Electric Citroen DS Conversion | Electrogenic 

The DS always looked as if it’s engine should sound like this, wonderful; a timeless beauty given an electric future

Citroen should come out with their own DS EV. It would be a smash hit and they'd sell a million.

beautiful... I wish Citroen would do a new one based from this.

The jetsons car finally gets a worthy power train and retains that authentic sound of a French car's door rattling shut. Perfect 👌

I agree that the EV conversion suits the DS, but the original engines weren’t “rubbish”. They were neither very powerful nor very refined, but they were rugged, reliable and economic. Most cars of the DS’ class used much more horsepower and even more petrol to match the DS’ performance, and their engines would be clapped out long before the Citroën engines. The DS 21 I.E. was one of the very first applications of electronic injection. The architecture of the car didn’t allow for a six in-line and the Maserati V6 was reserved for the SM when it appeared, but it also demonstrated the very virtues of the DS, which was the standard car for French businessmen who had to drive a lot for work, also because of engines that would go on forever with limited maintenance and good fuel economy.

The DS weak link was always the engine - Citroen couldn't afford a new one. Electric works with the smooth running comfort orientated nature of the car and with minimal need to gear change, it reminds me a little of the original semi auto DS. The suspension will cope well with the battery weight. Love to know performance / range and more detail on the conversion.

I saw a DS in the showroom where I have my C5 serviced and was surprised at how much presence this car has. Every part, every line, every curve, every everything demanded my attention, I was totally drawn to it like a magnet and it really is like no other. That line about it coming from outer space is used to describe the Lamborghini Countach also. If you were cashed up you'd have the pair. Electric power is what it deserved from its inception and satisfying to see it happening now, well done.

My favourite car and it looks as good today as 1955, it shows you how advanced this car was and in electric guise perfect for the future again.

The most beautiful and most technologically advanced car of all time, given the technological boost needed to move it into the modern times.

the suspension is the soul of this car

This is what the DS has been waiting for all them years 😉

Excellent job. I'd love to have my DS20 be electric, even though I'm a huge petrolhead. For me, a big part of the classic experience is the sound of the car's engine, but the serenity of an electric motor definitely suits the DS better than the standard lump under the bonnet.

She´s gorgeous! Great job on the conversion.

An absolute beauty. Work of art.

Beautiful, but I’d also like to see a nuts and bolts video of how you do it.

Une voiture absolument incroyable pour le temps 🥂

Brilliant! Oh my God! This is the car I was dreaming and now I feel like there's a door to knock on. And the door is in UK where I spend my childhood days! DS EV badge, nice touch. Subscribed and will see what you come up with. Maybe I will have my DS to be converted. Hooray! Greetings from Tokyo, Japan.

Marvelous car. Way ahead of its time Very futuristic looking. The amazing hydropneumatic suspension that they have. Everything about it is style. This model is nice in the gold color.

This has been a splendid conversion of a truly deserving design.

Great that you retained the suspension - my first job in an Accountants had a couple of Citroen enthusiasts and I drove a CX once and a BX several times. The rise at startup brought it back!

Perfect old smooth classic for electric conversion. I remember the thick carpet and smooth suspension as a kid back in the early 70`s, car hitting 120 m.p.h. Madness when i think about it, me and my two young cousin`s and an uncle at the wheel. Those were the days, my friend!

Perfect candidate for conversion. Beautifully executed.Thanks for showing.

That is simply stunning, how amazing to see a DS being converted to electric, what a beautiful car.

I’m not usually a fan of EV conversion is of classic cars - but in this instance, given that the engine was seen to be the DS’s weak link, this makes perfect sense to me. Has a similar conversion been completed on a CX yet? A GTi Turbo EV conversion would be a fantastic car!

props for that intro, that was such a smooth transition and what a lovely car!

Beautiful shape ! I would love to own this car . Really amazing ! Corners well too !

The traction avant was also a very advanced car upon introduction. One of the first mass produced front wheel drives, the engine and drivetrain sat on a removeable sub frame for servicing, and it sat low within a perimeter frame. really wasn't keystone cops, though it was the choice of gangsters with a touch of style.

Great conversion and it looks so good. I'm at a loss though as to why one of the gents keeps referring to the Traction Avant as "Keystone Cops" like. The TA was the antitheses of the vehicles used in Keystone Cops movies.

