I completely agree with your outlook on humankind. It's shocking to me that many can't seem to understand this concept. Rather than appreciating the positive changes, people tend to focus on a handful of unfortunate events and use that as a justification to paint the world in a dismal hue.
I drive collectable cars that are between 25 annd 45 years old. I would LOVE to convert ALL of them. Just waiting for the installed price to get down to $7500.
They are affordable. You're building a car. Your comment alone tells me you've never completed a build before. When you're finished it's going to be around the same price of a new car if not more. The quality and the sense of accomplishment you get because you did it yourself is what compels people to build a vehicle not the affordability...
@@kendellmoore8367 Well yeah, but here's the thing: you're dealing with very high voltage and if you do something wrong, you can die! And while I'm sure there are plenty of MIT engineers and other quasi-geniuses out there, the typical person or even gear head can NOT simply do their own EV. These companies will sell you plenty of components but good luck getting everything programmed and working!!!!!! It's FAR FAR FAR from plug & play! So no, I've not completed a build and even though I can build a house and design some electrical circuits, I'm not capable or comfortable trying to do this on my own.
Remember that the room taken up by batteries is going to take some if not most storage space, RVs are typically pretty good about minimizing wasted space as they are. Also keep in mind that the uphill range loss is even worse in heavy vehicles. Not impossible, but something to keep in mind. Alternatively, this would make for possibly the best BLM roamer. Park in BLM land, charge over the course of 2 weeks, then go 20 miles over to your next spot
I think it would be a great conversion because a motorhome weighs half what a commercial bus does. Most people do not drive more than 300 miles in a day. Spend 2-3 days in an area recharging with your solar on the roof. Especially with todays gas prices.
@@specialopsdave I thought I'd put the batteries underneath, between the frame rails. Maybe give the whole rig a two inch lift to help keep clearances. I'm confident it can be done!
@@jimbojones9665 Interesting. Just be careful to remember that the frame flexes, so make sure the battery mounting hardware can flex too. Also consider undercarriage protection, so you can roam dirt roads out in BLM without worry; BLM lands are where I feel that setup would work best
I have an MG Midget that was converted to EV some years ago. It has eleven 12 v batteries wired in series and an electric motor from a forklift. It needs to be changed over to Li Ion for better range.
Much harder in practice than it sounds - the devil is in the details. Brake servos that need manifold vacuum, aircon, heating, safe battery enclosures, interfacing with existing vehicle controls & instrumentation etc. etc....
@Dfin glide Like what, reliability???? I’ll keep my 20 year old truck that I can fix over a POS Tesla that if the touchscreen stops working, the whole car is garbage and you gotta drop thousands🤔🤔🤔
Small market to be sure but maybe not trivial. A lot of gear heads spend 10's of thousands customizing or hotroding old cars. Had neighbor with his "Sunday driver" with $50k engine.
@Tron Jockey As the driveshaft is removed, the batteries can fit under the bed. I've got a Dodge Rampage front wheel drive trucklet that could be adapted that way.
I'm glad that I bought my Chevy Bolt EUV before all this subscription nonsense got into GM. I do love the idea of "crate propulsion" to the EV market. The kit needs to be complete, that's important.
A rock solid conversion ICE to EV is a massive untapped market that would save the landfill scape yards from getting overwhelmed with ICE cars as EV ramp up to scale
Crate motors are for models of significance like a 1966 mustang or a pre unleaded petrol Holden. That would be prior to 1980. The manufacturers DO NOT want people to put EV motors in to anything less than ten years old. Preferably less than 25 years old. This is a marketing burp
This is going to be a big deal in a few years. Once all the components are readily available as off the shelf and competitive, small enterprises will spring up that specialize in particular vehicles. Compact pickups... no longer available from manufacturers, plus conventional pickups should be obvious candidates. The real Ford Ranger... not the newer fakes... were once sold as fully electric back in the 90's as 'compliance' cars, mostly in California. Would love to see that come back big time. Way back when... like 1960... you could get engine repair packages for Volkswagens from Sears. Hopefully soon Amazon will be on this. Can't wait.
The components are readily available. It's determining where and how to install enough batteries to have a 100 mile range.. re-engineering the entire chassis to have room for batteries is not something your avg guy is set up to do. Anyone can pull out a engine and swap it to electric...but without batteries u have a electric paper weight.
@@kennedy6971 these systems are compact. The motor, controller, and some of the battery would fit in the engine compartment. After that, it is balancing the car by splitting the battery between the engine compartment, and where that gas tank used to be.
That is why older pickups are so much easier to deal with. Room between the frame rails or just make a new custom truck bed/box which is also the battery box. The stock ones are crap anyway. I used to make custom heavy duty truck beds and Rv puller decks.
I refuse to pay any subscription services on cars! If the cars come with an engine, then after purchase I don't expect to continue to pay every month for licensing fees. 👎🤷♂
It needs to be a "complete kit" with selectable components (just like you customize PC's), motor, controller, battery, controls, key protection, crash sensing disable, possible cooling, etc...
indeed, drop in kits with motor and all auxillaries, eg elec vac pump, elec a/c compressor etc already hooked up with receiver for remote sensors such as throttle, brake, gyro etc . Plus battery pack in modular configurable set up to allow different installations / weight distributions Then the whole lot mass produced to get price down to sub $25k :)
A company is converting Fiat 500s for about €6,000 in one day, and the French government is including such conversions in their €5,000 grants program. They specialize on a few smaller city cars, but they have the process down pat.
If you have the money to spend, I suppose a crate EV package might be a thing to do with a lot of smaller model cars that tend to get overlooked. Might have the footprint of an inline-4 rather than a V-8. The more challenging part would be fitting the supporting components.
Replacing a 911 engine with an electric motor is sacrilege. But there are some cars where the engine was garbage to begin with. DeLorean comes to mind. But, just a reminder, the CO2 that will go into making the motor, mining the copper and lithium transporting them to the factory and then on to you will be a wash compared to keeping an old motor built 30+ years ago running. But if you prefer electric and think its slick... more power to ya! Choice makes life great!!
batteries are still and issue. I would need a small group of cells that could be positioned in different parts of the car. maybe an e-motor to connect directly to the rear axle and a battery pack where the engine was?
To replace an ICE it needs to include a vacuum pump to feed? the power brake booster, a power steering pump, and a sold state alternator (DCDC converter) to make 13Volts to run the accessories. Package that together and you have an actual replacement engine. Of course a heat pump is needed to provide cabin heating and cooling. Conversions that actually work are very complex and expensive.
It is not just dropping a electric motor under the hood. It is going to take major modifications for the battery, wiring, controls, and gauges. Will this include regenerative braking? Another major project.
Been there, done that. I converted a VW Rabbit to electric. The result was a perfectly usable car. With today's battery tech, it could be so much better. But, that said, you lose so much. EVs are designed for the torque curve of an electric motor (i.e., no transmission), has accessories (e.g., vacuum pump, A/C) that don't require the motor to be spinning, ... Sure, you can convert a classic car to electric but if you want something to drive every day, shop for something new.
There are all manner of electric driven accessories that can be installed. Ultimately though if the car is old there will be a lot of work and cost to add in everything you might need.
I'd get a cheap new electric car instead of looking to convert an old vehicle to electric b/c that'd still be plenty of other components to repair down the road on an old car thus making a lot more sense in my mind to only convert nice classic cars.
