guidelines for the process. A report by the Latin American Association for Sustainable Mobility lists 21 companies that currently sell retrofit kits for various vehicles around the world.
The biggest incentive to retrofit a vehicle is its affordability, says González Barrios. Most new electric cars in Latin America are out of reach for regular drivers. One of the most popular models, the electric Renault Kwid, costs around $18,100. Converting an existing car with a gasoline or diesel engine into an electric vehicle using Autolibre’s process starts at $6,000.
Because conversion is largely a do-it-yourself process, there are no official statistics on the conversion industry in Latin America. Much conversion work is done “by hobbyists who want to extend the life of their gasoline cars because they cannot afford a new electric car,” said Adolfo Rojas, president of the Association of Entrepreneurs for the Promotion of Electric Vehicles in Peru, Rest of the world.
The conversion requires experienced electric vehicle technicians to remove the engine, gas tank, exhaust and other components from a regular car and install the electric motor, batteries, onboard charger and computer in the empty space. Weight must be carefully distributed so the car doesn’t tip over to one side. The original electrical components — such as airbags and sensors — must work properly and the battery must not overheat. Autolibre Academy, the company’s education division, offers online courses on these basic skills for any electric vehicle enthusiasts interested in the conversion, González said..
However, Rojas said there were risks associated with the retrofitting process.
Retrofit kits, many of which are available on online marketplaces such as Alibaba or MercadoLibre, often do not guarantee “a minimum level of safety and quality for the retrofit unit,” Rojas said.
After modification, converted vehicles must obtain government approval that allows them to be used on the roads of certain countries, conversion experts say.
In 2021, the Chilean Ministry of Transport passed a law banning the retrofitting of all used passenger cars. “Retrofitting has been done, but maintaining the safety level of the cars has been neglected,” said Rodrigo Salcedo, president of the Chilean Electric Vehicle Association Rest of the world. A regulation to ensure compliance with safety regulations is currently being prepared by the Ministries of Transport and Energy.
In Colombia, where there are no legal obstacles to retrofitted vehicles, some are calling for stricter controls.
García, of the Bogotá-based auto repair shop, said he is working with other retrofit experts and enthusiasts to push for a specific regulation, including meetings with Colombia’s Ministry of Transport and SENA, the country’s vocational and technical training service. He said his company sells retrofit kits exclusively to certified technicians.
Jairo Novoa, one of García’s customers, retrofitted a 1981 BMW. He told Rest of the world For an old car like his, the approach made sense because replacement and repair parts are expensive and difficult to find.
Although most of Colombia’s more than 11,000 electric vehicles are brand new, retrofitted vehicles “have nothing to envy,” says Novoa. Except perhaps “really expensive vehicles like Tesla.”
