Classic car: how to get on the electric car to continue to enjoy it?

From April 4, 2020, you have the opportunity in France to turn your collector locomotive into an electric vehicle, this is called an electric retrofit. But what steps do you need to take to do this and what will it change for your car? The answers are in our article.

Electrical equipment: what is it?

Electrical equipment consists of converting a car with an internal combustion engine (diesel or gasoline) into an electric motor (fuel cell or battery).

The retrofits allow you to take advantage of the benefits of an electric vehicle (EV):

• The electric vehicle is not subject to traffic restrictions related to greenhouse gas emissions (for example, in low-emission areas -ZFE-);
• The cost of using and maintaining an electric vehicle is usually less than that of an internal combustion engine car.

The retrofits will allow you to continue to enjoy your classic car while meeting the new emission regulations.

No-

On March 11, 2021, the Senate passed a bill to create a "collectible" sticker. This law aims to maintain the circulation of vintage cars in EPZs, where only vehicles with the appropriate Crit'Air sticker are allowed. However, to date, the bill has not yet been passed by the National Assembly.

How do I upgrade my antique car?

To retrofit your antique car, you must go to a professional auto maker authorized by the manufacturer to install an electrical conversion device (installation must be done according to the manufacturer's instructions), which is listed in the installer's list given the same. manufacturer.

Then the modernization is carried out in several stages:

• The heat engine is removed from your vehicle;
• An approved retrofit kit is installed by the installer;
• Then a transformation plate is attached to the converted vehicle.

No-

The ADEME (Agency for Environmental Transformation) estimates that a redesigned diesel-powered city car could reduce vehicle-related CO66 emissions by 2%.

What happens after my classic car is upgraded?

Retrofitting Your Classic Car Requires Significant Transformations within the meaning of article R.321-16 Rules of the road: engine replacement. Therefore, you must apply for a new registration certificate (ex-carte grise) in view of this structural change.

But be careful that in the registration certificate there is a mention of "cash-in-transit vehicle", your car must be over 30 years old, no longer produced and its characteristics should not be changed.

However, modernizing a car involves replacing the engine. That is why, when you are upgrading your antique car, you will no longer be able to get the mention of "cash-in-transit vehicle" again on the new registration card..