It’s in my best interest as a former Mechanic and am electrician now to have electrical car. However I know better. It’s a pipe dream with today’s battery’s storage. Ppl don’t look at the full picture. There’s more damage done to the environment with an electric car then gas. All you need to do is look at the birth to death of a car. It’s a tragedy the we’re being misled by our govt and so to speak science individuals. Non of these ppl ever get their hands dirty but we’re supposed to believe their looking out for us.
@Rob Bailey If your actually interested in “Sustainability” and “Clean energy” 1 nuclear station can power 10 million homes and last 100 yrs.......... Or 1 solar panel can supply 100watts of power and 1 wind turbine can supply 1000 homes and solar and wind last on average 25yrs then they are buried in landfills........ which one do you need more of to achieve MAX energy output?????
@@LibertyOrD___h I'm all for nuclear power. It's a great addition to the energy mix, the problem is the upfront cost and the timeline. It's in the neighborhood of $5 billion and 10 years. So we need major public investment and we need to start yesterday. As for solar panels, the silicon and metals are close to 100% recyclable. As the industry ramps up, there's going to be incentives to avoid throwing them in landfills. Still, landfills aren't the leading cause of greenhouse gas emissions. We need to shift the world economies off of petroleum.
@@LibertyOrD___h so what are you going to do with the nuclear waste that each plant generates and you'll need to store for a couple of thousand years long after the plant that generated that waste is gone?
Ford's "crate motor" being sold without an inverter or software is like selling an ICE crate engine without the pistons and valves. It's also the exact same motor in the mach-e.
Yes! The other critical components like batteries, a battery management system and some main computer to tie it all together is also missing. It's vaporware
As an admirer of EVs with a passion for classic cars, this is a fantastic move. EV conversions have been an exciting option to improve the refinement, reliability and performance for many decades. Kits and packaged solutions are a very welcome development. But the prices are insane. This only makes sense for very high end classics. But what about the guy who loves his mk1 golf or Capri or Commodore? These enthusiasts need to be catered for. When the Chinese offer a 150hp dc motor, controller and reduction gearbox along with a 20 kwh LiFePo battery kit, they'll sell 100 times as many kits.
My first EV was a 1956 VW bug with a Curtis controller and a bespoke DC motor. I replaced the batteries and sold it for a profit. With the proper batteries conversions are a good idea. However DC fast charging is a must. The only disadvantage of conversions. OEMs have that down. That said conversions are best with vehicles OEMs are reluctant to develop.
Hello Lawrence I remember u from the evdl form many years ago. How does it feel being an old time EV driver with the new EV driver crowd that seems to think they're the first ones to come up with this. It's funny how fast the pioneers from the past r forgotten . that seems to be life we move on things get better and those that had just crawl and inch their way up the ladder are completely forgotten.
@@steveclunn8165 You were a little better at converting vehicles than me. Since having a Leaf of one sort or another for almost a decade for what I paid ($28k for a Used 2013 and a new 2016 Leaf) I couldn't make two better functioning EVs than what I could purchase. I only converted because at the time there was no better option...however with all the new hardware out there....maybe...A van would be nice.
@@LawrenceRhodes looking back it seems like things have developed quickly but while we were living at that time waiting for better batteries better motor controllers Etc things seem to be moving quite slow. I kind of feel like the best times to be in electric cars as a hobby was the past and the best time to just buy one as you would a normal car is right now.
I built a 911 from a retired track car with a p85d motor. The car was amazing when conpleted. Very fast. The owner, a Porsche collector, said "This isn't just the fastest Porsche I have ever been in, this is the fastest car I have ever been in!". Took about 4 months to complete. No cutting or modifying the car body at all. Everything was made to bolt in without drilling or welding the vehicle.
Where do you put the batteries? They are built into the frame of an ev. Which means you would have to cut floor pan and possibly the frame to modify it? How much does this all cost?
I need a 300hp 250-300mile range kit for a 1973 240z that does not weigh more than the original motor/tranny/gas tank setup and is less than $40K and bolts right in. If they can do that then I will admit that they are some badass engineers. Either we figure this out, or all classic cars become new metal ingots or museum pieces by 2030.
I’d prefer to invest directly into a new EV vehicle. I’m sure the engine to e-motor conversion packs will have a place for enthusiasts and hobbyists for specialty vehicles but it’s not a main stream solution for the general population.
neither are ice crate motors .this is not a " solution" for the general population. it's for gearheads who would by a crate motor now may consider an electric crate motor. people who can't afford a new car will have to wait 10 - 15 years until there are an abundance of used electric vehicles .
I converted my 1997 s-10 15 years ago and it lasted 13,000 miles before the 24 6 volt lead acid batteries was toast and my 2013 volt lasted 24,000 miles before it had 2 weak cells, but I got GM to give me one section of battery, but the dealership charge me 2,000 for the harness.
GM has been working on these for years. Ford beat them to market but NOBODY wants to convert to electric here.Ford's E motor has been a complete flop and GM's will be too.
By flop, do you mean selling out in a matter of weeks? By no one wanting ev do you mean like Tesla selling increasing numbers year after year? I think what you mean is YOU don't want ev. And that's fine, it's not really suited for everyone. But I'm guessing you're an "America first" kinda guy...and guess how we gain true independence from foreign energy? Guess where the majority of ev startups are based?
I'm with ya there ... I'm planning a dual motor hybrid setup for my 01 monte (it would be very unexpected for the car) ... I won't go full electric ... and I'd rather do a tesla setup in front or 2 e motors for the front on the wheels like Koenigsegg with a Steve Morris motor for the rear ... I won't go with chevy ... I don't support their ceo and her ideas ... she is ruining the company ... hell I'd rather throw the Ford motor in than support them ... not to mention I don't trust the American evs right now ... I'll go with what has been proving itself over and over again
@@farewellvoyager5379 not trying to start a debate but what I took from it is (I could be wrong) he was talking about domestic and possibly full on electric ... I love electric motors they have their use but relying on the battery tech alone today is risky ... they have the punch to give good times but battery capacities are not good enough especially with real world charging times not to mention the cost ... now when they finally get into the solid state batteries or this new diamond tech tesla is working on it would be well worth it with a lot less risk I know the risk of water getting to the lithium is low but the possibility is there and that reaction is very violent Like I said i love what tesla is doing and I want to have a hybrid setup using a tesla motor in the front with an ICE motor in the back ... but I couldn't bring myself to go full ev with all the driving I do
@@gilbertwheeler160 like I said, ev's aren't for everybody. They are better suited to city commuters obviously. But I actually work in the automotive industry, and have my entire adult life. The range of an electric vehicle is often times comparable or better than an ICE. Charging may be an issue if you're on a cross country trip, but somehow there's a group of people who are under the false impression that it would be bad for our society to install electric charging stations throughout the country...I've met people who drive Tesla's on road trips, had no issue going thousands of miles, using the free charging stations, etc. Also, the impact of cost to charge an electric vehicle is grossly over stated, again by people with an agenda. I understand what you're saying, and it's inevitable that the technology will improve. But, I felt compelled to share some facts in the conversation since most of what was stated thus far was opinions.
Where do the batteries go and what are the options? Maybe this is the worst-case scenario, but I have had four Jeep GCs (5.9, 4.7, 5.7 HEMI, 5.7 HEMI). The complex All-wheel drive system sent them to the junkyard between 165k mi and 200k mi. The engines never failed. I don't know who these kits are for but putting even a $55k electric drivetrain in a $10k car doesn't sound feasible. There is a Chinese company that builds retro American cars on a BYD skateboard for less cost. I would go with one of those.
