4 ms·

I like classic vehicles. But I don't like that they are gross polluters. I can definitely see a niche market for conversions.

pie42000 5y ago
More importantly, this niche market will be the people making YouTube videos and attending car shows. These people will have huge influence on more casual Ford pickups fans, and will help sway them to electric
hinkley 5y ago
One of the things we should be pushing for is standardizing engine mount geometries for the last generations of ICE vehicles, so that every vehicle built after say 2030 can have a COTS electric conversion kit that works for it. What you want is economies of scale. You need to be able to design a drop-in replacement that works for millions of vehicles, not one-offs for 25,000 vehicles. An electric conversion will be made fairly early for the most popular vehicles and everything that uses the same engine (eg, Accord, Camry, Jetta). The Mazda rotary engines will not. They’ll end up being taxed to death, unless someone can make cheap adapters.
- yardie 5y ago
  Engine swaps have been going on for decades. Swapping a GM LS into a compatible frame is quite common. The mount points are standardized on the engine block so you only need to weld the matching mounts to the auto frame. I don't see much of a demand for conversions for Accords, Camrys and Jettas. These are popular, reliable, yet disposable cars. Those buyers would be better served buying a new EV. I do see a market for car people cars: MX-5, S2000, GTIs, 4Runner, and FJ40s.
  - HeyLaughingBoy 5y ago
    A quick scan through /r/projectcar reveals that the LS has been swapped into every vehicle except for, perhaps, the Space Shuttle.
  - mymythisisthis 5y ago
    Ebikes are getting popular. This market will grow. The ebikes will get better. I think that is were the market is going. Nostalgia is building for the 1990s, those cars might make a comeback, in terms of restoration projects.
mymythisisthis 5y ago
I'm not so sure. If you have to swap out the engine, trans, brakes, there won't be much left of the classic car. It'll just be a modern car, but much less safe.

pie42000 5y ago

More importantly, this niche market will be the people making YouTube videos and attending car shows. These people will have huge influence on more casual Ford pickups fans, and will help sway them to electric

hinkley 5y ago

One of the things we should be pushing for is standardizing engine mount geometries for the last generations of ICE vehicles, so that every vehicle built after say 2030 can have a COTS electric conversion kit that works for it. What you want is economies of scale. You need to be able to design a drop-in replacement that works for millions of vehicles, not one-offs for 25,000 vehicles. An electric conversion will be made fairly early for the most popular vehicles and everything that uses the same engine (eg, Accord, Camry, Jetta). The Mazda rotary engines will not. They’ll end up being taxed to death, unless someone can make cheap adapters.

yardie 5y ago
Engine swaps have been going on for decades. Swapping a GM LS into a compatible frame is quite common. The mount points are standardized on the engine block so you only need to weld the matching mounts to the auto frame. I don't see much of a demand for conversions for Accords, Camrys and Jettas. These are popular, reliable, yet disposable cars. Those buyers would be better served buying a new EV. I do see a market for car people cars: MX-5, S2000, GTIs, 4Runner, and FJ40s.
- HeyLaughingBoy 5y ago
  A quick scan through /r/projectcar reveals that the LS has been swapped into every vehicle except for, perhaps, the Space Shuttle.
- mymythisisthis 5y ago
  Ebikes are getting popular. This market will grow. The ebikes will get better. I think that is were the market is going. Nostalgia is building for the 1990s, those cars might make a comeback, in terms of restoration projects.

mymythisisthis 5y ago

I'm not so sure. If you have to swap out the engine, trans, brakes, there won't be much left of the classic car. It'll just be a modern car, but much less safe.