Back to the future: How an electric safari is changing the wild ride
Sahil
Baig
had a problem. The young wildlife enthusiast and safari guide at the Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve in Maharashtra had been taking tourists around the rugged paths of the reserve in an old Maruti
Gypsy
, which he had purchased at an army auction for ₹4 lakh. For years, it served him well.
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But the noise and pollution of the internal combustion engine (
ICE
) often startled the wildlife, cutting short many magical moments his passengers could have spent with the animals.
Then in 2023, he made a decision that transformed his tiger safari business. Baig removed the petrol powertrain and converted the Gypsy into an electric vehicle. The retrofitting, which cost around ₹9 lakh, including transportation to and from Delhi, was expensive to undertake. The forest department backed him, extending a loan of ₹4.5 lakh to support the initiative, he says.
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Today, Baig effortlessly conducts two safaris a day in his electric Gypsy, while his peers in the noisy and polluting fossil fuel vehicles have been given permission for only one. The reason is simple but powerful: silence.
His electric Gypsy glides through the forest with little racket. That, in turn, makes the wildlife feel less threatened. 'Tigers, leopards and deer no longer bolt at the sound of an approaching engine. Instead, they linger, giving tourists unforgettable encounters,' he beams.
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With 52 safaris a month and a daily earning of ₹5,400, Baig says, 'I've already recovered the cost of the retrofit. Even after covering the electricity expenses, I'm saving ₹4,000-5,000 a day.'
Inspired by his success, the tiger reserve is now planning to convert most of its ICE vehicles into electric.
Baig's experience highlights a critical piece missing from India's broader electrification story. There is space for retrofitted vehicles—swapping old petrol or diesel engines for electric powertrains—in India's journey to find a more sustainable and cheaper route to a cleaner, greener country, helping it achieve the holy grail of net-zero carbon emissions by 2070.
Around the world
Globally, it has been quite a few years since retrofitting emerged as an alternative to buying a fresh pair of wheels. As of 2023, JMK Research and Analytics' white paper valued the global retrofit vehicle market at $65.9 billion. This is expected to reach $125.4 billion by 2032.
In the UK, electric kits to convert cars have been available for a while, and have found takers, particularly among classic car enthusiasts.
James May, former host of
Top Gear
and
The Grand Tour
, had, back in 2021, thrown his weight behind the idea of electrification of classic cars. He said it would allow people to enjoy retro designs without the hassles of traditional classic car ownership.
Interestingly, the world over, car makers are almost absent from this conversation, with smaller startups and specialists such as aftermarket fitters taking it up rather than OEMs. Only a few companies like
Toyota
have expressed support for retrofitting, with the vast majority of automakers expressing concerns over safety and structural integrity. There is also the misalignment with their business priority, which is to simply sell more cars.
Relatively unknown companies such as Transition-One in France, EV West in the US, Lunaz in the UK and eClassics in Germany are taking the mantle of conversions in big global markets.
In India, too, it is startups like Northway Motorsport, e-Trio and
Tadpole Projects
that are excited by the opportunity.
The falling cost of lithium batteries offers a critical tailwind for the movement. 'LFP (lithium iron phosphate) battery cell prices have dropped to under $100 per kWh, even nearing $50 in the international market,' says Sunil Bhatnagar, national president, zero emissions, International Federation of Electric Vehicles.
Emerging battery chemistries like LMFP (lithium manganese ferro phosphate) promise even greater energy densities at lower prices, making retrofitting more accessible.
The downward trend in prices, if it persists through the world's trade wars and tariff barriers, would reduce the cost of electric powertrains significantly, augmenting the retrofitting argument.
Indian play
The retrofitting movement got the official sanction in India in 2018 when the government allowed ICE vehicles to be converted to electric after amending the Central Motor Vehicles Rules. Even so, opting for it has been the exception due to many reasons, including lack of awareness.
Among the early movers was Jawaad Khan of Delhi-based Tadpole Projects, who began in 2020 with vintage cars but now focuses on models that offer him higher ROI like the Gypsy and the Swift Dzire.
Khan's company retrofitted Baig's Gypsy and is pushing to make such conversions mainstream. The cost of retrofitting starts at ₹6.5 lakh, with a five-year battery warranty and minimal maintenance costs.
'We are building EVs without adding new vehicles to the road. It's sustainable and economical,' says Khan.
Batteries come with a five-year warranty, while other components are covered for two years. 'With minimal maintenance and reduced emissions, retrofitting is both a green and practical solution,' says Khurana.
Different states are responding in their own way, some with sops for retrofitting. But even here, sops are more readily available for fleet operators and three-wheelers than private customers of cars.
Telangana, for example, offers a ₹15,000 subsidy and road tax exemption for the first 20,000 retrofitted three-wheelers.
Another impediment holding back retrofitting, say startups, is the process of certification. A startup has to get approval for the kit for each model it retrofits. It is a costly affair and can take up to ₹30 lakh for a single model. This means, to retrofit an Ambassador car, they have to get their kit designed for the Ambassador and undergo a homologation and approval process through agencies like the Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI) and the International Centre for Automotive Technology (
ICAT
).
This limits retrofitting opportunity to cars like Swift Dzire that large fleet operators use.
Pune-based
Suma Japanese Technologies
is working on 35 certifications after securing 12 from ARAI. 'We are starting with fleets due to funding constraints,' says MD Jayapal G.
Some of these startups are looking at specific use cases that may not require the same level of certification. 'We don't yet have certified kits, which means we can't retail to the general consumer,' says Gupta of Motomanic. 'That limits us to fleet operators and institutional clients where certification requirements are less stringent in certain use cases.' Its retrofitted Gypsys are on the move in the Madhya Pradesh Forest Department.
But there may be little that can be done, since compliance is critical in these matters. 'It can be quite promising as an option to provide second life to old vehicles, provided government policies are formed in this regard,' says Saurabh Dalela, director, ICAT.
Despite all these issues, it is time the movement showed signs of momentum. After all, from the quiet trails of Tadoba to the bustling roads of Delhi and
Pune
, electric retrofitting can be a cleaner, smarter option to take on pollution.
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