Rules on converting combustion engine cars to electric eased
People who want to convert their car from one powered by a combustion engine into an electric vehicle can heave a sigh of relief. Belgium today introduced a legal framework to make this possible. The mobility ministry hopes the measure will lower the threshold to go electric and make the switch more accessible.
Retrofitting - adapting older equipment so that it meets modern requirements - was already possible, but in the absence of a legal framework, adapted vehicles had to be certified abroad and undergo the Belgian technical inspection. As the ministry puts it, it was a "complicated, lengthy and costly procedure that discouraged the most motivated companies and citizens".
A royal decree providing a legal framework now makes the procedure a lot easier. It stipulates that fuel tanks may be removed and lists several more technical requirements, e.g., the vehicle's power, original dimensions and top technical mass may not change.
The new rules are federal legislation. Belgium’s regions will now also have to publish their own rules putting the federal law into practice. They have promised to do this with haste.