Electrifying Classic Cars

Author
Discussion

Speed 3

Original Poster:

4,486 posts

118 months

Friday 9th August 2019
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Not personally been bitten by the EV bug but this is quite thought provoking:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-48956000

Whilst the noise and originality is important for me, I think this will be a way of seeing vastly more classics stay in use rather than museum pieces. As the tax/emissions regimes make petrol cars less and less viable, I'd prefer to see this than most having to be trailered to "theme park" track or static display.

JeremyBearimy

192 posts

227 months

Friday 9th August 2019
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Sadly I think it probably is.
I remember reading a while a go that a Dutch (I think) woman was having to convert her classic 500 to continue using it. She was gutted it would lose its noise but was happy she could continue to use it.


It is something I’ve consudered with mine, realistically I don’t go far in it so the range is fine. But the originality of noise, smell and feel would be lost. I still think it’s crackers the only car I’ve got that can go in the emissions zone is my 1965 car.

Ffffaster

240 posts

159 months

Friday 9th August 2019
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Interesting article this: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-48956000

To answer my own question, I think I would love to electrify some of the more common stuff, but not something rare or particularly sought after.

Perhaps this finally the way for some of us to enjoy a huge 80/90s Bentley or Roller without the insane running costs? After all, they were supposed to be silent cars.

Anyone own one of these?





Edited by Ffffaster on Friday 9th August 09:52

Riley Blue

20,915 posts

225 months

Friday 9th August 2019
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It's something I'm giving some thought to as I have a part restored Riley One-Point-Five in my garage waiting for me to decide which engine/transmission to fit. The choices are standard 1500cc, larger MGB 'B' Series (both of which I have), Rover V8 or electric. If I could buy an electric conversion kit for £5000 I'd go for it like a shot but at £20K it's a non-starter.

Other than cost, the other major issue for me is weight distribution; I wouldn't want to handling to be changed at a further cost to the car's classic character - I'm OK about losing engine noise, my other One-Point-Five provides plenty of that!

I've seen the Morris Minor mentioned in the article zipping silently through traffic in London, it's what started my current thinking.

Shakermaker

11,317 posts

99 months

Friday 9th August 2019
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I would have loved to electrify my old Bedford Rascal, I think it was the right kind of vehicle to take down this route. In my eyes, classic more for its looks, not for its engine.

There are tons of other cars where I think it would work as well, though price is likely to be the key factor in making the change. Reckon for a small car, such as said Rascal, or an old Renault 4 or similar, you'd be looking at around £5-6k to make the conversion and then have around 200 miles range witht the batteries that gets you.

But for a Ferrari... I wouldn't do that.

kambites

67,461 posts

220 months

Friday 9th August 2019
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Obviously it's up to the owners what they do with their cars... but my personal take on it is that for relatively common classics with mundane and/or broken engines, it's a good way to extend their lives. For really rare stuff (say with remaining numbers in single figures) it would be a shame to modify them so dramatically. Somewhere in the middle is a cross-over point but where exactly that lies is a matter of personal opinion.

browngt3

1,409 posts

210 months

Friday 9th August 2019
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Utterly pointless waste of time and effort imo

838HNK

605 posts

218 months

Friday 9th August 2019
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"Current Thinking" ... :-)

If I chop up a hybrid car and use the bits will I face the firing squad in thirty years time for butchering an early classic of its type ?

I have a Mistral body and no name chassis sat in the shed .... it has no historical value ... what bits do you need to do a full conversion ??

I have rear uprights for it but no drive shafts diff propshaft gearbox or engine ...

[url]

|https://thumbsnap.com/ci8AoQo2[/url]

strath44

1,358 posts

147 months

Friday 9th August 2019
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I'm personally not a fan, for me part of the experience with a classic car is the engine noise, smells and how its performance combines with the car to provide an overall driving experience. I feel by taking away the engine you are losing a very large amount of this experience.

I'm not very well versed on how much an electric conversion costs, but I would also have to argue that if you are faced with a classic that has an irreparably damaged engine, surely it would still cost more in most cases to carry out an electric conversion. In cases where the electric conversion is cheaper I would assume that the onward value of the vehicle would be significantly diminished by such a conversion ie Ferrari's etc.

Quite a few of the conversions I have seen so far to older vehicles are by people who are worried about the environmental impact of a ICE which if that's you train of thought then its makes a reason to do it.

