The 2CV is the perfect donor car. Loads of room with a low rolling resistance and very light. You'd have to strengthen the chassis though. It would fold like wet cardboard! 😳
@@maxdergroe9082 80hp is almost too much, my Renault Zoe has that and it's quite fast already, and that is a car that weighs more than twice as much as a 2CV, that's quite a bit of power in such an old car.
I just completed a 6,000 mile US road trip in my 2021 Model 3 SR+ Over 13 days of driving (July 10 through July 31, 2022, with time in Kentucky) from Sacramento CA to Louisville KY and back (with numerous side trips), I drove nearly half what I drive in a year. The final analysis: Wow. This is definitely a road warrior vehicle, despite so-called “conventional wisdom.” I am still plugging in metrics and numbers, but I estimate about 60 charging stops. In all those stops, I only had ONE 5 minute wait, at Glenwood Springs, CO. One. 5 minutes. I’ve waited longer in a grocery store line. I drove through and charged in major cities (LA, Amarillo, OK City, Little Rock, Memphis, Nashville, St. Louis, Kansas City, Denver, Salt Lake City) and countless small towns and wide spots in the road. Typically, I was either the only one there or one of two Teslas. My typical stop was 20-25 minutes. Enough time to have a short walk about, use the bathroom, grab a bottle of water, and then get back on the road (the breaks, and auto pilot, assured I’d be rested and relaxed after hours of travel). Weekdays, weekends, rush hour, nighttime, huge supercharger (50+) or small (4), interstate or blue highway… I drove and charged through them all. No cherry picking. ~60 superchargers. 6,000 miles. 13 days of driving. In July 2022. One wait. 5 minutes. I can’t speak for others. But a complete success in my book.
Converting a Japanese kei truck would be a fantastic conversion. They are so practical and well suited for many applications, and perfect for many companies in any type of service Industry.iam a fan from USA, I wish we had more people like you here, Ed W.
This is excellent work, the moment a bolt on system is available for a classic mini, I’m buying it immediately. But it won’t be perfect unless it has pointy chrome mirrors!
🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰 OMG I love it!!!!!! The Fiat 500 has always been a favourite in this family as my mum drove one for about 3 years when we 3 were all very young. And although I don’t actually remember it myself any 500 was always pointed out and loved over the years!
I recon a Toyota 74 Celica to convert. That would be awesome. I had one with a twin carb, twin cam. Nice a poor man’s sports car. Love the shows keep up the good work.
very clean setup. Would love to see some driving footage while discussing the specs. Cars like this are common in Europe but for us North Americans these are a novelty so love seeing them in action.
Fantastic! I love EVs. I love ICEs. Those 500s are perfect city cars. I'd like to see a Japanese mini truck or van conversion... that would be a great city utility vehicle! A big dream of mine is a useful range EV Morgan +4. Tooling through a leaf strewn autumn color tour in a silent roadster - that just fits the scene beautifully!
Very impressed with the engineering. I used to work on these cars in the 60’s. Going up hills were a problem, any slope above knee level was a mountain.
Ha, I have a 2017 Fiat 500e. It only gets about 100 mile range as well, but that's working for me even in Houston! Also, totally unintentional on your part, but showing that interior was a massive help to me. I thought the plastic on my instrument guage cover was discoloring. Apparently it's just a slightly different color, as on the original!
I am a drag racer. I would love to have a conversion running a transmission and drive shaft or prop shaft to rear Axle. It would have all of the attributes that combustion engines have to be forced to do. 100% torque at the hit will be brutal. I do say WILL be. I wish I could do my 55 Chevy.
Love these classic 500 conversions! It would be my dream to own one here in the states! As far as future conversions, I think an electric Suzuki Cappuccino could be pretty fun!
Here is a CHALLENGE ... @@ElectricClassicCars ...could you make a conversion kit WITH a 2cv chassis as a basis like this ? th-cam.com/video/H2IN21wbrm0/w-d-xo.html ...so people can even put on their OWN body shells on top of a skateboard like configuration..... The 2cv chassis you can get brand new and it costs hardly anything. I think about 1200 euro
Modern EV's have far too many expensive bells and whistles. What many people want is the simplicity that the FIAT offers. For most of the time, even a heater is superfluous. Thanks Richard.
