Electric conversions of classics

[Felly Magic]

Where do you actually put batteries to give you more than about 50 miles range though in something like an E type? You cannot put them in the nose, that would simply make a light frontal crash a fatal fireball, same goes for the arse so they have to go in the middle, plus any other location would dramatically upset handling, oops no room under the floor, this is yet another folly for the more money than brains set to make them feel all smug, when in reality they have made an old classic car pretty much useless, unless it is just to pop down to the local Waitrose for a pint of ethnically sourced free range peace milk. 

[Guest Hooli]

 I think when or if the battery cost comes down it's going to be hard to resist going all Frankenstein's monster on old clapped out MOT/tax exempt chod.

 

I think that'd mean it lost it's MOT exemption as you need to declare them not substantially modified.

[theorganist]

Personally for me the engine and gearbox are as part of a cars character as the body, interior or suspension. If it comes to a point where the only way to drive an Austin Maxi is to convert it to electric I suspect I will abandon "old car ownership" as it would not be the same. I am a terrible stick in the mud purist when it comes to cars  though and admit it. I would certainly have an electric car as an everyday vehicle, I quite like the look of the Nissan Leaf. I don't think it will come to that though, certainly not in my lifetime, the classic car industry is quite large and popular and I think petrol will certainly be available for some time yet. It may become less easy to get hold of if a surge in electric cars (discovered pun) mean petrol stations shut down and it may get quite a lot dearer but I will use petrol as long as it is feasible, as I commute to work by foot and train my driving is predominately for leisure use anyway.

[Craig the Princess]

If I had the ability I'd love to convert one of the Allegros we have to electric.

 

But not big bucks, Li-ion battery, AC motor style. More forklift motor, lead acid 30 mile range for bonus shit-ness.

[Pillock]

Nobody buys an E-Type to drive anyway. The majority of running E-Type remaining are stashed in a controlled humidity garages, get transported to events in a covered trailer, might go around a few corners of a circuit at 25% beans and then parked up and polished. Why? The owners are scared stupid of breaking them.

 

So why not throw some modern tech inside, especially if it's a rusty shell that's just turned up in a barn somewhere. Spend tens of thousands rebuilding an engine and having unobtainium bits remade? Screw that, chuck the remains of a crashed Tesla inside it and enjoy far better performance and part availability. 

 

You can't make a classic car useless when it was already useless for anything other than looking at.

[Mrs6C]

^^^ not everyone!

 

There's one under there somewhere...

 

 

I really like the idea of being able to put an electric motor in a classic car if I want to do so. If legislation against petrol-engined cars in the next 20 years means that petrol becomes scarce and therefore expensive for classic cars, then I'd like to think there would be ways and means of continuing to enjoy them with alternative power sources.

 

It would make sense to start with the more common types where there is either (or both of) a big enough marketplace or sufficient money from a smaller number of individuals, to make the R&D possible and the products viable commercially. Electric alternatives for the XK engine, 1960s-80s Triumph 4 and 6 cylinder engines, 'A' and 'B' series engines and the usual suspects from Citroen-Peugeot would be a good start.

 

I love the internal combustion engine, but if it's going to legislated off the road, I'd like to have the choice of an alternative form of traction at a price I could afford. That will only really happen if the journey towards that future starts a few decades beforehand... like now...

[dollywobbler]

Nobody buys an E-Type to drive anyway. 

 

I'm very pleased to be able to call horseshit on this one. Plenty of E-Types get thrashed on a regular basis! I've even seen 9600 HP, the oldest E-Type fixed head, pushing into oversteer on a track. Lovely!

 

Not sure how I feel about it myself. I drove an E-Type recently, and THAT NOISE!

 

But, I've also driven an electric Beetle, and I really liked that, because the chirruping mess that is a Beetle engine is no great loss, and an abundance of torque is a nice replacement. I similarly think I could really enjoy an electric 2CV.