I had this idea years ago... Along with millions of other people, I'm sure. This would also employ all the mechanics that would be out of work when EVs take over, and save the energy required to produce all the cars on the road all over again.
Jack Rickard put a bit effor toward it... Jack sadly passed 2020.... EVmotorVerks.... Jack had an interesting life story, could see things a long way out. He started a magazine in the early 80's called Broardwatch, he had a feeling that ; 'this internet coulkd be a thing'
I have had a Chevy Bolty since 2020, and I'm forced the have OnStar, MyChevrolet and a Mobile Internet subcription ($59.90/month) just so I can contact and maintain my car-- all this is free on my Tesla.
This is pie in the sky.... the weight of the batteries will overwhelm any suspension if put in the trunk. Only a truck can handle the weight and not make handling a mess.
The conversion of a Tesla into an internal combustion engine vehicle is much more interesting and get eyes rolling. Lookup "Taking Ice-T, the V8 Tesla, Out For a Spin" by Rich Rebuilds
I do quite a lot of ebike conversions, granted there is much less involved but the premise and utility of conversions is absolute Gold! Huge future market where I predict EV conversion shops in every town and city.
Hey, image is GM dealers started offering the entire conversion in the service bay! This could be a huge money maker. They could make more off this and selling a new car.
The most import part of this is to standardize battery platforms across all vehicles to enable quick, easy and economical upgrade to ever increasingly higher battery technology.
EV conversions to classic cars is very popular in the Seattle / Portland area. Parts can be a problem though, but Fantastic idea GM - BTW make them in AMERICA, please.
Thanks for the news! Can't believe Ford had an electric crate motor for sale and this is the first time I'm hearing about it. They should pay you to advertise these things.
I have a 65 corvette that was handed down from my grandfather to my dad and now to me. It needs completely restored from the ground up and I would love putting in a EV motor in it.
Take a look at Edison motors. They're out of Canada. Couple of youngsters are building e-axles that will trade out for the original axles on off-road lumber trucks. They're huge. They're also able to trade out axles on business trucks, e450 size to wheel or four-wheel drive and set it up with or without a diesel generator backup. Surprising what a couple of people highly motivated can put together when the big automakers in the United States are sitting on their hands
This is Gadget from the documentary revenge of the electric car. I have been doing conversions for about two decades now. If Ford and GM want to make motors available for conversions of old cars, they’ll need to make something that works with an old car. What I’ve been doing so far is either swapping in a whole Tesla drive and suspension into an old car or making an modification to a Tesla drive so that I can connect it to an existing driveshaft. So far what I’ve seen with the Eluminator from Ford is that they are mounting the unit into a Tesla suspension and then spending an additional $20,000 on an inverter. The big car companies are really going to have to step up since you can purchase a slightly used Tesla drivetrain with suspension for less than $6000. Or the drive unit with inverter for around 3500.
Can't wait to convert either my 56 Chevy car or 57 Chevy 1/2 ton to electric. Yes, exciting times to be alive! Exciting indeed!! Bill Regina, Saskatchewan Canada
Fuck man, i really just want a electric motor i can just hook up directly to my 700r4 or a 4l60e. If emissions gets to point were cant have a combustion engine i just wanna drop the tank, throw in a battery, swap the motor and add a dead simple controller and keep driving my truck
I see this as being a trojan horse to keep both Ford and GM valid. I don't care if they gave me a crate engine for free, there's no way I could afford all the other things necessary to properly convert my truck. The HP/torque ratings are worse than my 6cyl 2013 truck. I've watched the videos on conversion and it takes at least a full week or so to simply remove all the ICE garbage and you still have to deal with properly disposing of the gas, gas tank and all the oil lines. My truck is a 4x4 and a decent electric motor conversion requires a beefed up transfer case and differential and probably new driveshafts. Current EVs use motors front and back so there isn't a driveshaft. I can't see regenerative braking working on these without new brake assemblies. AC, heater, power steering and brake assemblies would all have to be converted to electric. The battery pack would have to be designed to fit every vehicle. I also wonder if auto insurance companies would even insure conversions like this (most insurance companies insure the stock vehicle and add onto the cost when you do modifications). Add a full dashboard conversion and re-wiring and it would be less expensive to simply buy a new vehicle with a warranty. I see this as a gimmick to satisfy a very small segment of vehicle owners. I'm also not sure the old vehicle would be able to withstand a conversion like this. It's like taking your car into a body shop, leaving it there for a minimum of 6 months while they effectively rebuild the entire thing. The only part of that old Ford truck that was anywhere original was the body. Everything underneath had been changed. If Ford or GM was to sell a crate skateboard, only needing to remove the body from the old vehicle and drop it on the skeleton, that might actually work but selling just a motor is a joke even if they (GM) provides all the tools and stuff to finish the conversion. Selling people the motor and some accessories would be a bespoke vehicle, built without alignment jigs and all the automated manufacturing machines used to make quality vehicles.
@@-whackd Like I said, for a very small percentage of users, especially those with lots of money to throw at anything. These same people probably don't have 300K miles on their engine, they already replaced the engine a few times.
If it’s comparably priced to a full engine rebuild I’ll be doing it to my 1953 Chevrolet 3100 pickup. Mine needs an engine rebuild. I don’t drive it far bc it’s a death trap. No seat belts etc. But I do love to drive it 20-30 miles every so often and would love to have it electrified.
@@andrewslagle1974 It sounds like you're assuming I want to go 300-400 miles. I'm estimating it'd cost 3000-5000 (in today's prices) for the batteries I'd need for my intended purposes or 20-30 miles, 50 miles tops. It's not fun to drive an 50-plus-year-old car more than 50 miles without air conditioning in South Carolina. I don't recommend it.
These conversions make classic cars commuters again. They become reliable once more and cost less to run than when they were new. They also have the performance to keep up with modern traffic. How cool would it be to daily an E type Jag or a ‘68 Continental?
@@hindesite you’re correct that classic cars are poorly designed for high impact collisions. However, it may be possible to retrofit ABS and ASM to help reduce the likelihood of a collision. You could choose to retrofit a younger classic like an e24 BMW 6 series for improved safety.
Absolutely, I have converted my 1998 Jaguar XJR and it is now my daily driver. I absolutely love it. I am getting 100 eMPG vs 16 MPG before. Not to mention maintenance aspects.
Speaking to your comment about being born now instead of in the past I'm always telling people that most have no idea how blessed they are to be born in the modern age. I'd rather be born into a poor family today than be the King of England 500 years ago. Of course I mean born in the USA, Australia, Great Britain or a few other places. Not North Korea haha.
The French company Transition One offers an EV conversion kit for about 7000-8000 euros (not counting subsidies). The battery (which replaces the gas tank) only has a 60 mile range, but another French company, EP Tender, is developing a portable trailer-tow battery that EV drivers can rent for occasional long trips. Seem like the best of both worlds: Low EV cost, low battery weight, and extended battery range if and when you need it.
Yeah.....but if you're in a cold climate, or anyplace with winter you'll also either need to add a multi kilowatt resistance heater that will trash your range or convert your AC to a two-way heat pump. I haven't heard of any existing much less one that's affordable or easy to install.