Great job, very clean and perfect, as always. thanks for sharing. As a mechanic it would be great to be able to do these conversions in Spain, really a shame not being able to do it. Regards!
Fiat 500, VW Beetle, Smart Fortwo are probably the best options for EV conversion's in my books because they're all still pretty common and yet classic in design... I know I'd personally love to convert my Smartie from diesel to EV...
lookin' at you standing in that car, with all those parts sprinkled around the car, i'm thinkin' "daaaaaaaaaaaang, how sweet that thing be with a ZF 8-speed and a Torsen to the back wheels!".
Brilliant. I've got a '51 500C Topolino. Beautiful car but a bit scary to drive in Sydney traffic, an particularly on hills. Fab to be doing these conversions and get these classics back on the road. Nice work.
Hillman Imp stiletto. Riely Elf/Mini Moke. Fiat Panda or the original Renault 5 or Twingo. Another neat conversion and doubling the power helps with steep hills through tiny village streets.. where even a Suzuki Jimini struggles to pass.
@@ElectricClassicCars Always liked the fastback imps Or clan Crusaders.. but thats a rally car. Great little all alloy engine but prone to overheating due to lack of anti corrosion antifreeze it was always their undoing that and a barely adequate radiator... Plenty of space for a pack up front and the rest to the rear. Which one had the tinted glass and vinyl roof?
@@spudproductions7606 I knew someone who had one ..if im right it also had double headlamps? The Standard Imps and Husky estate and van just had the standard pair.
Waiting for a VW camper version of this! I know you did a video recently on a T2, but I'd love to see an indepth camper conversion from you guys, especially since there's usually at least one sitting in the back if every vid you guys do, like the green splitty sitting casually in this one 😀
I am hoping that EV conversions become more affordable in the near future. I would love to convert one of my cars from Diesel to full EV but the costs at the moment are way out of my price range.
yea me too, I asked a local shop that does conversions for my old car and toldme 18500 USD labor included . way more than than the car value (or even I can buy a new car ). Only if your car is a high value classic the conversion is worth it.
I want to believe that there will be more and more "kits" come to market that are specific to our classic cars. And that the experienced home mechanic can perform the conversion by themselves without too much difficulty.
Great episode! As far as city cars are concerned, I would imagine an early bmw mini One (quite cheap now) with a similar power unit would be a great car to have just for purely city use…
What a great little package. I do think when you see some of these two ton plus electric SUV’s they are a bit of a contradiction, this on the other hand small and efficient and a good way to get about town. Great job Richard, loving your channel. 👏👍😀
@@ElectricClassicCars I look forward to a one-size-fits-(nearly)-all for most rear wheel drive cars. Replace the entire rear axle with a new transaxle which includes the motor.
have a Caddy Life 2008 that I love! I'm a Windsurfer, so I bring all the equipment with me easily. but expensive to run with 1.4 L petrol. so the engine has to fight well. Electricity in it would have been sooooo good!
Lovely little car. I'd like to see an EV conversion on an Austin/Morris 1100 or 1300. They were small - not that much larger than a Mini - so would make practical city car, but with more room than the 500 or Mini. The Wolesley or Riley versions, with the wood, leather, etc, would be nicer, although they are very rare these days. I suppose the only problem would be finding a decent one of any of the 1100/1300 models to convert. The sub frame mounts used to rot, which led to most of them (including the ones I and 2 friends owned - one was a Riley, too) being scrapped as repair was uneconomic. Really nice little cars when they were sound.
These kits are intriguing, but unfortunately way too expensive for a realistic conversion en mass of mass-market cars. Would like to see an inexpensive kit for a 10 year old Passat, Golf, Corolla and other very common cars where the value of the car has dropped below 5k while it's still a structurally sound choice with modern safety features.
Here's the flaw in your argument: people who do these conversions are a minority to begin with, so of course there will be no "en mass" conversion. It's like thinking that because you work on your car, most people do. And it's simply untrue.
It is going to be hard for the conversions to compete in price with used EVs (when the current shortage abates). I got a used 2017 Fiat 500E for $7k in 2019, and aside from an 85 mile range it is everything I could want in an EV. Of course there is a market for novelty EVs, but I can easily imagine a Chinese manufacturer making a fiat 500 tribute EV that is even cheaper.
