Amid fuel supply disruptions due to the West Asia war, India's vehicle owners are increasingly turning to retrofitting—converting fossil fuel vehicles to electric vehicles (EVs) and hybrids—to cut running costs as well as to reduce dependence on petrol, diesel and gas.
Retrofitting firms such as Bengaluru-based Exponent Energy and Gurugram-based Folks Motor said inquiries have more than doubled since the war, reflecting a sharp rise in consumer interest.
While Exponent Energy focuses on the three-wheeler segment, converting liquefied natural gas or compressed natural gas (LPG or CNG) vehicles to EVs, Folks Motor works on converting internal combustion engine (ICE) cars to hybrids.
“If you own an LPG or CNG vehicle in the three-wheeler space, you can just come in and overnight be converted to electric,” Arun Vinayak, chief executive and founder at Exponent Energy, told Mint. “We launched it early in Bengaluru as a pilot programme. But it's suddenly seeing a lot of interest, especially people who drive LPG vehicles,” he said.
The company had announced entry into the retrofitting space in November, with early pilots beginning in Bengaluru. Vinayak said inquiries for retrofits have more than tripled in a short span since the West Asia war, reflecting consumer interest.
A similar trend was observed at Folks Motor, which is working on converting petrol and diesel cars to hybrids.
“We have observed a clear and measurable uptick in consumer interest in vehicle retrofitting in the wake of the ongoing geopolitical developments in West Asia,” said Nikhil Khurana, managing director at Folks Motor, noting that customer queries for the technology switch has more than doubled compared to previous months.
Khurana said while 40-60 vehicles were earlier retrofitted on an average every month, the company has now done this for over 250 units since the West Asia war started on 28 February 2026.
Hybrid kits for four-wheelers cost ₹3–6 lakh, while electric three-wheeler conversions come for around ₹1.7 lakh. And a new EV typically costs ₹2–4 lakh more than a comparable fossil fuel vehicle.
Energy supply shocks add urgency
Due to the ongoing US-Iran war, shipments of liquefied natural gas and crude oil have faced disruption owing to the blockade of Strait of Hormuz, through which about 90% of India's energy imports come in. Moreover, major gas fields have also suffered attacks in Qatar, a key supply source for India that is largely import-dependent for crude oil and natural gas.
Exponent Energy was founded in 2020 and is backed by investors such as Lightspeed, TDK Ventures and family office of Hero MotoCorp chairman Pawan Munjal. Folks Motor was founded in 2013 and has remained bootstrapped.
Niche technology, policy hurdles
EV retrofitting has remained a niche technology so far, with very few startups dabbling in the sector as policy proposals for incentives have not made much headway.
Independent estimates of the size of the market and its growth pathway are also limited with a miniscule share of EV or hybrid vehicles currently coming from retrofitment.
To be sure, retrofitment is not a new pathway in India, with petrol cars commonly being converted to CNG vehicles oer the years. Now, with the advent of EVs and the traction it is seeing, some firms are also attempting its retrofit.
For instance, the first draft of Delhi EV Policy 2.0, circulated in April last year, had incentives for EV retrofitting. This was later removed in the draft released last week following concerns expressed by automakers. In other states too, the technology has not taken off in a big way owing to concerns around its impact on the vehicle's performance and safety.
As EV and hybrid vehicles require installation of lithium ion batteries and a change in vehicle performance metrics, retrofitment has clashed with automakers' efforts to invest in born electric platforms that involves building an EV from ground up.
Short-term electrification fix
Some experts believe EV retrofitting can be a good interim measure for the country's electrification drive.
“Retrofitting ICE vehicles to EV is a great interim step towards electrification. The price points are more accessible, and there is recycling. By putting more EVs on road, it does help in reducing oil dependence for fuel,” said Anurag Singh, advisor at Primus Partners.
He, however, notes that there are very few EV retrofitment firms that are able to maintain standards, with regulations also demanding certification by the Automotive Research Association of India (Arai).
Since the West Asia crisis began, experts have been stating expectations of a bump-up in adoption of alternative fuel technologies, including EVs.
India's electric two-wheelers recorded a strong surge in sales in March, with a 45% year-on-year growth to over 191,000 units, while electric four-wheeler sales jumped 68% to 22,490 units, data from Federation of Automobile Dealers Associations (Fada).
Request for comments from automakers such as Tata Motors PV, Mahindra and Mahindra, TVS Motor, Maruti Suzuki, and Bajaj Auto remained unanswered until press time.