EV'd Classics

[Nirach]

So, I'm in the midst of tearing my engine to pieces and replacing parts "while I'm there" and I got to thinking.

I know Ford US sells the electric motor from the Mustang Mach E via their parts site as a crate motor - It's very bare bones, and likely going to quadruple in cost when you factor in all the other bits you need to buy to make it work - and I started wondering. The Mach E motor that's for sale is a very similar power level (Peak motor output is ~280hp) to our cars.

I don't know the weight of the standard engine and gearbox in our car, but I have to presume it's much higher than the ~95kg of the crate motor, and probably a healthy chunk of the way into a passable battery range. Factor in the weight of an exhaust, the fuel tank and fuel system, all the turbo cooling equipment and so on.. I don't imagine the weight of an EV Focus RS would be that different to the weight of a standard one, so depending on weight distribution, the handling shouldn't be all that different.

Dimensionally, the Mach E motor is really small - I dare say some modification could be made to use two motors, and drive all four wheels..

The way the world is going, EV's are starting to signal the end of the ICE - Looking purely within Ford there's the F150 Lightning in the states, which while not as wild as some, is probably best placed to get the average truck owner in America to switch to an EV. In my view, this is the first domino. The Americans love their trucks, the F150 arguably most of all, and I feel like this more so than Tesla ever could have will drive Ford's progression to a purely EV lineup in the coming decades.

Whether it's Ford, GM, Tesla, BMW, whoever - The writing is on the wall for the ICE.

I know some folks are staunch 'standard' fans - And likely will be until the end of their stewardship of their cars.

But what's the general opinion here of retro-modding our cars to be electric?

Personally, I'm all for it. I think it's the way the world is going, and personally I like the look of the car more than the sound of it, so that aspect doesn't concern me in the slightest - But I know a lot of you are a fan of the sound.

[DanT404]

For me, the internal combustion engine is a very important part of any car im a fan of. The noises, the smells and the character of certain engines all adds up to create something an electric motor just cant compete with. That is only heightened if you work on it yourself in my opinion. However performance is impressive and i think a lot of classic cars will end up being modified with electric motors to keep them useable.
The potential is there one day for electric vehicles to have their own kind of character once the aftermarket gets ahold of it, but will that ever happen with the way the world seems to be heading when it comes to "tampering" with vehicles? Who knows.
I don't feel i would enjoy this car and the whole development/engineering feel that goes with it if i had to fit an electric motor into it, but i do think there will be some great E.V's in their own right along shortly.

[Nirach]

Absolutely - There is something very different about being propelled forwards by exploding dinosaurs. Like you say, the sounds, smells, and feel is just.. Different in so many ways that EV's just can't replicate.

If I had to pick a side that I think most will land on - I think most are going to land on 'ICE forever' with cars like ours. Low production numbers, certain design choices and heritage, things that are different (however trivially or not) to the standard version of the car.

That said, it's an avenue I'm seriously considering. Perhaps not with a Mach E motor, given the cost is ~4000 USD, and shipping 100kg to Germany would be prohibitively expensive I expect, but the more I look the more my curiosity is piqued by the movement to convert classics to EV's

[Focus2346]

Currently looking into doing a Tesla swap into an FD RX7 shell.

It's a sad thing but the ICE days are numbered now. I was a staunch advocate of them, however, after taking delivery of an EV for work, im now a convert. Driving home from Northampton on Saturday and then taking my son home on Sunday, I found that driving the RS was just a chore. Maybe I need more time with it, who knows?. Or dare I say it, a 5.0V8 mustang :)

I've seen the Mach E's flying around the tech park at Dunton and tbh im really impressed with them.

[Nirach]

My only problem with the Mach E is that it's an SUV - If it was my choice I'd outlaw the damned things.

[Crossy10]

This is so strange. I've been thinking about this a lot over the last few weeks regarding my RS.

I've just got an X5 45e hybrid and have to say I quite enjoy driving it on full electric, it's a different driving experience and like it or not it's the way the automotive industry is going.

I think we will start to see company's making EV conversions for certain classic cars soon.

[Nirach]

There are actually already ones doing it - There's a company that does it on behalf of VW for the classic Beetle, and there's a bunch in Holland that do it for similar vehicles, they have the VW bus thing on their "kit" list.

So yes, I fully expect to see more.. Drop-in style kits as time goes by