@@macrumpton In a way I agree, even if used electric cars in the last 1-2 years have skyrocketed in price. Back in late 2020 a used Renault Zoe (22 kWh model) with 20 000 miles on the meter could be had for as little as $6000-7000. Converting an ICE car at those prices would be insane. Today the same model but with another 10 000 miles on the meter is twice as much. And the Zoe is still a tiny car. For anyone looking for a full-sized estate car for the whole family and a bit of luggage the options for an inexpensive used EV are really slim.
My wife and adult kids want me to convert this for them. Now I have to source 3 old fiat 500s in Brisbane Australia and start a conversion company to get it done 😅
I'm italian, so I can still see this little cars running around (not very often, to be honest). Marvelous job, I would love to convert a Fiat 500 (or a 127, another beautiful car). Again, marvelous job!
I would have to agree that this would have to be one of the best cars for electric conversion. I personally would love to convert an Austin A30 or A35 even though it is not as suitable, I just like the look of them so much more and they might have a bit more of an upright seating position which would be better for getting in and out of. In my case it would be used as a second car for short trips to save wear and tear on my diesel work truck. I was thinking for my use it might be possible to remove the gearbox and have a smaller motor than normally expected where the gearbow was and have a fixed gear ratio that is low enough so that top speed is only a touch above 80km/h which is one our speed limits here in Australia and even a range of 30km would be fine for me also which means it could easily charged every night from a standard 10 amp outlet. Of course it would not be allowed on motorways but it may be allowed to be registered to be used on minor roads. I think you can get a lot more bang for your buck with a short range EV.
Amazing how you managed to package this conversion. Love the dash, simple is beautiful, why are mainstream EV cars loaded with junk you don’t need. What about converting a Honda S600, very light car, but they are pretty rare. Would be a real little pocket rocket as an EV😎
Your so right George I was only thinking a couple of hours ago, having a massive touch screen as a dash doesn’t make a better driver, (just a perfect distraction instead of looking at the road ahead!) 🤣😂😂🤣
I am in the Philippines and there are millions of Multi-cab trucks and vans and there motors are about 30 to 35 HP. A lot of wind for windmills and lots of space for solar panels. An afordable conversion would be welcome here .......... People are buying new golf carts just to have electric.........
I'm probably way off track, but I'd favour swapping the battery locations for better weight distribution. Let's face it the original didn't have much in the way of storage capacity, yet it was a sales success.
will have to get hold on my mother in laws 500 in Rome....was also thinking recently about volvo estates and old saabs as good options for ev conversion - get rid of the old diesels...
Watching your conversions really makes me wish I still had my 83 Nissan Sentra Hatchback. I bought it new and drove it till my daughter got a job and needed a car. I gave it to her in 2007, I think, and she had it for about 4 years before trading in for a new car and a husband. It did all that on original engine. I had to change the carburetor and ended up getting a Webber because they couldn't find an original anywhere. Actually ran better. Only real problem I ever had with that car was it went through CV joints like a child through candy. I think I replaced the front axles about 5 times during it's life. Now if it is converted to electric... Hmmm... Maybe no more CV joint problems? I think the car would be a great small car conversion. Might be a bit bigger than a VW Beetle, but not by much. Tell me what you think. 🤔
I would suggest the Volvo Amazon series. They look great, they handle and have great brakes. They have great parts supply and they are not too big, but big enough.
Moving away from your original question, what about a Rover P6? Originally designed for a gas turbine, so an EV conversion sounds spot on. Masses of space under the bonnet and well able to deal with big power and torque as Rover fitted the 3500 V8 in there. A powerful, smooth and comfortable cruiser.
In Australia you'd need 90 miles or 150 km range for daily commutes because places are not so compact here. Cruising speed would need to be up to 65 mph or 110 km/h. Air conditioning for our torrid summers would be a must have.
Would love to convert my 82’ VW air cooled transporter. The original engine is still running strong but the constant oil leaks and NOISE plus 19MPG on expensive E5 petrol, makes me constantly think about how much better an EV conversion would be!
Electric cars are not zero emissions- they actually require greater emissions than IC cars, it's just that the emissions are moved to other places from the mining of the rare earth minerals, to the production and maintenance of the power grid. Their real advantage is in the reduced repair costs due to the elimination of so many complex parts now required to make IC cars compliant with regulations.