@@specialopsdave Guess you don't live anywhere that blizzard conditions have ever stranded a whole highway full of cars, eh "operator".. Don't worry it's not instantly obvious to _everyone_ how much that tacticool act is overcompensating for. But just in case they both really were shot off in The War, thank you for your service 🤦♂️
@@johnassal5838 You're right, I don't live in some twisted place where traffic jams are a problem but no heated businesses are nearby. Plus, an EV will heat for longer than an ICE will idle for. At a standstill, an EV can provide heat for about 72 hours. An ICE car can idle (and thus provide heat) for about 14 hours. 14 is not bigger than 72, fyi When it comes to range, yes, of course EV drains range with the heater, but it really isn't a big deal.
@@specialopsdave Yet if you're anyplace where it ever gets anywhere near zero °F much less into negative temps you'll be missing all that "free" heat coming out of the dash without cutting your range in half. Maybe not you being so tough and all but anyone not prepared to dogsled to were they're going. Pregnant ladies and old people let's say. They get to exist too, right? Unless they can get a heat pump retrofit to go with the crate engine with a COP of three or better but like I said I've never heard of such a kit and if available it may cost more than the crate engine.
@@johnassal5838 Reduce range by half? You mean reduce range by 30 miles, right? Because that's more accurate (and if you get to 30 miles left, you probably didn't think your trip through at all) Also, Norway would like to have a word with you about EVs supposedly not working well in cold climates
A friend of mine is putting a Tesla motor in his Porsche Cayman. He was going to go with the Ford motor, but the Tesla was cheaper and had many upsides.
The crate motor is new. BUT converting ICE to EV has been around for 10+ years. Meanwhile my converted trikes (cost $2,000 including lead acid batteries) in the Philippines are not allowed to be registered. So therefore we can't drive them. Hopefully this problem is limited to countries infamous for their corruption.
It wont cost me that much. Im blessed to know how to work on anything that is motorized. An the skill to figure it out if I've never worked on a vehicle before.
There is a company in California US that is taking insurance totalled Teslas and using them to convert delivery vans into EVs. Basically a direct swap with lower rear end gearing for a heavier vehicle. Turns out to be a real sweet swap for a local delivery van. Tesla being a car that is very expensive car to crash repair.
Happiness is relative! I was born in Africa among mud huts and I was happy growing up! Much of my stress anxiety found me after moving into cities and having money and buying cars. I am practically unhappy. Some times I take time off from city life and go to the countryside to reconnect to self. I personally dont find any benefits to modern technologies!
People have been buying 5-year-old Nissan Leafs ($10,000), taking the battery & powertrain out, and putting them in frame-based pickup trucks of all kinds, Miata or other sports cars, etc. For more money, you could just buy a used Chevy Bolt, take the battery & powertrain out, and put them in mini-vans, sports cars, frame-based pickup trucks, SUVS.... etc.
Hoping the tech improves and more shops getting into EV conversion business so labor rates are lowered, that the prices will come down also. Perhaps even a federal incentive in future.
This corrupt corporate trend, a grab for more of our money from having to pay subscriber fees is one reason why I have and will buy used classic-type cars only. I have a C4 Corvette, a 2002 Thunderbird, and a 2016 Mustang. I will definitely convert these cars to electric as so as there are local shops doing the conversions. GMs move to supply electrical conversion packages is a terrific idea. I hope all car makers will soon do so.
It boggles the mind, how GM and other legacy automakers are so slow to innovate into the EV future. People that don't keep up with the current news like we see from the Viking are eventually going to see the talking points and empty words coming out of legacy auto are just words to baffle the uninformed. I feel bad for the future of legacy if they don't start getting more nimble in this quickly evolving industry.
GM will be bankrupt then they can kick the UAW out and focus on ther NEW company Elec. builds and guess who will bail them out? You got it Pontiac....YOU WILL!!!....for the 4th time.
It's very healthy for them to just go extinct. Once rural America relied on Sears and a few other brands long forgotten and NOT MISSED. F and GM will also take the misreble mafia unions down with them.
Dear Michael S, help me understand this, 1. It boggles your mind that legacy auto is so slow to innovate. But feel bad for legacy's future. If GM follows the Kodak steps to nowhere? Isn't it their own making and deserved???
The big question isn't so much the powerplant but the cabin heater element. As someone who has experienced a Mk1 Escort Van with a blocked heater matrix I'd rather the vehicle be undriveable if there's no heating. And NO.. Heated seats just give you a sweaty Arse. Quite why you'd want one of those defies comprehension but there ya go. There are weirdo's out there ! Getting a sweaty arse doesn't thaw the blocks of ice you thought were your feet and THAT is real pain ! I have no desire to drive with a blanket wrapped around my legs ever again.
We're still a LONG away from an affordable option. I have a 1966 Mustang 2+2 that I would love to convert to EV if I can get the equiv of 300lb/ft and an honest 125 mile range for $10K all in including batteries. That will happen as battery tech improves in both performance and cost, but we're not close yet.
I completely agree with your outlook on humankind. It's shocking to me that many can't seem to understand this concept. Rather than appreciating the positive changes, people tend to focus on a handful of unfortunate events and use that as a justification to paint the world in a dismal hue.
I drive collectable cars that are between 25 annd 45 years old. I would LOVE to convert ALL of them. Just waiting for the installed price to get down to $7500.
Eat healthy and workout
Love the idea of conversation kits. They do need to make them affordable.
They are affordable. You're building a car. Your comment alone tells me you've never completed a build before. When you're finished it's going to be around the same price of a new car if not more. The quality and the sense of accomplishment you get because you did it yourself is what compels people to build a vehicle not the affordability...
The Ford kit is comparable to swapping engines
@@kendellmoore8367 Well yeah, but here's the thing: you're dealing with very high voltage and if you do something wrong, you can die! And while I'm sure there are plenty of MIT engineers and other quasi-geniuses out there, the typical person or even gear head can NOT simply do their own EV. These companies will sell you plenty of components but good luck getting everything programmed and working!!!!!! It's FAR FAR FAR from plug & play! So no, I've not completed a build and even though I can build a house and design some electrical circuits, I'm not capable or comfortable trying to do this on my own.
We need better storage than lithium or kobalt, and better energy production than fossil fuels or coal.
@@erisgh0sted961 not gonna happen.
This is exactly what I want to do to my Winnebago. It's got a ton of room for a huge lithium pack, and plenty of room up top for solar.
Remember that the room taken up by batteries is going to take some if not most storage space, RVs are typically pretty good about minimizing wasted space as they are. Also keep in mind that the uphill range loss is even worse in heavy vehicles. Not impossible, but something to keep in mind.
Alternatively, this would make for possibly the best BLM roamer. Park in BLM land, charge over the course of 2 weeks, then go 20 miles over to your next spot
I think it would be a great conversion because a motorhome weighs half what a commercial bus does. Most people do not drive more than 300 miles in a day. Spend 2-3 days in an area recharging with your solar on the roof. Especially with todays gas prices.
@@specialopsdave I thought I'd put the batteries underneath, between the frame rails. Maybe give the whole rig a two inch lift to help keep clearances.
I'm confident it can be done!
@@jimbojones9665 Interesting. Just be careful to remember that the frame flexes, so make sure the battery mounting hardware can flex too. Also consider undercarriage protection, so you can roam dirt roads out in BLM without worry; BLM lands are where I feel that setup would work best
AtlisMotorVehicle has a platform just for this very purpose.
I have an MG Midget that was converted to EV some years ago. It has eleven 12 v batteries wired in series and an electric motor from a forklift. It needs to be changed over to Li Ion for better range.
Cool!
I've often thought a Mazda MX5 would also be a sweet little EV.
Have you checked BatteryHookUp? I purchased cells from them and they were inexpensive and decent quality, they have Ev modules also.
