Electromodding classic cars is getting a whole lot easier

EV conversions tend to be a tricky business. Given that each car, owner and intended purpose is unique, the process of converting from engine power to electric is appropriately unique. This means it’s time and labour-intensive, and that means it’s generally rather pricey, even before you get to the cost of big ol’ batteries. 

But as we’ve seen from the likes of Zero Labs and, to some extent, Williams Advanced Engineering, it’s a whole lot simpler to have an off-the-shelf solution. 

And this is clearly something that Electrogenic has been thinking about, too – after years spent custom-converting classic cars, it recently announced a drop-in EV kit for Land Rover Defenders. Now, that side of things is expanding in a big way, with a whole series of plug-and-play EV kits for a range of cars – and, notably, for other companies to use in their electromods. 

Sensibly enough, the ’Powered by Electrogenic’ range begins with more variants of the Defender’s drop-in kit, offering a choice of 160bhp or 200bhp motors and between 62 and 93kWh battery setups, with more kits (and more suitable cars) apparently coming over the next few weeks. 

If you’re warming to the idea of an electromodded classic, you might already know about Electrogenic. And if not, don’t fret; it’s the outfit behind the EV-converted Citroen DS, Porsche 356, Land Rover Defender, Triumph Stag and Morgan 4/4. 

We’ve been big fans so far, helped in no small way due to the fact that Electrogenic’s conversions generally replace engines that no one has any particular attachment to. But, if you absolutely insist it’s not a DS without a wheezy four-cylinder that dates back to the Traction Avant, then that’s absolutely your mistake to make. 

Another big plus is that Electrogenic’s conversions leave the mechanical bits well enough alone, only replacing the motive force. That simplifies the conversion and makes it entirely reversible, should you decide your Landie is actually better off with an LS swap, or something. It’s nice to know that not everything to do with electric cars is a tricky business, isn’t it?