 

Maybe this is a bit more our style - an electric Favorit. You'll need a while to read this one...

https://www.briskoda.net/forums/topic/101947-coming-soon-the-greatest-favorit-project-ever-probably/ 

[Mrs6C]

I think this is fantastique...

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BXqua2ACgG8

[loserone]

Oh gosh, I;d forgotten about that skoda.

 

Awesome.

[loserone]

I do think that the market for slim / short / odd shaped cells will widen, as more people realise that owning and running an electric car is no longer the preserve of mentalists, and converters / hobbyists want to squeeze cells into what are currently awkward shapes left by spare wheels / petrol tanks etc.

 

The key to a good one is probably to keep cells spread out and low across the car, to get the cg as good as possible.

 

I'd really, really like a simple 5 seat rwd electric car.

[Pillock]

Alright, I bow to actual experiences of non-showqueen ETypes.

 

Perhaps it's just my badly disguised hatred of that particular vehicle. You could make a TDI one and I wouldn't give a hoot. Or a turbo boxer out of a Subaru with a BWAP BWAP BWAP exhaust.

[dollywobbler]

Alright, I bow to actual experiences of non-showqueen ETypes.

 

Perhaps it's just my badly disguised hatred of that particular vehicle. You could make a TDI one and I wouldn't give a hoot. Or a turbo boxer out of a Subaru with a BWAP BWAP BWAP exhaust.

I make no apologies for thinking they're absolutely awesome, though I'd still kick one out of bed for an XK120.

[STUNO]

Here's something to complain about  

 

 

Done locally by an electricity co. for advertising.

[garethj]

I disagree with the comment earlier about this isn't relevant to Autoshite because of the money.  There are plenty of foolish ways to throw money at an unloved car whether it's bought for £500 or £500,000

 

There are some cracking cases of rose-tinted glasses around too when it comes to petrol engines, my lasting memory of some is the dreadful flat spots under acceleration and having to keep prodding the accelerator when you're braking and changing down approaching a roundabout.  As for power delivery I agree that some are good but there's no reason why an electric motor can't be controlled to do the same, the electronics aren't complicated.  If you really want to mimic the delivery of a 3.8 XK engine then as long as the electric version has enough torque you can just limit the acceleration to mimic a petrol engine quite easily.

 

As for the noise, the last time I listened all the noise was made by a bit of clattering metal and some bangs going down tubes very fast.  Nothing that can't be reproduced inside the car for your sonorous pleasure just the same as a good stereo can reproduce the complexities of musical instruments.  A few years ago I was in a traffic jam and was close to some bloke in a Lamborghini.  I like a V12 as much as the next man but when you've sat next to one that blips the throttle on every gearchange (first, second, first, neutral, first, neutral, first, second, neutral...) as we trundled along then after about 2 minutes I was ready to get out of my car and batter him to death with his own accelerator pedal.  Keep that noise inside the car, I'm happy to hear a very muffled version outside.

[Pillock]

I do get the liking the sound, I've been as guilty as anyone of dropping the windows through a tunnel in an appropriate car.

 

But I also bloody love electric cars. The low down grunt, the lack of faff. I don't think every classic car should be electric but I also don't think it ruins them if you convert one.

[warren t claim]

I do get the liking the sound, I've been as guilty as anyone of dropping the windows through a tunnel in an appropriate car.

 

But I also bloody love electric cars. The low down grunt, the lack of faff. I don't think every classic car should be electric but I also don't think it ruins them if you convert one.

 

 

You do know that the sounds made by Maserati diesels and the Focus RS are artificial and played through a speaker, don't you?

[Dick Cheeseburger]

I'm very pleased to be able to call horseshit on this one. Plenty of E-Types get thrashed on a regular basis! I've even seen 9600 HP, the oldest E-Type fixed head, pushing into oversteer on a track. Lovely!

 

Not sure how I feel about it myself. I drove an E-Type recently, and THAT NOISE!

 

Well said that man.

