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So you can transform the engine of your car to enter the Low Emission Zones of 2023

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So you can transform the engine of your car to enter the Low Emission Zones of 2023

This is how you can transform the engine of your car to enter the Low Emission Zones (ZBE) of 2023. The key to achieving it: obtaining the environmental label.

Since January 1, 2023, all municipalities with more than 50,000 inhabitants in Spain must create their own Low Emission Zone (ZBE) where access to the most polluting vehicles will be restricted. The model established in Barcelona and Madrid will be followed, although each city council will define the way of acting within its domains.

However, the DGT environmental label will continue to be the key element that will allow you access and free movement in the ZBE, and cars without an environmental sticker, the ‘category A’, will be the first victims of this measure. They will be followed by cars labeled B and C, although there is still room for maneuver for this type of vehicle.

To be able to access the Low Emission Zones in 2023, you have two options: have an electric or hybrid car with the DGT 0 Emissions or ECO label, or transform your car’s engine to get the badge. You can achieve this either by using a liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) kit or by transforming your car to electric.

LPG conversion

In the first case, you can obtain the DGT ECO label if you convert your gasoline car to LPG. Not only will you get a sticker with more advantages, but you will also benefit from refueling a fuel that costs approximately 1 euro per liter refueled. Also, you can still use gasoline, since your car will run on both fuels (separately).

In order to carry out the conversion, you need a gasoline car that is approved according to Euro 3 or later emission regulations, and that is registered from 2001. You can also do the conversion with a diesel, but it is a somewhat more complex process and requires some additional modifications that will increase the cost of the invoice.

The conversion to LPG must be carried out in an approved center with qualified personnel and using only approved kits. This job requires a couple of days of work and dispense with the spare wheel, since the gas tank will be installed in its place.

Once the conversion is complete, you will have a period of 15 days to pass the ITV, where they will verify that all the installation has been carried out properly and that the change can be legalized. From this moment on, you will be able to request the DGT ECO sticker, all with a procedure that has a total cost of between 1,500 and 2,000 euros.

Turn it into an electric car

The second option is to convert your vehicle to an electric car. This conversion can be done on both gasoline and diesel cars, and you get the advantage of reducing particulate matter emissions to zero.

In Spain there are already companies dedicated to carrying out this type of transformation, as is the case with Elektrum Cars and eCoche, although they are still expensive processes and require time and engineering.

The activity these companies carry out is called Retrofit, a practice that takes an old car and improves it with modern components, such as an electric powertrain. It also means it’s easier, since an older vehicle has less electronics.

The conversion involves removing the entire powertrain of the original vehicle, such as the engine, transmission, exhaust system, and fuel tank. In its place, an electric motor, an electric transmission and a battery pack are installed. The most intelligent and economical thing is to have a donor car from which to adopt all these parts.

Once the conversion is done, which will require several modifications and adaptations, as well as a complete investigation process, it is necessary to carry out the homologation of the entire project, since it is considered a major modification.

It is estimated that this approval has a cost of approximately 7,000 euros. To this figure we must add all the conversion work, which is usually around between 15,000 and 20,000 euros. Therefore, for about 25,000 euros it is possible to convert your car to electric in Spain.

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