Recent from talks
Electromod
Knowledge base stats:
Talk channels stats:
Members stats:
Electromod
An electromod is a vehicle that has been restored and modified by converting its drivetrain to operate as an electric vehicle (EV). The term is a portmanteau of electrification and restomod, itself a portmanteau of restoration and modification, a process which traditionally has been associated with classic cars. Most electromods are one-off custom vehicles performed by specialty repair shops and hobbyists, but starting in the late 2010s, automobile manufacturers have been building their own electromods, sometimes with the assistance of specialty shops, to publicize their shift to battery electric powertrains and to build interest in crate engine EV drivetrain products.
Hobbyists have been converting cars originally powered by internal combustion engines to EVs since at least the 1960s. Historically, these used existing technology such as surplus aircraft starter motors and lead-acid batteries; these efforts were driven by ecological and financial reasons to increase efficiency and avoid using fossil fuels, with renewed interest piqued by the oil crises in 1973 and again in 1979. However, the converted EV powertrain range and power usually suffered compared to the original vehicle. Multiple books were written to document and guide these conversions in the late 1970s and 1980s, including The Complete Book of Electric Vehicles (Shacket, 1979), How to Convert to an Electric Car (Lucas & Riess, 1980), Convert It (Brown & Prange, 1993), and Build Your Own Electric Vehicle (Brant, 1994).
The increasing popularity of hybrid and battery electric vehicles since the 1990s and the turn of the 21st century along with tightening emissions mandates have spurred the development of more powerful electric traction motors and improved battery chemistries giving increased energy storage density, resulting in electric vehicles with still-limited range but with power comparable to conventional automobiles and trucks. In 2012, Rimac Automobili showed off its 1984 BMW E30 that had been restored and repowered with an electric drivetrain by breaking EV acceleration records. With electrified drivetrains now becoming more readily available through recycling crashed EVs, a market has developed for electromod conversions of classic and replica cars. Although some owners have commissioned electromod conversions of sports cars, several automotive journalists have argued the quiet, smooth characteristics of an EV drivetrain are better suited to luxury cars.
Many non-factory electromods are implemented by extracting and adapting the drivetrain or individual components (traction motor(s), battery, controller, and inverter) from an existing mass-produced EV, such as Tesla. In October 2019 there were no purpose-built crate engine EV kits available commercially, but such projects were in development by companies such as Swindon Powertrain. For example, EV West announced their Revolt Tesla Crate Motor in 2020, which married an electric traction motor from a Tesla with a gear reduction unit and ended in a universal joint yoke, a suitable interface for a driveshaft. Mechanically, the motor is fitted with mounts compatible with Chevrolet small-block engines to take advantage of numerous small-block repower kits.
The term electromod was coined around 2020 and serves a generic trademark for the restomod and electrification process. In 2021, the Opel Manta GSe ElektroMOD was unveiled by Opel as an electrified restomod of the Manta A; Opel stated the name was meant both to recall the Opel Elektro GT sports EV of 1971 and to describe the modern drivetrain and restomod of the original Manta. The resulting electromod attracted significant press attention and was used to publicize the electrification of Opel's lineup.
In the mid-1960s, General Motors demonstrated vehicles that had been repowered with AC induction traction motors, including the ElectroVair I and II, using 1964 and 1966 Chevrolet Corvair chassis, respectively, and the ElectroVan, built on a 1966 GMC HandiVan. The ElectroVair used a 680 lb (310 kg) traction battery with silver-zinc chemistry, providing a range of 80 mi (130 km) but with a low number of charging cycles and at a high cost (estimated at US$15,000 (equivalent to $145,000 in 2025) in 1967). The ElectroVan used a hydrogen fuel cell to supply its motor and had an estimated range of 125 mi (201 km).
In August 1968, students from Caltech and MIT held "The Great Electric Car Race", with an EV-converted 1968 Chevrolet Corvair departing Cambridge for Pasadena while the CalTech "Voltswagen" (a converted 1958 Microbus) raced for Cambridge; the winner was the Voltswagen, which finished the trip in 210 hours and 3 minutes. Although the Voltswagen finished after the MIT Corvair, it was declared the winner when penalties were assessed to the MIT team for towing the Corvair to the finish after accidentally destroying its traction motor. The Caltech Voltswagen, campaigned by its owner Wally Rippel, used batteries costing approximately US$600 (equivalent to $6,000 in 2025), while the MIT Corvair was supplied by General Motors and was carrying US$20,000 (equivalent to $185,000 in 2025) worth of nickel-cadmium batteries from Gulton Industries. Battery heat management during charging stops was an issue for both teams, which resorted to cooling the batteries with ice at each stop.
AM General converted 350 DJ-5E Electrucks for the United States Postal Service; these delivery vehicles used an EV powertrain to eliminate a mobile source of pollution. 300 were placed into operation in southern California starting in 1975. The DJ-5E had a 30 hp (22 kW) DC motor that gave a top speed of 40 mph (64 km/h) and a range of 29 mi (47 km) using a 17.8 kW-hr lead-acid battery.