@@oldschool1993 I read that over the lifetime of the average EV including production, 18,000 kg of CO2 is produced and that over the lifetime of the average ICE engined vehicle including production, 24,000kg of CO2 is produced. That's 33% more than an EV if those figures are still relevant.
I can think of the Honda N360, but also the Citroën 2CV and Diane and even the Renault 4. Loads of battery space there and a bigger supply of donor cars.
![ผัวเถื่อน - ยูริ โตเกียวมิวสิค [ OFFICIAL MUSIC VIDEO ]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/P08ORRVDGl8/mqdefault.jpg)
You’re so spot on about the simplicity, that’s exactly what we need more of.
Buy Tesla!
@@pawefiett2468 send me money and I will 😁
A citroen 2CV electric will be hilarious, The first original one has only 8 horsepower.. so with this motor a big improvement 🙂
It is available in France, but conversion is only legal (in France) if you respect original power.
Already exists,that E- 2cv
@@colletjulien Can I respect it with 80hp too? Like yes, cool 8hp, but 80hp is much nicer now.
The 2CV is the perfect donor car. Loads of room with a low rolling resistance and very light.
You'd have to strengthen the chassis though.
It would fold like wet cardboard! 😳
@@maxdergroe9082 80hp is almost too much, my Renault Zoe has that and it's quite fast already, and that is a car that weighs more than twice as much as a 2CV, that's quite a bit of power in such an old car.
I just completed a 6,000 mile US road trip in my 2021 Model 3 SR+
Over 13 days of driving (July 10 through July 31, 2022, with time in Kentucky) from Sacramento CA to Louisville KY and back (with numerous side trips), I drove nearly half what I drive in a year.
The final analysis: Wow. This is definitely a road warrior vehicle, despite so-called “conventional wisdom.”
I am still plugging in metrics and numbers, but I estimate about 60 charging stops. In all those stops, I only had ONE 5 minute wait, at Glenwood Springs, CO. One. 5 minutes. I’ve waited longer in a grocery store line.
I drove through and charged in major cities (LA, Amarillo, OK City, Little Rock, Memphis, Nashville, St. Louis, Kansas City, Denver, Salt Lake City) and countless small towns and wide spots in the road. Typically, I was either the only one there or one of two Teslas. My typical stop was 20-25 minutes. Enough time to have a short walk about, use the bathroom, grab a bottle of water, and then get back on the road (the breaks, and auto pilot, assured I’d be rested and relaxed after hours of travel).
Weekdays, weekends, rush hour, nighttime, huge supercharger (50+) or small (4), interstate or blue highway… I drove and charged through them all. No cherry picking.
~60 superchargers. 6,000 miles. 13 days of driving. In July 2022. One wait. 5 minutes.
I can’t speak for others. But a complete success in my book.
Great to hear. 👍😀
Hmm I did vegas to chicago in 28 hours. Were you sight seeing?
@@cb-gz1vl I was! I wasn’t in a race.
Converting a Japanese kei truck would be a fantastic conversion. They are so practical and well suited for many applications, and perfect for many companies in any type of service Industry.iam a fan from USA, I wish we had more people like you here, Ed W.
Classic Japanese car with one of these
Please do a Fiat 850 coupe conversion, you guys are too good!
Love what ya do. Wish you were in the USA!
Morris Minor Traveller, that would bring back memories of being ferried around by my grandparents 40 years ago!
Been toying with the idea of a EV Datsun 510!
That's what I thought a Japanese import
I love that. I have a old MG Midget that would be fun to convert.
Nicely done guys, superb quality as always. I'm with Grant, I feel a 600hp 2CV coming on... 🙂
Oh Boy! I would *LOVE* this upgrade kit for my Renault Twizy !!
This is excellent work, the moment a bolt on system is available for a classic mini, I’m buying it immediately. But it won’t be perfect unless it has pointy chrome mirrors!
A kit is a very expensive way to do it
They already do that, video on that kit from March th-cam.com/video/QZ9td0EnRpk/w-d-xo.html
Have a look at Swind, all very reasonable until you add the battery and other bits.
He's already done on.
Every kit you guys do, do great honor to the term "bolt-on"!! 💙
Also 7:30 75V "can still give you a fair old whack"! 😄
My favourite..😘 Fiat 500 conversion.
Excellent. I like that shell up on top shelf behind you
🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰
OMG I love it!!!!!! The Fiat 500 has always been a favourite in this family as my mum drove one for about 3 years when we 3 were all very young. And although I don’t actually remember it myself any 500 was always pointed out and loved over the years!
