SP Company Converts Used Diesel Trucks Into Electric Ones With 30% Lower Investment Than Purchasing A New Model

The Company Eletra Is Capable of Converting Diesel Trucks to Electric With an Investment Lower Than the Purchase of a New Electric Vehicle. The Investment Is So Satisfactory That Even Ambev Plans to Electrify Its Fleet

In simple terms, Eletra, a company based in São Bernardo do Campo (SP), converts the diesel engine, filters, transmission, exhaust system, and fuel tanks into inverters, electric motors, battery packs, and electronic modules. Therefore, in less than four days, used diesel trucks become electric to continue operating for longer, with an investment much lower than the purchase of a new one.

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Used Trucks Are Fully Updated After Investment

The projects have become the focus of some units of the company in SP, which is a manufacturer of electric buses. The company has experience since 1999, which allowed the creation of these projects known as e-Retrofit. Thus, the process is a complete overhaul where the electric propulsion system for buses and trucks is also included.

With this, the SP company expanded its area of operation. According to the company’s executive director, Iêda Maria de Oliveira, in large fleets, a diesel truck usually operates for 8 to 10 years on average. Afterwards, it goes to the used market where it will work for another 20 years, often without any proper maintenance, continuing to emit pollutant gases.

For now, there are no restrictions regarding the age of the vehicle, as the investment also takes care of updating the other systems of the diesel trucks. Among the changes are the axle, suspension, and also the brakes, which gain an energy regeneration system.

Used Trucks Gain 150 km of Autonomy After the Electrification Process

In any case, the SP company converts diesel trucks weighing 3.5 to 54 tons, meaning models that operate in urban environments. The autonomy after electrification can be between 50 km and 150 km.

The executive states that the customization occurs according to the truck driver’s operational needs; however, electrification is better suited for urban trucks. The retrofit process is up to 30% cheaper than a new electric truck, so in the case of a Volkswagen e-Delivery, which is priced at R$ 780 thousand, the conversion would cost R$ 550 thousand.

Even though this is not a lower price than a new diesel truck, which costs less than R$ 300 thousand, the retrofit allows sustainability goals to be achieved sooner.

Eletra Will Retrofit 102 Diesel Trucks for Ambev

According to the executive from the SP company, observing the entire set plays an important role in emission reduction projects. In addition to electrification adding value to the fleet, it also ensures the closure of cycles based on sustainability, meaning removing old diesel trucks from circulation, which return refurbished and eco-friendly.

Companies have been seeking out Eletra with the goal of changing their trucks. An example is Ambev, which announced that about 102 trucks from its fleet will undergo the process. Iêda claims that the decision was made due to the positive results obtained from trucks that operated in SP during the testing phase, one of which is a semi-heavy truck and may be the only one in the country.