If you are a ‘real’ car lover, you may have found yourselves in quite a bind since the electric car movement started taking off. You might enjoy your oldtimers and fancy classic vehicles, but are well aware that those rank amongst some of the highest polluting cars on our roads. If only there would be a way of greening up those classics…
Electric Car Conversion
You are in luck. Those who watched the royal wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle know there is a way! Electric car conversion kits can turn pretty much any old gas guzzler into a hypermodern electric drive. When Harry drove his bride in a Jaguar E-Type Zero, the classic E-body housing a modern electric drive, people jumped on the idea.
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And if you think that this would only be reserved for the wealthiest of wealthy, you are once again in luck. The estimated cost of converting the Jag to an electric vehicle is somewhere between $50,000 and $100,000, much less than what the car originally cost. This means that there will be a decent market for it. Hence, the number of car conversion shops is growing steadily, especially in the United States. All kinds of iconic cars have already undergone the conversion procedure, including Dodge A100 vans, Dowsett's Comets, and your typical BMW classics.
Photo by Electrek. The prototype e-Beetle
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Car Conversion Is Nothing New
These specialty garages typically focus on one thing: converting the heavy, polluting vehicles into something offering a smooth, classy electric drive. The concept of car conversion has been around since the 1970s oil crisis when people would adapt their cars to house electric forklift motors. This way, they no longer had to rely on the somewhat unsteady market of oil back then. After the end of the crisis, interest in electric vehicles once again waned, up unto rather recently.
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Now, fuelled by growing concerns for the environment and the appeal and exuberance of people like Elon Musk, the electric car industry is once again on the rise. Technology has improved significantly and keeps getting better with each passing day. While this is great for the electric car industry and conversion shops, it does leave the latter scrambling to catch up. They know that the motor that they put in today could be outdated by tomorrow, which means that they have to stay on top of the game. Some are now even offering bolt-on car conversion kits for hobbyists. It makes for a fun afternoon in your garage.
Electric GT has created an electric ‘crate motor’, that gives car enthusiasts the ability to turn any classic car eco-friendly and electric. This is ideal for both conversion shops and weekend gear heads that love working on cars.
Converting Existing Cars Is Better
Their struggle to keep up is worth it. After all, they are invaluable in taking some of the most polluting vehicles off the road and converting them into something green. As one owner of such a conversion shop put it, “No one buys a car to save the environment. I was like, ‘How come there are no electric speed shops?”
This guy was definitely on to something. He went on to convert an E36 BMW M3 and a classic Porsche. This was when he got more and more calls, and he decided, like others did, to do a business out of it. Some have decided to focus on specific car types, like Zelectric, a San Diego based conversion shop. It exclusively converts the 1950s and 1960s Beetles and Porsches, which are some of the easiest to convert thanks to their rear-engine layout.
Zelectric’s owner David Benardo is another example of someone who stumbled upon this business. He worked in advertising when he wanted to try and build his own electric Beetle. “I documented it on social media, and people asked me, ‘Can you make me one?” He started taking orders, priced anywhere in the range from $62,000 to $170,000, depending on the exact features demanded.
Zelectric, a conversion shop in San Diego, specializes in the 1950s and ’60s Beetles and Porsches
Niche Market With Growth Potential
While these are not excessive amounts in the world of cars, it is undoubtedly no loose change either. Paying upward of $60,000 to have your Volkswagen Beetle (retailing at ~ $20,000 to $30,000) converted just seems silly especially if there are second-hand electric vehicles like the Leaf, Prius or RAV4 available for only a couple thousand dollars.
Karmann Ghia Conversion to Electric (The Process)
It means that the market is pretty niche, focusing on people who can’t do without their classic cars but want to do better by the environment. There are often one-of-a-kind parts involved, driving up costs. There is an upside, though. When those parts can be produced in bulk, it would bring prices down significantly. This is why the person who came up with the conversion kits is such a genius, as he did manage to bring down costs by employing the economies of scale theory. Similarly, do-it-yourself kits eliminate the installation costs, which can run up to some $15,000 as well.
Converted a VW Karmann Ghia to fully electric battery powered.
While the availability of those kits is still somewhat limited, it is expected to grow in years to come. In the ideal world, there would be a conversion kit for pretty much every classic car out there. Or perhaps even your not-so-classic vehicle that you are just not ready to part ways with. If it can be turned into an electric drive for less than the price of a new vehicle, it is undoubtedly worth it.
Before you go!
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