Can't wait for the Ford Sierra conversion kit.
I recon a Toyota 74 Celica to convert. That would be awesome. I had one with a twin carb, twin cam. Nice a poor man’s sports car. Love the shows keep up the good work.
Like the early Celica 👍😀
Yes please, love those cars. 😎👌
very clean setup. Would love to see some driving footage while discussing the specs. Cars like this are common in Europe but for us North Americans these are a novelty so love seeing them in action.
hes done videos of the vw beetle driving around, and the vw bus. theres a drag race video with the beetle vs a porshe 911 too.
and theres a classic merc sl. im sure they have done hundreds, look around his channel
Fantastic! I love EVs. I love ICEs. Those 500s are perfect city cars. I'd like to see a Japanese mini truck or van conversion... that would be a great city utility vehicle! A big dream of mine is a useful range EV Morgan +4. Tooling through a leaf strewn autumn color tour in a silent roadster - that just fits the scene beautifully!
Very impressed with the engineering. I used to work on these cars in the 60’s. Going up hills were a problem, any slope above knee level was a mountain.
I love this, the fiat 500 is the perfect small car, making it electric is really cool
Ha, I have a 2017 Fiat 500e. It only gets about 100 mile range as well, but that's working for me even in Houston! Also, totally unintentional on your part, but showing that interior was a massive help to me. I thought the plastic on my instrument guage cover was discoloring. Apparently it's just a slightly different color, as on the original!
I would love to see a video of Moggy in a converted Fiat 500 zipping through city streets getting mad at the traffic :D
Hats off!!!
Fiat/Seat Panda 4x4 would be my choice.
The funny thing is that the Panda originally had an electric version, the Elettra (no 4x4 though)
Uau! What a fit! And you still have the sets in the back?! Great job! Other city wonder? The Honda 600!!!
My mate had one of them when I was a kid we went around his dads farm😀
My 1948 Ford Anglia would really benefit from this!
That would work well for the little Renault 5 as well, with a high power version in the Renault 5 turbo body shell.
I am a drag racer. I would love to have a conversion running a transmission and drive shaft or prop shaft to rear Axle. It would have all of the attributes that combustion engines have to be forced to do. 100% torque at the hit will be brutal. I do say WILL be. I wish I could do my 55 Chevy.
my favourite: Allegro Estate, such a great looking car, hey?
Great conversion, so neat and tidy. My vote would be for a mk1 Ford Ka. 50-75 mile range would be fine and with 70bhp+ it would be great fun!
Ugly @ss car
Love these classic 500 conversions! It would be my dream to own one here in the states! As far as future conversions, I think an electric Suzuki Cappuccino could be pretty fun!
The Suzuki Cappuccino is such a tiny car. I remember driving one once in London. 😎👌
Here is a CHALLENGE ... @@ElectricClassicCars ...could you make a conversion kit WITH a 2cv chassis as a basis like this ? th-cam.com/video/H2IN21wbrm0/w-d-xo.html
...so people can even put on their OWN body shells on top of a skateboard like configuration..... The 2cv chassis you can get brand new and it costs hardly anything. I think about 1200 euro
Modern EV's have far too many expensive bells and whistles. What many people want is the simplicity that the FIAT offers. For most of the time, even a heater is superfluous. Thanks Richard.
Great job, very clean and perfect, as always. thanks for sharing.
As a mechanic it would be great to be able to do these conversions in Spain, really a shame not being able to do it.
Regards!
I would love to see a smart Roadster talking about small car 😉
Yep, that would be awesome electric. 👍
Best city e-car conversion: Mini Cooper etc. with that rubber suspension it’s the best choice. Of course the classic one 😏
Good choice 😀👍
Fiat 500, VW Beetle, Smart Fortwo are probably the best options for EV conversion's in my books because they're all still pretty common and yet classic in design... I know I'd personally love to convert my Smartie from diesel to EV...
lookin' at you standing in that car, with all those parts sprinkled around the car, i'm thinkin' "daaaaaaaaaaaang, how sweet that thing be with a ZF 8-speed and a Torsen to the back wheels!".
Brilliant. I've got a '51 500C Topolino. Beautiful car but a bit scary to drive in Sydney traffic, an particularly on hills. Fab to be doing these conversions and get these classics back on the road. Nice work.