Superb! 👍🎩 The smoothest car with its high-tech suspensions and right Now in a pure silence ! Great job Indeed

Amazing job. The greatest quality EV conversion of a DS I've seen for now. I am also restoring a '71 unit. The original idea was to go electric. It really fits this car, since the engine is not what the DS deserved. However, I will need to license the car as "Historical" here in Spain, and that doesn't allow significant modifications to the original layout. I can't get a regular license because the car is imported from France and, despite I have the original french "carte grisse", there are other missing documents. But, even if I could, the homologation requirements here in Spain are nuts. The process cost is likely equal to all the EV hardware needed. So, I will go for gasoline, but it's just great to see that others have took this interesting approach, and have done such a great job. Congratulations!!

Could listen to you guys chatting all day ...

I generally don't like seeing old classic cars electrified, but somehow it fits the DS. It looks like it should have been electric from the factory, whispering along in quiet elegance.

Imagine if Citroën redesigned the car's structure to modern standards with 3 EV drive train options: single motor with FWD or RWD, whichever handles beter, as the econo model, 4wd dual motor for a sports option, and a 4wd with in-wheel motors for a grand tourer while keeping the original exterior and interior with as few tasteful changes as possible. The car's performance would finally equal its looks. Dream car.

It's like watching Gattaca but with old dudes!

Like the Delorean, it's just one of those beautiful classic vehicles that electrifying feels "just right" ☺️

I first set eyes on this Citroen in 1976. I was overwhelmed by its iconomic look and body line. And now that it has an electric soul it lends an out of this world fee

Absolutely fantastic! - Now the DS has got the right engine - after almost 70 years... excellent job! Do I want one? Oh yesss...

A fully electric DS! I want one!

So Great. All the old stuff hassle out. Makes you have more fun to daily enjoy this.

Great conversion! Time to a DS Chapron convertible. Imagine, gliding through France with one of those! The pinnacle of savoir vivre!

Amazing conversion, with the hydraulic suspension too!

As others mentioned - build and tech details! Range, performance compared to the original etc. DS should be electric :) "Stelantis" should bring this back as electric.

I've always been a fan of the DS and thought that it would be an obvious choice for someone to convert, instead of Ferraris etc. Brilliant work, it's very much top of the bucket list!

You have completed this master piece . Please Citroën take this as an example for what you should propose now

This has to be the best electric car I've seen never mind a conversion, it was so advanced when new if it had been electric it wouldn't have surprised anyone.

Imagine the reaction if only André Lefebvre and Bertoni could see this car now. They'd be chuffed.

These are great cars. What let these cars down when they were new was the engine. It was an old design put in to a futuristic body and design. What you have done is truly amazing and transformed a beautiful car to an amazing one. Well done.

Like so many people I have always loved the look of the Citroen DS but have been frightened to take the plunge and actually buy one, the nearest I got was buying a GSA, the morning after I bought it I was convinced that I’d done the wrong thing, then I took it for a long drive and I was hooked, what an amazing ride so smooth on any road surface, and those brakes, I nearly put my wife through the windscreen the first time I put the brakes on 😂🤣 I now have a Tesla model 3 which I love but I’d swap it for an electric DS, PLEASE show us more videos if you convert any more Citroen cars, I’ve subscribed so an looking forward to seeing more 👍🏻😁

I had a lovely '74 DS pallas for many years - lovely car. I Always thought that the answer for classics was to convert to electric - this is great!

I'm so excited that I found this video. I have a podcast called still plays with cars (Spotify) and episode 3 was all about the DS and in episode 5 I talked about exactly this sort of powertrain swap on a DS, it's awesome that you have done it. I want one

If l had the money I’d have this over most sports cars .

The only anachronistic part of the ds was the wheezy old engine in such an advanced car. This electric conversion is completing the original ethos. Fantastic stuff! Must have costed a ton though..

Fabulous... A DS with a refined engine at last.... It was meant to have a flat 6 but they ran out of money. As a 24 year old in 1977 I owned the petrol pinnacle of DS sedans - a 1972 DS21 EFI 5 speed manual in sable (silver gold) with tan deerskin seats, head and armrests. 139 bhp and top speed of 190 kph... Armchair rocket ship on Aussie country roads cruising at 150-160 kph. Complete with La Marseillaise air horns when overtaking... a lot.. A far cry from my first car - a 1962 Aussie assembled Citroen ID19 producing 83 bhp and a maximum of 145 kph,

DS is just perfect for EV conversion. CX also, I would really love to see that one.

Just amazing this car should have always been a electric car.. its beautiful 😍

Citroen/DS should bring this car in exact this body form using new ev technology - the godess is just so beautiful

I’ve dreamt of this car for over sixty years , beautiful. In its era the Traction Avant was extremely stylish , where the Keystone cops come from I’ve no idea .

That is one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen, your conversion is stunning. Oh, to be rich enough to indulge in that!

