About REV
Founder of the French retrofit regulation but also of the H2 Retrofit Coalition (bringing together around forty companies),
REV Mobilities is a company on a mission, the French leader in industrial electric conversion and hydrogen in the largest automotive segments:
• Individuals with REV for Passenger Cars and RETROFUTURE for classics,
• Pros and fleets with REV Professional and REV Fleet,
• Buses, coaches and trucks with REV Bus & Truck and construction machinery with REV Offroad.
Electric conversion, also known as Retrofit, is the conversion of gas and diesel powertrains intoélectric with batteries and hydrogen fuel cell, which we have made possible in France by creating the sector and itsambitious industrial regulations (April 2020). It is one of the most immediate and common-sense solutions for decarbonizing mobilities and transportation (responsible for 130 million tons of greenhouse gases in France, billions of tons worldwide) and saving money on a daily basis. Here’s a few facts and numbers :
• 66% reduction in CO2 and other greenhouse gases (GHG) on average versus leaving it in diesel (Ademe Lifecycle study)
• 2 to 3 times more economical rather than purchase than similar new electric vehicles (before subsidies)
• Additional savings in maintenance and per km (electric is 4x cheaper than diesel)
• Perfect circular economy, more sober and less waste, so as not to throw away vehicles
• No restriction in more and more big cities and Low-Emission Zones which will prohibit million of emitting vehicles from circulating
• Less noise and more driving comfort (electric is silent and transforms clutch-driven vehicles into automatic, which is very popular with drivers),
• Hundreds of jobs in France in REV and with our approved partners to manufacture in France and install vehicles for French companies and individuals as close as possible to them (network)
Our Parisian company (with offices in Bordeaux and Lyon) is on the rise with a commercial pipeline currently > 100 million Euros, an ambitious product plan to go to more than 50 different models in 5 years, a production of 3 000 retrofit conversions in 2024/2025 then 10,000 from 2026 thanks to a completely
Mission
REV is a mission-driven company, a French system that shows that we work fully committed to an environment and social purpose.
At REV, our mission is to help shape the virtuous mobility of tomorrow, in response to the overriding challenges of sustainable development. Drawing on our skills, products and services, we are supporting development of knowledge, training and innovation with a multicultural approach, thereby fostering a circular economy that will ultimately ensure that vehicles in perfect running, sailing and flying condition are rehabilitated rather than destroyed. Wherever we operate worldwide, we offer our private and corporate customers, our employees and partners, and more generally the greatest number of people, the opportunity to live and work in cities and the countryside with absolute confidence through timeless mobility.
This mission is our DNA, our future.
How it all started
Arnaud Pigounides discovered electric conversion during a road trip to the USA in a 1973 Triumph Spitfire. The engine of his British convertible died on a road in Rhode Island and no professional could repair or change it, whereas all the other parts of the car were still in perfect working order
At the same time he saw the arrival of electric cars like Tesla and discovered all the advantages of electric: "0 emission" sticker, dedicated lane on the highways to avoid traffic jams, easy access to parking terminals.
The idea then comes to him: why not combine the best of both worlds? Put an electric motor and batteries in an old one? "The pleasure without the problems" he said to himself.
The luck is that in the USA, everything is possible, he met with 2 garages which graft Tesla electric traction systems into old vehicles, Porsche, Ferrari, Combi, Mustang… However rare, expensive and therefore reserved for a certain elite.
Above all, Arnaud saw the ecological, economic and health potential offered by retrofitting. Transforming all the vehicles produced (1.3 billion worldwide) gas or diesel into 0 emissions is pure circular economy, high savings and common sense. He immediately had the idea of applying the recipe to more useful and affordable vehicles for people, from small cars to large trucks.
Literally 'inhabited' by the retrofit, he managed to convert not his Spitfire but an old Porsche 914 from 1973, his first retrofit. In the streets of Los Angeles, the effect is immediate: Arnaud was happy while driving, people were happy to see the car, but above all incredibly surprised that it is electric. The Proof of Concept is validated.
Back in 2018 in France, he then decided to create REV and Retrofuture and develop retrofit in France. Unfortunately, it was against an old French law from 1954 prohibiting changing the engine of an existing vehicle without the manufacturer's prior agreement.
Never mind, Arnaud invested his time (3 years) and his little money, makes engineers, lawyers, lobbyists work altogether to find a solution. He created the sector in France with AIRe (association of Industrials of electrical retrofit) which he then chaired in order to support the public authorities in drafting new regulations. Very quickly the people, some congresswomen and congressmen and all Ministers appreciated the idea and participates together in the FRENCH RETROFIT REGULATIONS which come out on April 4, 2020!
These regulations are incredible because they are highly industrial and ultra-safe based and allow REV to become a real manufacturer that can transform any vehicle, from 2 wheels to buses, including all cars and trucks, with the same level of requirements as big manufacturers.
Since then, the enthusiasm in France has been stronger and stronger: more than 800 articles about retrofit and him in the press and the media, our websites have received nearly 600,000 visits, more than 2.3 million page viewed and we had more than 9,000 quote requests! Abroad, retrofit is also big, 25% of our traffic and requests on the internet, that confirms that countries such as Germany, UK, Europe, USA, Africa, Asia who have retrofit plans are blooming.
Beyond the success of REV, Arnaud is also proud to have contributed to the blossoming of the sector and competition. More than 20 companies have since launched in France, which is a very good thing for consumers, and more than a hundred worldwide.
But its greatest pride is to have ensured that, in the face of global warming and the increasingly numerous and frightening climatic tragedies, retrofitting participates in a rapid and massive decarbonization, fair and affordable for the populations, creating thousands jobs.
“Fairness lies in the moderation or sobriety of our systems in a circular economy; and justice, in our desire to provide solutions that are accessible to the greatest number of people possible worldwide.”
Arnaud Pigounides, Founding President of REV Mobilities
“In terms of impact, we are delighted to be part of the circular economy and to be introducing the notion of upcycling into society and the economy. Upcycling can be defined as value-adding over-recycling that helps to tackle programmed obsolescence”.
Transparency is another ethical issue to which we are actively committed. Here, there is no “Fake It Until You Make It”.
No: we do it. We prove it. We do it again and again.
By way of example, we changed the regulations that kick-started electric conversion in France, and subsequently spawned a global movement.
Since then, we have structured the industry in such a way that we want it to be industrial and well thought-out, with serious, world-renowned players.
Team