I'd love to see a Fiat X1/9 conversion. I loved driving that thing.
Good idea 👍😀
If you ever want to try a Fiat X1/9 conversion, I would be very interested.
Cool.. For me, would love a T1, and a nice little fiat 500 for the misses!
Love it this is what should be more known about to people, instead of buying 40/50 grand cars that they can't afford, save the beautiful classic cars
Hillman Imp stiletto. Riely Elf/Mini Moke.
Fiat Panda or the original Renault 5 or Twingo.
Another neat conversion and doubling the power helps with steep hills through tiny village streets.. where even a Suzuki Jimini struggles to pass.
Great selection there. 👍😀
Hillman Imp Stiletto or Singer Chamois? 👌
@@ElectricClassicCars
Always liked the fastback imps
Or clan Crusaders.. but thats a rally car. Great little all alloy engine but prone to overheating due to lack of anti corrosion antifreeze it was always their undoing that and a barely adequate radiator...
Plenty of space for a pack up front and the rest to the rear.
Which one had the tinted glass and vinyl roof?
I think it was badged a sunbeam stiletto ?
@@spudproductions7606
I knew someone who had one ..if im right it also had double headlamps? The Standard Imps and Husky estate and van just had the standard pair.
Thanks for explaining that London is a city
Id love to get my Austin Metro converted one day, especially as I work at the world's first electric forecourt, makes sense!
Bolt in kit! Absolutely fantastic.
would love to see a Japanese Kei car with an electric conversion (honda beat, suzuki cappucino or autozam az-1)
That would be a big market.
Waiting for a VW camper version of this! I know you did a video recently on a T2, but I'd love to see an indepth camper conversion from you guys, especially since there's usually at least one sitting in the back if every vid you guys do, like the green splitty sitting casually in this one 😀
Syncro update coming soon 😀👍
As an owner of an air-cooled VW camper. 100% agreed
Great fitment on that kit, Moggie 👍
I know I've said it before, but a Moke with your Tesla motor Mini kit would be absolutely awesome.
Great idea 👍😀
I am hoping that EV conversions become more affordable in the near future.
I would love to convert one of my cars from Diesel to full EV but the costs at the moment are way out of my price range.
yea me too, I asked a local shop that does conversions for my old car and toldme 18500 USD labor included . way more than than the car value (or even I can buy a new car ). Only if your car is a high value classic the conversion is worth it.
@@IvanQuaglia I was quoted 50k, about 17x the value of the car 😂
@@stephenwensley9328\ 0o0 / dang!!!
I want to believe that there will be more and more "kits" come to market that are specific to our classic cars. And that the experienced home mechanic can perform the conversion by themselves without too much difficulty.
@@marcdenlinger5282 yea sure is just matter of time for the market to grow
Great episode! As far as city cars are concerned, I would imagine an early bmw mini One (quite cheap now) with a similar power unit would be a great car to have just for purely city use…
but you can buy an e-mini now ? wouldnt it cost more to convert an old one ?
What a great little package. I do think when you see some of these two ton plus electric SUV’s they are a bit of a contradiction, this on the other hand small and efficient and a good way to get about town. Great job Richard, loving your channel. 👏👍😀
Thanks. 👍
@@ElectricClassicCars I look forward to a one-size-fits-(nearly)-all for most rear wheel drive cars. Replace the entire rear axle with a new transaxle which includes the motor.
I'm glad I found your channel - great video.
Hope you’ve subscribed? Welcome to the channel. 👍😀
@@spudproductions7606 I have indeed
have a Caddy Life 2008 that I love!
I'm a Windsurfer, so I bring all the equipment with me easily.
but expensive to run with 1.4 L petrol. so the engine has to fight well.
Electricity in it would have been sooooo good!
An Austin Nash Metropolitan would make an interesting conversion.
Lovely little car. I'd like to see an EV conversion on an Austin/Morris 1100 or 1300. They were small - not that much larger than a Mini - so would make practical city car, but with more room than the 500 or Mini. The Wolesley or Riley versions, with the wood, leather, etc, would be nicer, although they are very rare these days. I suppose the only problem would be finding a decent one of any of the 1100/1300 models to convert. The sub frame mounts used to rot, which led to most of them (including the ones I and 2 friends owned - one was a Riley, too) being scrapped as repair was uneconomic. Really nice little cars when they were sound.