Much harder in practice than it sounds - the devil is in the details. Brake servos that need manifold vacuum, aircon, heating, safe battery enclosures, interfacing with existing vehicle controls & instrumentation etc. etc....
It will also high light all of the shortcomings of the old technology.
@Dfin glide Like what, reliability???? I’ll keep my 20 year old truck that I can fix over a POS Tesla that if the touchscreen stops working, the whole car is garbage and you gotta drop thousands🤔🤔🤔
@@LibertyOrD___h I agree with what you say. E-motor kit to convert gas cars to EVs is EPIC STUPIDITY.
May be easy to replace motor but fitting a battery pack and weight problems. I don’t see it happening other than one offs and a small market.
Small market to be sure but maybe not trivial. A lot of gear heads spend 10's of thousands customizing or hotroding old cars. Had neighbor with his "Sunday driver" with $50k engine.
I would only consider this for a light car where limited range is acceptable.
@Tron Jockey As the driveshaft is removed, the batteries can fit under the bed. I've got a Dodge Rampage front wheel drive trucklet that could be adapted that way.
I'm glad that I bought my Chevy Bolt EUV before all this subscription nonsense got into GM. I do love the idea of "crate propulsion" to the EV market. The kit needs to be complete, that's important.
A rock solid conversion ICE to EV is a massive untapped market that would save the landfill scape yards from getting overwhelmed with ICE cars as EV ramp up to scale
Yamaha makes a great ev conversion motor package.. fyi
Might not be landfill fodder, hopefully crush them and melt them down if practical.
Crate motors are for models of significance like a 1966 mustang or a pre unleaded petrol Holden. That would be prior to 1980. The manufacturers DO NOT want people to put EV motors in to anything less than ten years old. Preferably less than 25 years old. This is a marketing burp
@@SunriseLAW Sounds good.
@@SunriseLAW if you love your ICE car, but live in a post ICE era, you’ll need conversion to keep that car you love/classic able to drive it.
This is going to be a big deal in a few years. Once all the components are readily available as off the shelf and competitive, small enterprises will spring up that specialize in particular vehicles. Compact pickups... no longer available from manufacturers, plus conventional pickups should be obvious candidates. The real Ford Ranger... not the newer fakes... were once sold as fully electric back in the 90's as 'compliance' cars, mostly in California. Would love to see that come back big time. Way back when... like 1960... you could get engine repair packages for Volkswagens from Sears. Hopefully soon Amazon will be on this. Can't wait.
The components are readily available. It's determining where and how to install enough batteries to have a 100 mile range.. re-engineering the entire chassis to have room for batteries is not something your avg guy is set up to do. Anyone can pull out a engine and swap it to electric...but without batteries u have a electric paper weight.
@@kennedy6971 these systems are compact. The motor, controller, and some of the battery would fit in the engine compartment. After that, it is balancing the car by splitting the battery between the engine compartment, and where that gas tank used to be.
That is why older pickups are so much easier to deal with. Room between the frame rails or just make a new custom truck bed/box which is also the battery box. The stock ones are crap anyway. I used to make custom heavy duty truck beds and Rv puller decks.
Thanks!
GM had promised the Bolt EV powertrain as a crate engine for conversion projects and we never saw the light of this.
thank God
I refuse to pay any subscription services on cars! If the cars come with an engine, then after purchase I don't expect to continue to pay every month for licensing fees. 👎🤷♂
It needs to be a "complete kit" with selectable components (just like you customize PC's), motor, controller, battery, controls, key protection, crash sensing disable, possible cooling, etc...
$$$
EV West has some cool stuff
indeed, drop in kits with motor and all auxillaries, eg elec vac pump, elec a/c compressor etc already hooked up with receiver for remote sensors such as throttle, brake, gyro etc . Plus battery pack in modular configurable set up to allow different installations / weight distributions
Then the whole lot mass produced to get price down to sub $25k :)
A company is converting Fiat 500s for about €6,000 in one day, and the French government is including such conversions in their €5,000 grants program. They specialize on a few smaller city cars, but they have the process down pat.
Name of the company?
If you have the money to spend, I suppose a crate EV package might be a thing to do with a lot of smaller model cars that tend to get overlooked. Might have the footprint of an inline-4 rather than a V-8. The more challenging part would be fitting the supporting components.
Replacing a 911 engine with an electric motor is sacrilege. But there are some cars where the engine was garbage to begin with. DeLorean comes to mind. But, just a reminder, the CO2 that will go into making the motor, mining the copper and lithium transporting them to the factory and then on to you will be a wash compared to keeping an old motor built 30+ years ago running. But if you prefer electric and think its slick... more power to ya! Choice makes life great!!
batteries are still and issue. I would need a small group of cells that could be positioned in different parts of the car. maybe an e-motor to connect directly to the rear axle and a battery pack where the engine was?
To replace an ICE it needs to include a vacuum pump to feed? the power brake booster, a power steering pump, and a sold state alternator (DCDC converter) to make 13Volts to run the accessories. Package that together and you have an actual replacement engine. Of course a heat pump is needed to provide cabin heating and cooling. Conversions that actually work are very complex and expensive.
It is not just dropping a electric motor under the hood. It is going to take major modifications for the battery, wiring, controls, and gauges. Will this include regenerative braking? Another major project.
Been there, done that. I converted a VW Rabbit to electric. The result was a perfectly usable car. With today's battery tech, it could be so much better. But, that said, you lose so much. EVs are designed for the torque curve of an electric motor (i.e., no transmission), has accessories (e.g., vacuum pump, A/C) that don't require the motor to be spinning, ... Sure, you can convert a classic car to electric but if you want something to drive every day, shop for something new.
There are all manner of electric driven accessories that can be installed. Ultimately though if the car is old there will be a lot of work and cost to add in everything you might need.
I'd get a cheap new electric car instead of looking to convert an old vehicle to electric b/c that'd still be plenty of other components to repair down the road on an old car thus making a lot more sense in my mind to only convert nice classic cars.
I'm hoping the solid-state battery I've been hearing about from I think Toyota can actually hit Market by 2028.
It’s in my best interest as a former Mechanic and am electrician now to have electrical car. However I know better. It’s a pipe dream with today’s battery’s storage. Ppl don’t look at the full picture. There’s more damage done to the environment with an electric car then gas. All you need to do is look at the birth to death of a car. It’s a tragedy the we’re being misled by our govt and so to speak science individuals. Non of these ppl ever get their hands dirty but we’re supposed to believe their looking out for us.
I want a vehicle that is basic without any extras except AC and power windows and a great stereo system
Thank you, Fred Flintstone.
Absolutely love this idea. The easier it can be made to convert old cars to electric, the better for all of us.
All this electrification is pointless unless we build nuclear power plants..........
@@LibertyOrD___h Cheaper, easier, and shorter runway to deploy solar and wind. Solar is now the cheapest source of energy in human history.
@Rob Bailey If your actually interested in “Sustainability” and “Clean energy” 1 nuclear station can power 10 million homes and last 100 yrs.......... Or 1 solar panel can supply 100watts of power and 1 wind turbine can supply 1000 homes and solar and wind last on average 25yrs then they are buried in landfills........ which one do you need more of to achieve MAX energy output?????
@@LibertyOrD___h I'm all for nuclear power. It's a great addition to the energy mix, the problem is the upfront cost and the timeline. It's in the neighborhood of $5 billion and 10 years. So we need major public investment and we need to start yesterday.