I went to Goodwood FOS for the first time this year, and there were PLENTY of owners/drivers of howling exotica, who were more than happy to give them a proper good seeing to around the track. Loud V8s and V12s make addictive sounds...

And yes, I like some modern E.V's. I just like each for their individual merits.

[JeeExEll]

You do know that the sounds made by Maserati diesels and the Focus RS are artificial and played through a speaker, don't you?

My younger brother used to play a blank tape in the cassette player of his diesel Orion.

Made it much quieter and relaxing to drive.

[MorrisItalSLX]

You think your XJ has a creamy smooth engine?

 

I drove a Leaf for two days, got back into my 3 litre petrol BMW and was convinced the Nissan boys had nobled it as it sounded like a sick tractor with a rod knock.

I was fuming for about 30 seconds until I realised that’s just what petrol cars are like.

 

I’d encourage you to get behind the wheel of an electric car...

I would love the opportunity to drive an electric car, still not that big here in Australia at the moment, but the times they are a’ changing!

 

The XK engine is creamy smooth in comparison to other petrol/diesel motors, but I agree that it could not raise a glass to a electric motor for smoothness.

[uk_senator]

Weirdly, this was on my mind just 2 days ago.. I got my kids Mum a 1999 Corolla 1.3 auto 5 door, as 1, she`s struggling with the clutch in her current Punto during her 50-90 commutes in & out of London every day (permanently fukt right knee after her Civic crash 18 months ago), & 2, my kids, both over 6`, struggle getting into the back of the thing as its a 3-Door. This Corolla has done just 61k & was 2 OAP owners from new, the interiors great, the body is rust free but needs a respray.. Great, I thought as I handed over the £350, thats her sorted for the next 10 years, I`ll just give it a quick blow over & rustproof it..

Then, about 40 minutes after paying for the thing, I thought shit... ULEZ.. Fuck... Checked it & sure enough, computer says no.. In 3 years, she`ll no longer be able to go to work in it... Fucking awesome...

Quite quickly afterwards, it suddenly hit me.. All my cars...

Now, last time someone bought up the ULEZ on here, I checked my fleet. For some reason, my main (1990) Uno & one of the others, were coming up as being fine for the ULEZ, I decided to check again this time, & guess what.. ALL of my cars will be effectively banned.. That's when it REALLY hit me.. Like REALLLY FUCKING HIT ME! To the point I almost had tears in my eyes (In a manly way, like Harvey Keitel in Bad Lieutenant).
 

I`ve currently got 11 cars, 4 of which I intended to keep till I die, &/or hand them down to my kids.. And now that plan has been blown to pieces.

I love my cars, I REALLY love a few of them, the thought of me having to sell the lot turns my stomach. I could pick up a post 2006 Panda & Jag, or whatever, sure, but then what do I do with the ones I wanted to keep? Spend £3-400 a month on garaging outside that there London & use them once in a blue moon? I cant afford it & to me it`d be criminal, & fucking boring if I had to use a modern every day.

Three of the 4 I want to keep are FIRE engined Fiats (& the other is a very similar configuration), if I could engineer EV power on one, it would fit all 4, then I could still use them... 

Thing is, part of the reason I love them is the typically eager running gear, & the other is the handling, what would 600 weight of batteries do to that?

And of course, the cost.. even using used parts & salvaged batteries, you still aren't gonna see any change out of 5 large, & bearing in mind I live constantly bouncing off my overdraft, that's beyond my budget.. The only hope I`ve got is trying to accumulate the parts over the next 12-18 months, engineer the conversion on one of the cars I don't intend to keep (probably my Sei Sporting with HGF), then once perfected, fitted into one I do want to keep, making sure I don't do anything irreversible (why? I don't know, but it makes me feel better).. If it goes well I could even sell/fit the conversion kits to try to raise the money to convert all the others...

Its all a huge fucking mess that I really could do without, but its now suddenly become terrifyingly into focus, I really need to do something before I`m forced into something I don't want to drive..