Great idea 😀👍
I'd like that too. My dad's first car was a 1964 1100.
Absolutely that would be great. Electric drivetrain and hydrolastic suspension.
I am in Aust NSW & have a mint condition 1966 Morris 1100. No rust all sills cut out & rebelled with Sil/Bronze. Would love to get it converted.
As an American living in GM country I’ve always dreamed of an electric Corvair convertible for summer cruising.
Excellent engineering
Thanks 👍😀
There are a lot of great possibilities for conversion. I would love to have a Tesla powered Avanti!
I would love an electrified Allegro estate, but 4wd with big nobbly tyres, external roll cage and the full bush bashing package! Imagine that!
I’d rather not 😂😂
My mind is boggling.
Agreed. It is the perfect EV platform.
I'd love to see a classic Citroen DS being converted
I’d love to see a Suzuki Mighty Boy.
These kits are intriguing, but unfortunately way too expensive for a realistic conversion en mass of mass-market cars. Would like to see an inexpensive kit for a 10 year old Passat, Golf, Corolla and other very common cars where the value of the car has dropped below 5k while it's still a structurally sound choice with modern safety features.
Here's the flaw in your argument: people who do these conversions are a minority to begin with, so of course there will be no "en mass" conversion. It's like thinking that because you work on your car, most people do. And it's simply untrue.
It is going to be hard for the conversions to compete in price with used EVs (when the current shortage abates). I got a used 2017 Fiat 500E for $7k in 2019, and aside from an 85 mile range it is everything I could want in an EV. Of course there is a market for novelty EVs, but I can easily imagine a Chinese manufacturer making a fiat 500 tribute EV that is even cheaper.
@@macrumpton In a way I agree, even if used electric cars in the last 1-2 years have skyrocketed in price. Back in late 2020 a used Renault Zoe (22 kWh model) with 20 000 miles on the meter could be had for as little as $6000-7000. Converting an ICE car at those prices would be insane. Today the same model but with another 10 000 miles on the meter is twice as much. And the Zoe is still a tiny car. For anyone looking for a full-sized estate car for the whole family and a bit of luggage the options for an inexpensive used EV are really slim.
Perhaps in a few years. However, at the moment, you are discussing a market that ECC doesn’t pretend to serve no is it possible to serve.
$3000 Used Reno Zoe with 80000kmh
Beautifully done job.
Thank you 🙏 ✔️
thank you
My wife and adult kids want me to convert this for them. Now I have to source 3 old fiat 500s in Brisbane Australia and start a conversion company to get it done 😅
Sounds like a plan. 😎👍
I'm italian, so I can still see this little cars running around (not very often, to be honest). Marvelous job, I would love to convert a Fiat 500 (or a 127, another beautiful car). Again, marvelous job!
Rovinare una classica FIAT Cinquecento convertendola in un veicolo elettrico per me significa una mancanza di rispetto.
I would have to agree that this would have to be one of the best cars for electric conversion. I personally would love to convert an Austin A30 or A35 even though it is not as suitable, I just like the look of them so much more and they might have a bit more of an upright seating position which would be better for getting in and out of.
In my case it would be used as a second car for short trips to save wear and tear on my diesel work truck. I was thinking for my use it might be possible to remove the gearbox and have a smaller motor than normally expected where the gearbow was and have a fixed gear ratio that is low enough so that top speed is only a touch above 80km/h which is one our speed limits here in Australia and even a range of 30km would be fine for me also which means it could easily charged every night from a standard 10 amp outlet. Of course it would not be allowed on motorways but it may be allowed to be registered to be used on minor roads.
I think you can get a lot more bang for your buck with a short range EV.
Amazing how you managed to package this conversion. Love the dash, simple is beautiful, why are mainstream EV cars loaded with junk you don’t need. What about converting a Honda S600, very light car, but they are pretty rare. Would be a real little pocket rocket as an EV😎
Love the s600. Good choice 👍👍
Your so right George I was only thinking a couple of hours ago, having a massive touch screen as a dash doesn’t make a better driver, (just a perfect distraction instead of looking at the road ahead!) 🤣😂😂🤣
love to see a vw golf/rabbit cabriolet conversion!
I daily drive a Mk2 Golf Country.... and I would love a kit for that!