The best conversion I have seen has been to Minis which has been discussed on here.

https://www.autocar.co.uk/car-news/motor-shows-new...

https://www.driving.co.uk/news/classic-mini-goes-e...


classicaholic

1,689 posts

69 months

Friday 9th August 2019
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It wouldn't make financial sense even with a roller, most classics don't do more than 2000 miles a year so the fuel burn at 15mpg is only 133 gals - £750, the payback time on doing an electric conversion would be donkey years.

The big benefits of electric is low tax but most older classics that is free anyway, the electric to charge these things is not really free!

SOL111

627 posts

131 months

Friday 9th August 2019
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Greatly depends on the engine. Not all classics have engines to die for but styling that deserves maintaining.

But ultimately, if that's what it takes to keep classics on the road then so be it.

Allan L

779 posts

104 months

Friday 9th August 2019
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Riley Blue said:
Other than cost, the other major issue for me is weight distribution; I wouldn't want to handling to be changed at a further cost to the car's classic character - I'm OK about losing engine noise, my other One-Point-Five provides plenty of that!
Weight distribution and therefore handling of the Riley one-point-five/Wolseley 1500 was pretty dire as I recall, but improved by carrying a couple of concrete blocks in the boot, so a battery pack there might help.
From this Forum it seems to me that the "classic car" folk are fond of re-engining their cars so I assume converting to electric power will be more acceptable to them than to me and my sort who play with pre-war (even pre-Great War) cars which we try to keep fairly original.

simonrockman

6,843 posts

254 months

Friday 9th August 2019
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I'd worry that the electronics will have a very short shelf-life. The 80 year old car being made immobile by the inability to replace a 20 year old power controller.

Edited by simonrockman on Friday 9th August 11:24

scot_aln

407 posts

198 months

Friday 9th August 2019
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It would make the traffic queue at the likes of the Goodwood revival much more pleasant. Much as I appreciate them, sitting in traffic around classics does make you appreciate the improvements over the years in whats coming out of the exhaust.


Yertis

18,016 posts

265 months

Friday 9th August 2019
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Sod that. I'd rather scrap it. The sound of the engine is what gives both my classics soul. Without the straight-six the TR6 is little more than a low-slung, tarted up milk-float.

T-195

2,671 posts

60 months

Friday 9th August 2019
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Yertis said:
Sod that. I'd rather scrap it. .
Yes, spending a fking fortune to ruin a Classic.

Where do I sign?

//j17

4,471 posts

222 months

Friday 9th August 2019
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strath44 said:
I'm personally not a fan, for me part of the experience with a classic car is the engine noise, smells and how its performance combines with the car to provide an overall driving experience. I feel by taking away the engine you are losing a very large amount of this experience.
But what about when they take away the fuel...?

For me I don't have anything against it but also don't think battery tech. is at the point where it's worth me doing, as I often drive long distances in my classics.

Give it a few years, when half the fuel I put in is used up on the drive to/from the nearest location still selling petrol, and I'd be much more likely to swap from petrol engine noise to electric motor noise than to switch off the petrol engine for the car to never move under its own power again.

heebeegeetee

28,591 posts

247 months

Friday 9th August 2019
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There was an article in one of the weekend broadsheets a while ago about the guy in London electrifying Morris Minors.

I was very impressed indeed about everything I read, up until the point where it was clear that it had a working range of 40 miles.


Mellow Yellow

885 posts

261 months

Friday 9th August 2019
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Yes, but I don't think it's the near future. How long before new EV's outsell new ICE vehicles, then how long before used EV outsell used ICE? Then what about commercial vehicles? not much sign of an EV revolution their yet. Only when EV's become the norm will fuel availability begin to diminish and pressure to restrict ICE vehicles from roads start to grow. The exception might be within low emissions zones.

Also, EV's tech is moving very fast, we only got the Tesla model S in 2014, now you can buy a Kia with similar range fore less than half the price. Available tech for conversion is going to get much better and much cheaper. So, I won't be ripping out my V8 just yet, I think I've got another 20 years before I really need to start thinking about it and, TBH, by then I'll probably be too old to bother

T-195

2,671 posts

60 months

Friday 9th August 2019
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But an expensive electric EV Classic will be worth little more than scrap money when the batteries fail at some point in the future.