When the auto industry talks about the great EV transition, it often overlooks the millions of cars that would make perfectly good candidates for EV swaps.
It’s just easier to think of, ahem, modern EVs like any of Tesla’s models or the Ford F-150 Lightning and Mustang Mach-E. But not every new EV has to actually be a new car, strictly speaking. Right now, EV swaps are uncommon and still difficult to do — also, expensive.
If — or, hopefully, when — the technology comes of age, and it matures to the point of commercial viability there will be so many great donor cars just waiting to live long fruitful lives with their new electric motors and batteries instead of their chatty, old internal-combustion engines. May those hectic pistons rest in peace.
I love a naturally-aspirated I4 or V6 as much as the next person, but I also love seeing beloved objects live on way past their “shelf life.” Especially cars! We asked readers what cars they think will be better when electrified, or which models they’re most excited to EV swap when the time comes, and these were their answers:
Citroën DS
The DS is the only answer for me. The car was so highly advanced in terms of technology, but the engine was the least interesting part, since it was basically a Traction Avant unit that had been around since prehistory.
Submitted by: The NSX Was Only In Development For 4 Years
Volkswagen Type 2, Known As the VW Bus
The OG VW Type 2 / Bus.
Something about it just feels right. The casual pace of life I associate with the Bus also applies to EVs.
Submitted by: put-some-turbo-on-meeeee
Cadillac Eldorado Biarritz
Ya know what EVs are actually meant for? Luxury, fit some nicer suspension and turn these land yachts into floating palaces!
And it’s long enough to fit more batteries so more range…I am curious what needs to be done to the structure to take on more weight?
Submitted by: darthspartan117
Gurgel X-15 or “Any” Gurgel
ANY Gurgel. I mean, the X15 looked cyberpunk-ish enough in 1979 with its rugged look and asymmetrical windshield. Other models would also look amazing as electric retrofuturistic rides
Submitted by: edu-petrolhead
Ford F-150 or “Any” Basic Pickup
Any basic pickup. There’s millions of these things- fleet work trucks- that are gonna get scrapped and they deserve better than that. Find a way to switch them over to battery power and let them roll on forever. Figure fleet trucks don’t need a lot of power (most of them have warnings on the dash about driving too fast equaling you get fired) and they don’t need a lot of range. What they need is to be able to haul a bunch of unglamorous people and gear to a jobsite. Bonus if, once you get to the job site, you can use the truck to power your tools.
Submitted by: Buckfiddiousagain
Volkswagen Rabbit Pickup
I want to drop a Spark EV motor/transmission/battery into a Volkswagen Rabbit Pickup.
Why?
Either it makes sense to you or it doesn’t. An explanation wouldn’t help.
Submitted by: GodDamnTheseElectricSexPants
Nissan Sentra or Other Sleeper Cars
Sleeper cars. It may only have 100-150 miles of range 2-3 launches without some high skill effort, but seems like a fun way to make a Sentra launch like a rocket without the giveaway of a rumbling/screaming engine.
Suubmitted by: engineerthefuture
And…
B13 SE-R with Leaf torque. I’m interested.
Submitted by: GodDamnTheseElectricSexPants
Mazda RX-8
The car gets really poor mileage (15-20 MPG from a 1,361 kg car), the engine isn’t exactly what one would call “reliable,” there’s remarkably little torque in the lower RPM range, you wouldn’t get as many “sacrilege!” cries that you’d get with engine-swapping an RX-7, and overall it’s pretty cheap used. It also has a rock-solid chassis and is pretty lightweight (again, 1,361 kg).
I’ve been holding onto mine for a while for this purpose. I love the car, but the reasons listed above are a large part of why I don’t drive it often.
I’d wanna do a rotary range extender like on the MX-30, though, if possible. I love them spinning Doritos, but maybe not as the driving force.
Submitted by: Tim the KNinja
Ford Granada or Other Malaise Era American Cars
Malaise era American Cars.
Submitted by: Witchy Whale
And…
A 1975 Grenada with Tesla plaid speed.
Submitted by: JaredTheGreek
Land Rover 101FC
101 Forward Control Defender.
Solves the problem of sitting right next to what wasn’t the smoothest or quietest motor ever devised, lots of space for the battery pack and you can always body kit it out into some dystopian taxi and have people yell “I am the LAW” at you.
Submitted by: Tacet
DMC DeLorean
DeLorean. The powertrain is forgettable and there is historical precedent of electrifying it with a plutonium reactor.
Submitted by: Nakam
And…
The original Delorean can only be improved by swapping out its engine. Electrifying it would be a good stopgap until we get to Mr. Fusion.
Submitted by: Gin and Panic
“Any” Hispano-Suiza, Talbot-Lago and Other Art-Deco Cars
I would go with an Art-Deco era car. Since I am dreaming I have enough money for this project, I might a well dream I have the money for something like this.
Submitted by: hoser68
And…
Yes, any Hispano-suiza, Talbot-Lago, from the 30’s would be ideal. However, they’re unobtainable for modifying. They were all made by hand, but there were some mass produced Tatras and a few others from the streamliner era, pre-1950’s that could still be had. I see old Chryslers from the 40’s sometimes.
Submitted by: BrianMadigan
Ford Mustang II
Mustang II.
It’s lightweight, compact, yet had the room for a V8 and automatic transmission (barely). Set up the batteries in the engine compartment, the electric motor in the tunnel where the transmission once was, and if desired, another array of batteries where the gas tank used to be (all the way at the back of the vehicle) for better balance and range. In the end you’d have a vehicle with monstrous torque, a small wheelbase, and virtually no weight. It only takes 300 horsepower under the hood to put one of these into the 12s (I’ve done it), with electrification? It’d be insane.
Submitted by: Mustang2Matt
Honda Element
The Honda Element is the first choice for me: flat floor with plenty of room for a battery pack, good ground clearance and, most of all, access to all of that newly-frunkified ex-ICE empty SPACE under the hood! Though my fingers are crossed until Honda comes to its senses and releases a NEW E-lement, I would love to convert my own 2003 Element to an EV!
As a side note, wouldn’t any conversion kits be vastly simplified by using in-hub motors instead of having to replace most of the drivetrain?
Submitted by: pyxl
Trabant 601
The humble Trabi.
Submitted by: Forkish
Volvo 240 DL Wagon or Other Older European Cars
What cars would I like to see electrified? Older European cars that I loved as a kid – a 1986 Volvo 240DL Wagon, say, or a 1984 Mercedes 240D. Or older European cars I love now, like a Volvo P1800, or any of the Citroens or Saabs mentioned below.
What cars do I think should be electrified? Decent to excellent commuter cars and trucks from the last 20-30 years – Civics, Corollas, Accords, Escorts, Rangers, Frontiers, etc. I think converting such cars to electric would be a pretty good way to get decent, relatively cheap EVs in the hands of folks who otherwise wouldn’t be able to come close to affording one.
Submitted by: defineandredefine
Teslas
Teslas
Submitted by: WasGTIthenGTOthenNOVAthenGTInowA4
(Hey! Wait just a minute…)