So no, after all this rambling, I don't have a problem with EV Classics, because like Doc from Back To The Future, you have to adapt your running gear to suit its environment..

I just hope my neighbours don't mind me running an extension lead down from my flat to the cars..

[Stinkwheel]

I’m amazed at a few of the comments here saying things like ‘the lack of faff’ ‘the ease of use’ etc

 

To steal a phrase from the great Mrs Doyle .... ‘what if I like the misery?’

 

And that’s the thing. I like the flat spots (and evening them out) I like the noise. I even like the little niggles and the associated work arounds. It’s not snobbery, it’s not a rich/poor thing. It’s how an internal combustion engine makes me feel and nothing at all to do with practicality or common sense or even cost.

 

By all means anyone who wants an EV be it modern or converted classic, have one, but I do object to people saying it’s in my best interests and to just accept it. No, thanks, not until it’s absolutely unavoidable (and I expect I will be dead by then anyway)

[theorganist]

I’m amazed at a few of the comments here saying things like ‘the lack of faff’ ‘the ease of use’ etc

 

To steal a phrase from the great Mrs Doyle .... ‘what if I like the misery?’

 

And that’s the thing. I like the flat spots (and evening them out) I like the noise. I even like the little niggles and the associated work arounds. It’s not snobbery, it’s not a rich/poor thing. It’s how an internal combustion engine makes me feel and nothing at all to do with practicality or common sense or even cost.

 

By all means anyone who wants an EV be it modern or converted classic, have one, but I do object to people saying it’s in my best interests and to just accept it. No, thanks, not until it’s absolutely unavoidable (and I expect I will be dead by then anyway)

Exactly how I feel. It wont even start until you can only purchase complete electric cars which I cannot see happening in the next 20 years unless the technology suddenly improves. Hybrids will become the norm first and from what I can gather purely petrol or diesel cars are outselling hybrids.

 

It will be an issue for those living inside a LEV in which case they do have a decision to make. For those outside an LEV but drive into it would it not be possible to have a small car which is allowed inside it and have a 'banned' car for pleasure outside it? Would seem sensible to me.

 

They are talking about having an LEV in Birmingham, it will be inevitable really, the only time I drive into Birmingham is in the evening I wouldnt try during the day the train is much more convenient. It is business it will affect more as they will need to make sure their vehicles qualify.

 

I personally think we have at least three decades before it becomes impossible or extremely impracticle to drive a fossil fuel vehicle.

[loserone]

I do object to people saying it’s in my best interests and to just accept it.

 

That's a bit of a fugging leap, innit?

[New POD]

You do know that the sounds made by Maserati diesels and the Focus RS are artificial and played through a speaker, don't you?

 

The technology exists to output the exact opposite sound coming from the exhaust and thus have no sound.

[uk_senator]

Werent Lotus were involved in that noise canceling tech back in the 70`s? Or am I making that up...
 

The technology exists to output the exact opposite sound coming from the exhaust and thus have no sound.

[Timewaster]

Werent Lotus were involved in that noise canceling tech back in the 70`s? Or am I making that up...

 

Not made up.. it was a thing.

 

I think instead of silent cars we ended up with noise cancelling headphones instead.

[phil_lihp]

That Favorit thread is brilliant, remarkable achievement considering he started it 8 years ago when the Leaf was still a year away from being available in the UK.  I wonder what happened to it?  He stopped updating the thread in 2015 and the MOT expired two years ago.

[New POD]

Werent Lotus were involved in that noise canceling tech back in the 70`s? Or am I making that up...

 

90s

 

They also worked on cars that leaned into bends

[New POD]

Not made up.. it was a thing.

 

I think instead of silent cars we ended up with noise cancelling headlights instead.

That's how i read your post.

[Stinkwheel]

That's a bit of a fugging leap, innit?

Not if you read back all the posts in this thread. A few times it’s said that we will have no choice. I think that is incorrect,