As for solar panels, the silicon and metals are close to 100% recyclable. As the industry ramps up, there's going to be incentives to avoid throwing them in landfills. Still, landfills aren't the leading cause of greenhouse gas emissions. We need to shift the world economies off of petroleum.
@@LibertyOrD___h so what are you going to do with the nuclear waste that each plant generates and you'll need to store for a couple of thousand years long after the plant that generated that waste is gone?
Ford's "crate motor" being sold without an inverter or software is like selling an ICE crate engine without the pistons and valves. It's also the exact same motor in the mach-e.
Yes! The other critical components like batteries, a battery management system and some main computer to tie it all together is also missing. It's vaporware
We have it in Germany, also a lot for small trucks, but the prices are so high that it makes no sense to convert.
As an admirer of EVs with a passion for classic cars, this is a fantastic move. EV conversions have been an exciting option to improve the refinement, reliability and performance for many decades. Kits and packaged solutions are a very welcome development. But the prices are insane. This only makes sense for very high end classics. But what about the guy who loves his mk1 golf or Capri or Commodore? These enthusiasts need to be catered for. When the Chinese offer a 150hp dc motor, controller and reduction gearbox along with a 20 kwh LiFePo battery kit, they'll sell 100 times as many kits.
how is this working out ??
Yea, not many people are paying $40k for EV parts. Only the rich.
E crate is good idea. More brands need to get into this.
Transition One in France is doing this for the bottom end of the market - you can convert a basic car to an EV for about 5000 euros.
Well, a few years have gone by & neither FORD or GM seem to have done a thing, except move a bit closer to insolvency!
My first EV was a 1956 VW bug with a Curtis controller and a bespoke DC motor. I replaced the batteries and sold it for a profit. With the proper batteries conversions are a good idea. However DC fast charging is a must. The only disadvantage of conversions. OEMs have that down. That said conversions are best with vehicles OEMs are reluctant to develop.
Hello Lawrence I remember u from the evdl form many years ago. How does it feel being an old time EV driver with the new EV driver crowd that seems to think they're the first ones to come up with this. It's funny how fast the pioneers from the past r forgotten . that seems to be life we move on things get better and those that had just crawl and inch their way up the ladder are completely forgotten.
@@steveclunn8165 You were a little better at converting vehicles than me. Since having a Leaf of one sort or another for almost a decade for what I paid ($28k for a Used 2013 and a new 2016 Leaf) I couldn't make two better functioning EVs than what I could purchase. I only converted because at the time there was no better option...however with all the new hardware out there....maybe...A van would be nice.
@@LawrenceRhodes looking back it seems like things have developed quickly but while we were living at that time waiting for better batteries better motor controllers Etc things seem to be moving quite slow. I kind of feel like the best times to be in electric cars as a hobby was the past and the best time to just buy one as you would a normal car is right now.
@@steveclunn8165 Yep.
I would not Buy anything from that disingenuous, lying, going bankrupt company.
@@taniabanes4707 then don’t. Just my opinion!!
I built a 911 from a retired track car with a p85d motor. The car was amazing when conpleted. Very fast. The owner, a Porsche collector, said "This isn't just the fastest Porsche I have ever been in, this is the fastest car I have ever been in!". Took about 4 months to complete. No cutting or modifying the car body at all. Everything was made to bolt in without drilling or welding the vehicle.
Where do you put the batteries? They are built into the frame of an ev. Which means you would have to cut floor pan and possibly the frame to modify it? How much does this all cost?
I need a 300hp 250-300mile range kit for a 1973 240z that does not weigh more than the original motor/tranny/gas tank setup and is less than $40K and bolts right in. If they can do that then I will admit that they are some badass engineers. Either we figure this out, or all classic cars become new metal ingots or museum pieces by 2030.
I’d prefer to invest directly into a new EV vehicle. I’m sure the engine to e-motor conversion packs will have a place for enthusiasts and hobbyists for specialty vehicles but it’s not a main stream solution for the general population.
neither are ice crate motors .this is not a " solution" for the general population. it's for gearheads who would by a crate motor now may consider an electric crate motor. people who can't afford a new car will have to wait 10 - 15 years until there are an abundance of used electric vehicles .
@@ronblack7870 not if the batteries are dead.
70 grand for 291 hp forget about it . They have lost there minds.
I converted my 1997 s-10 15 years ago and it lasted 13,000 miles before the 24 6 volt lead acid batteries was toast and my 2013 volt lasted 24,000 miles before it had 2 weak cells, but I got GM to give me one section of battery, but the dealership charge me 2,000 for the harness.
GM has been working on these for years. Ford beat them to market but NOBODY wants to convert to electric here.Ford's E motor has been a complete flop and GM's will be too.
By flop, do you mean selling out in a matter of weeks? By no one wanting ev do you mean like Tesla selling increasing numbers year after year? I think what you mean is YOU don't want ev. And that's fine, it's not really suited for everyone. But I'm guessing you're an "America first" kinda guy...and guess how we gain true independence from foreign energy? Guess where the majority of ev startups are based?
I'm with ya there ... I'm planning a dual motor hybrid setup for my 01 monte (it would be very unexpected for the car) ... I won't go full electric ... and I'd rather do a tesla setup in front or 2 e motors for the front on the wheels like Koenigsegg with a Steve Morris motor for the rear ... I won't go with chevy ... I don't support their ceo and her ideas ... she is ruining the company ... hell I'd rather throw the Ford motor in than support them ... not to mention I don't trust the American evs right now ... I'll go with what has been proving itself over and over again
@@gilbertwheeler160 Tesla IS an American ev...
@@farewellvoyager5379 not trying to start a debate but what I took from it is (I could be wrong) he was talking about domestic and possibly full on electric ... I love electric motors they have their use but relying on the battery tech alone today is risky ... they have the punch to give good times but battery capacities are not good enough especially with real world charging times not to mention the cost ... now when they finally get into the solid state batteries or this new diamond tech tesla is working on it would be well worth it with a lot less risk
I know the risk of water getting to the lithium is low but the possibility is there and that reaction is very violent
Like I said i love what tesla is doing and I want to have a hybrid setup using a tesla motor in the front with an ICE motor in the back ... but I couldn't bring myself to go full ev with all the driving I do
@@gilbertwheeler160 like I said, ev's aren't for everybody. They are better suited to city commuters obviously. But I actually work in the automotive industry, and have my entire adult life. The range of an electric vehicle is often times comparable or better than an ICE. Charging may be an issue if you're on a cross country trip, but somehow there's a group of people who are under the false impression that it would be bad for our society to install electric charging stations throughout the country...I've met people who drive Tesla's on road trips, had no issue going thousands of miles, using the free charging stations, etc. Also, the impact of cost to charge an electric vehicle is grossly over stated, again by people with an agenda. I understand what you're saying, and it's inevitable that the technology will improve. But, I felt compelled to share some facts in the conversation since most of what was stated thus far was opinions.
Great idea that is economically responsible for the good of the world.
Where do the batteries go and what are the options?
Maybe this is the worst-case scenario, but I have had four Jeep GCs (5.9, 4.7, 5.7 HEMI, 5.7 HEMI). The complex All-wheel drive system sent them to the junkyard between 165k mi and 200k mi. The engines never failed. I don't know who these kits are for but putting even a $55k electric drivetrain in a $10k car doesn't sound feasible.
There is a Chinese company that builds retro American cars on a BYD skateboard for less cost. I would go with one of those.
Excellent idea! And actually greener to reuse old vehicles.
