Published: [October 25, 2026]
StartupFeed Quick Take
- Konwert India Motors raised an undisclosed pre-Series A round on October 23, led by The Chennai Angels.
- The kit converts a petrol, CNG or LPG auto in 90 minutes.
- Drivers save Rs 12,000 to 15,000 a month on fuel, or up to Rs 1.8 lakh a year.
Konwert India Motors, a Coimbatore company that turns petrol autos into electric ones, raised an undisclosed pre-Series A round on October 23.
The Chennai Angels led the round. A company statement of October 23 names three returning backers: Campus Angels Network, Keiretsu Forum Chennai and Native Angel Network. Four investor groups back Konwert.
A converted auto saves its driver Rs 12,000 to 15,000 a month on fuel, Konwert says. Over a year that is Rs 1.44 lakh to Rs 1.8 lakh. Konwert puts the saving at about a quarter of a driver’s monthly income.
The round size was not disclosed. That savings figure is Konwert’s own, not an independent test result.
What Konwert India Motors Sells to Auto Drivers
Konwert makes an electric powertrain that replaces the engine of a petrol, CNG or LPG auto. A patented process finishes the swap in 90 minutes. The kit gives up to 213 km of range on a 10 kWh battery.
That kit costs about half the price of a new electric three-wheeler. Drivers can service a converted auto at about 800 myTVS touchpoints. Four lending partners finance the conversion.
Nickendra Manikandan founded Konwert in Coimbatore in 2019. Konwert sells in India and Sri Lanka, and is building kits for light commercial vehicles.
Manikandan put it this way:
“Every auto-rickshaw we convert belongs to a driver who keeps their vehicle”
Nickendra Manikandan, founder, Konwert India Motors. From the company statement, October 23, 2026.
The Rules Every Retrofit Kit Must Clear
The central motor vehicle rules allow an in-use vehicle to be converted only with an approved kit. The kit maker must hold type approval from a test agency named in Rule 126. Only an installer authorised by that kit maker may fit it.
New electric autos are already winning the showroom. Electric models took 55.8% of new passenger auto registrations in September 2026, up from 32.4% a year before. Konwert is selling to the fleet already on the road.
What this means for you: If you run an auto fleet or lend against three-wheelers in Tamil Nadu, a retrofit now competes with a new electric auto. Ask any kit seller for its Rule 126 type approval certificate before you sign.
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