Converting your car to electric? It’s possible

Thanks to this decree, the kit, which must be certified by the manufacturer, will allow the vehicle registration document to be changed without any problems.

The cost of the operation

At this point you will rightly wonder how much the retrofit of your car might cost.
It is almost impossible to give a precise, universally valid figure: it obviously depends on the car model.
However, it is important to know that since October 2022 it has been possible to benefit from an incentive, thanks to the implementing decree issued by the Ministry of Infrastructure and Sustainable Mobility (Mims) governing the retrofit bonus. The bonus provides a contribution equal to 60% of the cost of the electric conversion, up to a maximum of 3,500 euros, plus a contribution of 60% of the stamp duty costs for registration with the PRA (Public Motor Vehicle Register) and the IPT (Provincial Registration Tax).

Bonus or no bonus, the cost of the conversion starts from around 6,000 euros + VAT (after deducting incentives) for small cars, such as microcars or superminis, and can reach 30,000 euros for large-engined cars.
According to the specialist website motorionline.com, however, a retrofit costs the consumer between 15,000 and 20,000 euros on average.

Newtron, one of the most important companies in the sector in Italy, offers the electric conversion of a third-generation Panda for 5,700 euros (excluding VAT). For the electric conversion of the Fiat 500, meanwhile, Newtron itself indicates the following costs:

• dismantling of the previous system and the mechanical parts: 1,000 euros;
• installation of the new electric motor: from 1,000 to 4,000 euros;
• installation of the electronics: about 4,000 euros;
• battery pack: up to 4,000 euros;
• labour: about 1,000 euros.
  
  Is it a good option? It should be considered that the economic advantages (as well as the ecological ones) are numerous: less car maintenance. A vehicle with an internal combustion engine is made up, on average, of about 300 parts, whereas one with an electric motor has only around thirty. Exemption from road tax for a period of three or five years, depending on the Region: the benefits on insurance premiums should not be forgotten either, since the cost of third-party liability cover for an electric car is 25–30% lower than for a policy on a conventional car.
  The last word goes to the consumer (the motorist)!