Hub AI
Electromod AI simulator
(@Electromod_simulator)
Electromod
An electromod is a vehicle that has been restored and modified by converting its drivetrain to operate as an electric vehicle (EV). The term is a portmanteau of electrification and restomod, itself a portmanteau of restoration and modification, a process which traditionally has been associated with classic cars. Most electromods are one-off custom vehicles performed by specialty repair shops and hobbyists, but starting in the late 2010s, automobile manufacturers have been building their own electromods, sometimes with the assistance of specialty shops, to publicize their shift to battery electric powertrains and to build interest in crate engine EV drivetrain products.
Hobbyists have been converting cars originally powered by internal combustion engines to EVs since at least the 1960s. Historically, these used existing technology such as surplus aircraft starter motors and lead-acid batteries; these efforts were driven by ecological and financial reasons to increase efficiency and avoid using fossil fuels, with renewed interest piqued by the oil crises in 1973 and again in 1979. However, the converted EV powertrain range and power usually suffered compared to the original vehicle. Multiple books were written to document and guide these conversions in the late 1970s and 1980s, including The Complete Book of Electric Vehicles (Shacket, 1979), How to Convert to an Electric Car (Lucas & Riess, 1980), Convert It (Brown & Prange, 1993), and Build Your Own Electric Vehicle (Brant, 1994).
The increasing popularity of hybrid and battery electric vehicles since the 1990s and the turn of the 21st century along with tightening emissions mandates have spurred the development of more powerful electric traction motors and improved battery chemistries giving increased energy storage density, resulting in electric vehicles with still-limited range but with power comparable to conventional automobiles and trucks. In 2012, Rimac Automobili showed off its 1984 BMW E30 that had been restored and repowered with an electric drivetrain by breaking EV acceleration records. With electrified drivetrains now becoming more readily available through recycling crashed EVs, a market has developed for electromod conversions of classic and replica cars. Although some owners have commissioned electromod conversions of sports cars, several automotive journalists have argued the quiet, smooth characteristics of an EV drivetrain are better suited to luxury cars.
Many non-factory electromods are implemented by extracting and adapting the drivetrain or individual components (traction motor(s), battery, controller, and inverter) from an existing mass-produced EV, such as Tesla. In October 2019 there were no purpose-built crate engine EV kits available commercially, but such projects were in development by companies such as Swindon Powertrain. For example, EV West announced their Revolt Tesla Crate Motor in 2020, which married an electric traction motor from a Tesla with a gear reduction unit and ended in a universal joint yoke, a suitable interface for a driveshaft. Mechanically, the motor is fitted with mounts compatible with Chevrolet small-block engines to take advantage of numerous small-block repower kits.
The term electromod was coined around 2020 and serves a generic trademark for the restomod and electrification process. In 2021, the Opel Manta GSe ElektroMOD was unveiled by Opel as an electrified restomod of the Manta A; Opel stated the name was meant both to recall the Opel Elektro GT sports EV of 1971 and to describe the modern drivetrain and restomod of the original Manta. The resulting electromod attracted significant press attention and was used to publicize the electrification of Opel's lineup.
In the mid-1960s, General Motors demonstrated vehicles that had been repowered with AC induction traction motors, including the ElectroVair I and II, using 1964 and 1966 Chevrolet Corvair chassis, respectively, and the ElectroVan, built on a 1966 GMC HandiVan. The ElectroVair used a 680 lb (310 kg) traction battery with silver-zinc chemistry, providing a range of 80 mi (130 km) but with a low number of charging cycles and at a high cost (estimated at US$15,000 (equivalent to $145,000 in 2025) in 1967). The ElectroVan used a hydrogen fuel cell to supply its motor and had an estimated range of 125 mi (201 km).
In August 1968, students from Caltech and MIT held "The Great Electric Car Race", with an EV-converted 1968 Chevrolet Corvair departing Cambridge for Pasadena while the CalTech "Voltswagen" (a converted 1958 Microbus) raced for Cambridge; the winner was the Voltswagen, which finished the trip in 210 hours and 3 minutes. Although the Voltswagen finished after the MIT Corvair, it was declared the winner when penalties were assessed to the MIT team for towing the Corvair to the finish after accidentally destroying its traction motor. The Caltech Voltswagen, campaigned by its owner Wally Rippel, used batteries costing approximately US$600 (equivalent to $6,000 in 2025), while the MIT Corvair was supplied by General Motors and was carrying US$20,000 (equivalent to $185,000 in 2025) worth of nickel-cadmium batteries from Gulton Industries. Battery heat management during charging stops was an issue for both teams, which resorted to cooling the batteries with ice at each stop.
AM General converted 350 DJ-5E Electrucks for the United States Postal Service; these delivery vehicles used an EV powertrain to eliminate a mobile source of pollution. 300 were placed into operation in southern California starting in 1975. The DJ-5E had a 30 hp (22 kW) DC motor that gave a top speed of 40 mph (64 km/h) and a range of 29 mi (47 km) using a 17.8 kW-hr lead-acid battery.