Yes...there is a lot of pollution generated when fabbing a brnd new car...no matter if it is ICE, EV or FCEV.
GM is the enthusiast’s car company
I had this idea years ago... Along with millions of other people, I'm sure. This would also employ all the mechanics that would be out of work when EVs take over, and save the energy required to produce all the cars on the road all over again.
Jack Rickard put a bit effor toward it... Jack sadly passed 2020.... EVmotorVerks.... Jack had an interesting life story, could see things a long way out. He started a magazine in the early 80's called Broardwatch, he had a feeling that ; 'this internet coulkd be a thing'
I have had a Chevy Bolty since 2020, and I'm forced the have OnStar, MyChevrolet and a Mobile Internet subcription ($59.90/month) just so I can contact and maintain my car-- all this is free on my Tesla.
This is pie in the sky.... the weight of the batteries will overwhelm any suspension if put in the trunk. Only a truck can handle the weight and not make handling a mess.
Yes Logan,, care taken where/ how much weight is placed . If range is kept to city commute, can be done.
The conversion of a Tesla into an internal combustion engine vehicle is much more interesting and get eyes rolling.
Lookup "Taking Ice-T, the V8 Tesla, Out For a Spin" by Rich Rebuilds
If every car, truck,bus is electric????Where is all this electric coming from???
If we all start plugging in more things, our energy providers will produce more power for the demand. It will take time, but it will happen.
I do quite a lot of ebike conversions, granted there is much less involved but the premise and utility of conversions is absolute Gold!
Huge future market where I predict EV conversion shops in every town and city.
I sure HOPE SO !!!! I want to keep all my older cars as long as I can.
Hey, image is GM dealers started offering the entire conversion in the service bay! This could be a huge money maker. They could make more off this and selling a new car.
Bollocks.
This fad will be dead before it gets started,
I'm into it, just been looking for the right motor. There isn't many great cost effective options for trucks.
Thanks for highlighting this option,
The most import part of this is to standardize battery platforms across all vehicles to enable quick, easy and economical upgrade to ever increasingly higher battery technology.
EV conversions to classic cars is very popular in the Seattle / Portland area. Parts can be a problem though, but Fantastic idea GM - BTW make them in AMERICA, please.
I have great confidence in the ability of GM to take this concept and f*** it beyond any possibility of human recognition. Consider the EV-1. etc.
Thanks for the news! Can't believe Ford had an electric crate motor for sale and this is the first time I'm hearing about it. They should pay you to advertise these things.
I have a 65 corvette that was handed down from my grandfather to my dad and now to me. It needs completely restored from the ground up and I would love putting in a EV motor in it.
Take a look at Edison motors. They're out of Canada. Couple of youngsters are building e-axles that will trade out for the original axles on off-road lumber trucks. They're huge. They're also able to trade out axles on business trucks, e450 size to wheel or four-wheel drive and set it up with or without a diesel generator backup. Surprising what a couple of people highly motivated can put together when the big automakers in the United States are sitting on their hands
The Amish have the right idea. A horse and buggy costs far, far less than an EV or a gas-powered vehicle.
Actually if you ever had a horse no it isn't also even if you never leave your home horses don't stop eating
My dad has a 81 Pontiac Trans Am,, the EV would breathe new life to it for sure
This is Gadget from the documentary revenge of the electric car. I have been doing conversions for about two decades now. If Ford and GM want to make motors available for conversions of old cars, they’ll need to make something that works with an old car. What I’ve been doing so far is either swapping in a whole Tesla drive and suspension into an old car or making an modification to a Tesla drive so that I can connect it to an existing driveshaft. So far what I’ve seen with the Eluminator from Ford is that they are mounting the unit into a Tesla suspension and then spending an additional $20,000 on an inverter. The big car companies are really going to have to step up since you can purchase a slightly used Tesla drivetrain with suspension for less than $6000. Or the drive unit with inverter for around 3500.
Can't wait to convert either my 56 Chevy car or 57 Chevy 1/2 ton to electric. Yes, exciting times to be alive! Exciting indeed!!
Bill
Regina, Saskatchewan
Canada
Fuck man, i really just want a electric motor i can just hook up directly to my 700r4 or a 4l60e. If emissions gets to point were cant have a combustion engine i just wanna drop the tank, throw in a battery, swap the motor and add a dead simple controller and keep driving my truck
I see this as being a trojan horse to keep both Ford and GM valid. I don't care if they gave me a crate engine for free, there's no way I could afford all the other things necessary to properly convert my truck. The HP/torque ratings are worse than my 6cyl 2013 truck. I've watched the videos on conversion and it takes at least a full week or so to simply remove all the ICE garbage and you still have to deal with properly disposing of the gas, gas tank and all the oil lines. My truck is a 4x4 and a decent electric motor conversion requires a beefed up transfer case and differential and probably new driveshafts. Current EVs use motors front and back so there isn't a driveshaft. I can't see regenerative braking working on these without new brake assemblies. AC, heater, power steering and brake assemblies would all have to be converted to electric. The battery pack would have to be designed to fit every vehicle. I also wonder if auto insurance companies would even insure conversions like this (most insurance companies insure the stock vehicle and add onto the cost when you do modifications). Add a full dashboard conversion and re-wiring and it would be less expensive to simply buy a new vehicle with a warranty. I see this as a gimmick to satisfy a very small segment of vehicle owners. I'm also not sure the old vehicle would be able to withstand a conversion like this. It's like taking your car into a body shop, leaving it there for a minimum of 6 months while they effectively rebuild the entire thing. The only part of that old Ford truck that was anywhere original was the body. Everything underneath had been changed. If Ford or GM was to sell a crate skateboard, only needing to remove the body from the old vehicle and drop it on the skeleton, that might actually work but selling just a motor is a joke even if they (GM) provides all the tools and stuff to finish the conversion. Selling people the motor and some accessories would be a bespoke vehicle, built without alignment jigs and all the automated manufacturing machines used to make quality vehicles.
Dude, this is for people who have a truck, van or sportscar with a unique design and body, but 300k miles on the engine.
@@-whackd Like I said, for a very small percentage of users, especially those with lots of money to throw at anything. These same people probably don't have 300K miles on their engine, they already replaced the engine a few times.
Where do you get crate fuel tanks (battery holders) to go with the crate e-motors?
All these old vehicles will run on modern E-fuels. Availability /cost is an issue but a lot cheaper than battery conversion.
If it’s comparably priced to a full engine rebuild I’ll be doing it to my 1953 Chevrolet 3100 pickup. Mine needs an engine rebuild. I don’t drive it far bc it’s a death trap. No seat belts etc. But I do love to drive it 20-30 miles every so often and would love to have it electrified.
Thats just the motor the controls batteries etc will be 35/40k
@@andrewslagle1974 It sounds like you're assuming I want to go 300-400 miles. I'm estimating it'd cost 3000-5000 (in today's prices) for the batteries I'd need for my intended purposes or 20-30 miles, 50 miles tops. It's not fun to drive an 50-plus-year-old car more than 50 miles without air conditioning in South Carolina. I don't recommend it.
These conversions make classic cars commuters again. They become reliable once more and cost less to run than when they were new. They also have the performance to keep up with modern traffic. How cool would it be to daily an E type Jag or a ‘68 Continental?
Great. if you want to totally ignore the safety issues.
@@hindesite you’re correct that classic cars are poorly designed for high impact collisions. However, it may be possible to retrofit ABS and ASM to help reduce the likelihood of a collision. You could choose to retrofit a younger classic like an e24 BMW 6 series for improved safety.
