Old military Maruti Gypsies retrofitted as EVs, showcased in Army Commanders’ Conference

NEW DELHI: Retrofitted electric Maruti Gypsies were showcased at the ongoing Army Commanders’ Conference in New Delhi on Friday. These retrofitted older military Maruti Gypsies were made into electric vehicles when the Indian Army Cell, IIT-Delhi and a startup named Tadpole Projects, came together for this project.

The Army Commanders’ Conference (ACC) is an apex-level biannual event which is an institutional platform for conceptual level deliberations, culminating in making important policy decisions for the Indian Army.

For the first time, the ACC is being conducted in a hybrid format exploiting available technology for secure communication, wherein Army Commanders and other senior functionaries will meet virtually on the first day and then travel to Delhi for balanced physical meetings on matters which require detailed deliberations.

Founded in 2020 by Jawaad Khan, the startup, incubated under the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT)-Delhi, does EV retrofitting. According to the website of Tadpole Projects, the startup does work involving the removal of the internal combustion (IC) engine and conversion of the vehicle into an electric one. It said it adds seven years to the life of the vehicle, two-years warranty on the motor and five-year or three-year warranty on the battery which is extendable up to 5-7 years.

On the first day of the conference, agenda points sponsored by various Command Headquarters will be discussed, followed by an update from the Commander-in-Chief, Andaman and Nicobar Command, and sessions by Principal Staff Officers of the Army Headquarters.

The forum will also review the progress on the activities charted out as part of ‘Year of Transformation-2023′ along with progress on Agnipath scheme, digitisation and automation initiatives, combat engineers’ tasks, work aspects and budget management. (ANI)