Great job, Richard. Thank you for sharing this excellent project.
Thanks 👍😀
@@spudproductions7606 Got it. I just came from the late video on this one. Good to see it done. Thank you, Richard!
I am in the Philippines and there are millions of Multi-cab trucks and vans and there motors are about 30 to 35 HP. A lot of wind for windmills and lots of space for solar panels. An afordable conversion would be welcome here .......... People are buying new golf carts just to have electric.........
Complimenti ottimo lavoro, io penso che anche una Fiat 850 coupé potrebbe essere un interessante e sfiziosa citycar 😁
I'm probably way off track, but I'd favour swapping the battery locations for better weight distribution.
Let's face it the original didn't have much in the way of storage capacity, yet it was a sales success.
In NZ the 500s were called Bambinas (little girls) - in Australia apparently they were called Bambinos (little boys)!
That’s interesting, thanks 👍👍👍
My ‘if I won the lottery car’ would be a Citroen DS EV, I feel if EV technology was available at the time it would have been made this way..
My first car was a Morris minor. I'd love an ev version of that...especially in traveller form.
Good idea 👍😀
Great! Now we needakit for the FiAT 850 Sport Spider.
Great video mate
And yes, a 2CV would be fantastic for a short range electric car.
Would have liked to see it drive.
Very interesting. Thank you.
👍😀
will have to get hold on my mother in laws 500 in Rome....was also thinking recently about volvo estates and old saabs as good options for ev conversion - get rid of the old diesels...
Watching your conversions really makes me wish I still had my 83 Nissan Sentra Hatchback. I bought it new and drove it till my daughter got a job and needed a car. I gave it to her in 2007, I think, and she had it for about 4 years before trading in for a new car and a husband. It did all that on original engine. I had to change the carburetor and ended up getting a Webber because they couldn't find an original anywhere. Actually ran better. Only real problem I ever had with that car was it went through CV joints like a child through candy. I think I replaced the front axles about 5 times during it's life. Now if it is converted to electric... Hmmm... Maybe no more CV joint problems? I think the car would be a great small car conversion. Might be a bit bigger than a VW Beetle, but not by much. Tell me what you think. 🤔
I would suggest the Volvo Amazon series. They look great, they handle and have great brakes. They have great parts supply and they are not too big, but big enough.
Moving away from your original question, what about a Rover P6? Originally designed for a gas turbine, so an EV conversion sounds spot on. Masses of space under the bonnet and well able to deal with big power and torque as Rover fitted the 3500 V8 in there. A powerful, smooth and comfortable cruiser.
In Australia you'd need 90 miles or 150 km range for daily commutes because places are not so compact here. Cruising speed would need to be up to 65 mph or 110 km/h. Air conditioning for our torrid summers would be a must have.
Hmmmm you'll need lots more battery, and therefore a bigger car, for those requirements. And those are already available at vast cost.
Would love to convert my 82’ VW air cooled transporter. The original engine is still running strong but the constant oil leaks and NOISE plus 19MPG on expensive E5 petrol, makes me constantly think about how much better an EV conversion would be!
Guess how much fuel can you buy for the price of a proper conversion...
@@JohnDSmith-po4nu 12,500 litres of fuel
Or ~53,00 miles of fuel
Amazing work
What an adorable car, made all the better by now being a clean, zero-emissions EV.
Brilliant work, Richard 😎
Electric cars are not zero emissions- they actually require greater emissions than IC cars, it's just that the emissions are moved to other places from the mining of the rare earth minerals, to the production and maintenance of the power grid. Their real advantage is in the reduced repair costs due to the elimination of so many complex parts now required to make IC cars compliant with regulations.
@@oldschool1993 I read that over the lifetime of the average EV including production, 18,000 kg of CO2 is produced and that over the lifetime of the average ICE engined vehicle including production, 24,000kg of CO2 is produced. That's 33% more than an EV if those figures are still relevant.
@@NeillWylie Those figures are from the Tesla brochure.
I luv it!
I can think of the Honda N360, but also the Citroën 2CV and Diane and even the Renault 4. Loads of battery space there and a bigger supply of donor cars.
Kit required for Morris Minor please .... brilliant work
Beautiful Job
Talking of Fiats, an electric X1/9 would be cool.
I'd like to see a Peugeot 205 --- in fact I'd love to convert one of mine ;)