Absolutely, I have converted my 1998 Jaguar XJR and it is now my daily driver. I absolutely love it. I am getting 100 eMPG vs 16 MPG before. Not to mention maintenance aspects.
@@ArtursGarage sounds awesome! An XJR is such a smooth, quiet refined ice car. With a motor it must be even smoother and quieter.
We as us citizens should get gov subsidiaries to do this like gm did
Never paying for any car services.. unless a cell/Internet or something.
Speaking to your comment about being born now instead of in the past I'm always telling people that most have no idea how blessed they are to be born in the modern age. I'd rather be born into a poor family today than be the King of England 500 years ago. Of course I mean born in the USA, Australia, Great Britain or a few other places. Not North Korea haha.
The French company Transition One offers an EV conversion kit for about 7000-8000 euros (not counting subsidies). The battery (which replaces the gas tank) only has a 60 mile range, but another French company, EP Tender, is developing a portable trailer-tow battery that EV drivers can rent for occasional long trips. Seem like the best of both worlds: Low EV cost, low battery weight, and extended battery range if and when you need it.
Yeah.....but if you're in a cold climate, or anyplace with winter you'll also either need to add a multi kilowatt resistance heater that will trash your range or convert your AC to a two-way heat pump. I haven't heard of any existing much less one that's affordable or easy to install.
Or just put on a jacket lol
We already had this debate with AC, if you are truly freaking out over it, you need to toughen up
@@specialopsdave Guess you don't live anywhere that blizzard conditions have ever stranded a whole highway full of cars, eh "operator".. Don't worry it's not instantly obvious to _everyone_ how much that tacticool act is overcompensating for. But just in case they both really were shot off in The War, thank you for your service 🤦♂️
@@johnassal5838 You're right, I don't live in some twisted place where traffic jams are a problem but no heated businesses are nearby.
Plus, an EV will heat for longer than an ICE will idle for. At a standstill, an EV can provide heat for about 72 hours. An ICE car can idle (and thus provide heat) for about 14 hours. 14 is not bigger than 72, fyi
When it comes to range, yes, of course EV drains range with the heater, but it really isn't a big deal.
@@specialopsdave Yet if you're anyplace where it ever gets anywhere near zero °F much less into negative temps you'll be missing all that "free" heat coming out of the dash without cutting your range in half. Maybe not you being so tough and all but anyone not prepared to dogsled to were they're going. Pregnant ladies and old people let's say. They get to exist too, right? Unless they can get a heat pump retrofit to go with the crate engine with a COP of three or better but like I said I've never heard of such a kit and if available it may cost more than the crate engine.
@@johnassal5838 Reduce range by half? You mean reduce range by 30 miles, right? Because that's more accurate (and if you get to 30 miles left, you probably didn't think your trip through at all)
Also, Norway would like to have a word with you about EVs supposedly not working well in cold climates
I'll believe it when I see it.
GM has a track record of failing to deliver...
A friend of mine is putting a Tesla motor in his Porsche Cayman. He was going to go with the Ford motor, but the Tesla was cheaper and had many upsides.
The crate motor is new. BUT converting ICE to EV has been around for 10+ years. Meanwhile my converted trikes (cost $2,000 including lead acid batteries) in the Philippines are not allowed to be registered. So therefore we can't drive them. Hopefully this problem is limited to countries infamous for their corruption.
It wont cost me that much. Im blessed to know how to work on anything that is motorized. An the skill to figure it out if I've never worked on a vehicle before.
I’m having a beautiful ‘64 Beetle converted to electric drive right NOW!
There is a company in California US that is taking insurance totalled Teslas and using them to convert delivery vans into EVs. Basically a direct swap with lower rear end gearing for a heavier vehicle. Turns out to be a real sweet swap for a local delivery van. Tesla being a car that is very expensive car to crash repair.
Happiness is relative! I was born in Africa among mud huts and I was happy growing up! Much of my stress anxiety found me after moving into cities and having money and buying cars. I am practically unhappy. Some times I take time off from city life and go to the countryside to reconnect to self. I personally dont find any benefits to modern technologies!
People have been buying 5-year-old Nissan Leafs ($10,000), taking the battery & powertrain out, and putting them in frame-based pickup trucks of all kinds, Miata or other sports cars, etc. For more money, you could just buy a used Chevy Bolt, take the battery & powertrain out, and put them in mini-vans, sports cars, frame-based pickup trucks, SUVS.... etc.
What happened to "Printed Circuit" motors to bolt on to the rear wheels of a front wheel drive automobile to convert it to 4 wheel drive?
great topic. I would like to convert my crwn vic. But not at those prices
Hoping the tech improves and more shops getting into EV conversion business so labor rates are lowered, that the prices will come down also.
Perhaps even a federal incentive in future.
I want an electrified land yacht! A boat tail Riv? A Lincoln Conti, circa 1964? An Imperial? A clamback gm wagon!
I would convert if I could afford to, I own a cascada.
This corrupt corporate trend, a grab for more of our money from having to pay subscriber fees is one reason why I have and will buy used classic-type cars only. I have a C4 Corvette, a 2002 Thunderbird, and a 2016 Mustang. I will definitely convert these cars to electric as so as there are local shops doing the conversions. GMs move to supply electrical conversion packages is a terrific idea. I hope all car makers will soon do so.
I like Edison motors idea of having a small cat generator that charges the batteries with e-axels
It needs to be 3k for motor and 3k for battery pack to go 500 miles. Until then no.
Still overpriced. An LS3+T56 is like $10k in parts.
It boggles the mind, how GM and other legacy automakers are so slow to innovate into the EV future. People that don't keep up with the current news like we see from the Viking are eventually going to see the talking points and empty words coming out of legacy auto are just words to baffle the uninformed. I feel bad for the future of legacy if they don't start getting more nimble in this quickly evolving industry.
GM will be bankrupt then they can kick the UAW out and focus on ther NEW company Elec. builds and guess who will bail them out? You got it Pontiac....YOU WILL!!!....for the 4th time.
It's very healthy for them to just go extinct. Once rural America relied on Sears and a few other brands long forgotten and NOT MISSED.
F and GM will also take the misreble mafia unions down with them.
Dear Michael S, help me understand this, 1. It boggles your mind that legacy auto is so slow to innovate. But feel bad for legacy's future. If GM follows the Kodak steps to nowhere? Isn't it their own making and deserved???
Not willing to pay GM anything. I don’t find their CEO to be truthful.
It’s awesome, but we are mostly not there yet .
I’ve never heard of this before … that’s the greatest thing I’ve ever seen.
I have wondered for years why they aren’t available for a realistic price.
The big question isn't so much the powerplant but the cabin heater element.
As someone who has experienced a Mk1 Escort Van with a blocked heater matrix I'd rather the vehicle be undriveable if there's no heating.
And NO.. Heated seats just give you a sweaty Arse.
Quite why you'd want one of those defies comprehension but there ya go. There are weirdo's out there !
Getting a sweaty arse doesn't thaw the blocks of ice you thought were your feet and THAT is real pain !
I have no desire to drive with a blanket wrapped around my legs ever again.
Here is south Texas heating is usually not needed. I can do without A/C as well.
We're still a LONG away from an affordable option. I have a 1966 Mustang 2+2 that I would love to convert to EV if I can get the equiv of 300lb/ft and an honest 125 mile range for $10K all in including batteries. That will happen as battery tech improves in both performance and cost, but we're not close yet.
Appreciate the positive energy!