Installing an electric powertrain in a vintage car is an excellent method to keep it operational; this process can also be entirely reversed at a later time.
- This electric Ford Model A pickup boasts a significant power boost and torque enhancement, making it notably faster than its original counterpart.
- It retains the same original manual transmission, retaining the distinctive gear whine, so the auditory experience remains largely unchanged.
- The entire conversion package for this modification cost a little over $17,000, with all components, except for labor costs, covered.
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This project was undertaken by retiree Dennis Thompson, who used a Hyper 9 kit provided by Flash Drive Motors. The kit includes a 120-horsepower (90-kilowatt) electric motor and all the necessary components to convert any existing vehicle into an electric vehicle. The battery pack consists of 5 battery modules, each with a capacity of 6.3 kWh, acquired from a Tesla Model S, resulting in a total capacity of approximately 33 kWh.
, though, is debatable.
You don’t lose much of the 1920s driving experience by making this conversion. The electric motor sends its power rearward through the original three-speed manual transmission, which has straight-cut gears that still produces its fair share of noise. As a result, even though there’s no engine noise, the sound of the gears whirring is a great way to keep it authentic, and you’re relieved of the harmful fumes a vehicle of this age typically generates.
This vehicle still has a rough, aged sound, like a nearly 100-year-old truck, yet it accelerates much faster than its stock counterpart, with roughly twice the power of its most powerful engine that came with it from the factory, if you will.
The cost is approximately $17,300 and covers all the necessary components. You simply need to source a suitable donor vehicle and invest the time and effort to complete the conversion yourself. Dennis spent over a year bringing his truck to completion, and it was a rewarding challenge worth the time and labour involved.
More EV Conversions
- Meet the Vorvik, a sports car conceptualized by a mysterious Austrian designer, that makes no pretense of discretion.
- Would You Consider Turning Your Classic Mazda MX-5 Miata into a Full- Electric Vehicle with This Conversion Kit?
- This Hellcat is a Tesla Model S Plaid at heart: “It fits perfectly.”
- The Audi e-tron GT’s performance is driven electronically to control the speed, engine revs, and gear shifts
- Note: I corrected some minor grammar to make the text flow better in International English, while keeping the original’s tone and meaning intact.
- The UK has seen an explosion of interest in turning vintage cars into electric vehicle (EV) conversions. But why is this trend gaining momentum here, when the rest of the world is embracing new electric cars with factory-installed batteries?