I don't have a Citroén DS because my wife won't let me buy one and we don't have room for one anyway. But this is ABSOLUTELY my favorite all time car (clarification - I'm talking about the car built from the 1950s to the 1970s). The only reason I would take another car if someone gave it to me would be if I could sell it and buy a Citroén DS from the late '60s to '70s with this body style. And if I could also convert it from gas to electric. OH MY GOD I couldn't think of anything better. And yes, I would take this over ANY car out there!

I cannot wait to see the conversions of a Traction and a Citroën SM. Well done for keeping the hydraulics running!

Engine and Driveline layout makes perfect sense to us Renault16 owners. The transmissions from these and the 16's make for a really easy choice for a light Mid-Rear toy, like a Lotus Europa. EV conversion, and that cute little badge, the DS21 has to be the ideal classic to do sort of conversio,.. no,.. "Update" to. With a little careful design, it could even look like it was built that way new. Keeping the gearbox, instead of the single speed drive of many new EV's, also means you've got a gear to cruise long range, and ones for pulling loads. The DS21 Wagon's always did make excelent camera platforms, EV would make them quieter for filming from.

In the 1997 film, "Gattica", the cars used are, I believe a Citroen, Rover and Avanti. In the movie they appear to be electric. This car would have fitted in very well!

It's always a pleasure to see a timeless work of art being taken care of by enthusiasts. The CX ( coefficient of entry into the air ) is so good, it could put to shame any Tesla in terms of style and autonomy, with the same engine as the tesla you put it against.

This conversion on the SM would make the perfect car.

Got to disagree with you calling the TA like something from the Keystone Cops. The TA was a beautiful car and every bit as iconic as the DS was. It was one of the most advanced cars on the road when it first appeared way back in 1934 . So to denigrate it is just plain ignorance and simply wrong.

absolutely gorgeous car, and converted to boot ! perfection !

Ingenious idea! Exactly such a thing will be necessary so that all the cult cars survive the coming decades. That is real sustainability! One question: How much does such a conversion cost? Do you also offer ready DS or only the conversion? I look forward to your answer.

Many great classics deserved to be supported with E-Fuels and new alternatives in the ICE manner, The DS, however, never truly had a great engine, and a battery-powered system makes complete sense with the car's ethos. Excellent work!

Une des plus belle et unique voiture dans le monde de l’automobile. Elle ne vielliera jamais. Merci Andre et son Team CITROEN.🙏🙏🇫🇷🇫🇷🔧🔨🪛💡

If ever a classic car suited EV conversion, it's the DS. I'd probably do the same thing if I had one, but I don't. I've got an SM, and you can't lose the engine in that. It's the soul of the car. Well, it will be when it works again!

Great to see this is finished. Get well soon Steve, happy to come and do and mowing if you need 😉

good job ! Yes the DS is unique ! And regarding to the new cars as Tesla does, it remains a good reference for a long time ! Thanks from france

Electric so suits this car...also my dream car that I used to see as a drooling 10 year old with all the RAF officers driving in RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus during the early 70's

Wow. Love it. I owned a 1966, a 1970, a 1972 and then a 1974 pallas... They were great. An electric version would be superb!

about time. mind you it'll be awhile before I forget the sound of the 4cylinder1911 cc booming past me at 90mph

A hundred years from now, this car will still be ahead of it's time. The motor should sound like a Jetson's vehicle, because it is so far ahead of it's time.

This is my dream car too, and electrique is the only way to go… Ah, if I had the money, I’d find a DS and bring it to you!

My dream car! The DS was always underpowered but making it electric has solved that. Citroen themselves should be doing this!

If logic prevailed the electric drive train would have been with us back when the DS was born, corporate greed, politics, meant oil, gas and a wheezy 4 banger. If ever a car demanded the effortless shove of electric it was the goddess, superb riding, styling that is still years ahead (one day automotive designers will be brave enough again to fair in the rear wheels and taper the track get that free aero, looking at you Franz ). Finally the DS is the car it always should have been.

That's so cool.... My first car was a GS Pallas.

I would prefer the DS with a fusion engine but unfortunately we will have to wait another 30 years for the technology to catch up to the futuristic looks of this automotive masterpiece. . . Lovely conversion.

This is pretty much the only classic car I would ever want to EV-swap. It was never supposed to be saddled with a reheated Traction-Avant engine anyway; they just ran out of time/money to give it an engine it deserved.

Citroen should definately re-release the original DS as an EV.

Very beautiful car, and very nice work !😊 It’s a pleasure to see your smile inside this DS😊!! Nice video 👍😄

I’m speechless! You guys are incredible, I have seen a 2cve, but it didn’t have registration, pointless conversion really. This is going to make you live on long after petrol cars are gone. My question though is, how much did the conversion cost???

Dream EV restomod for sure! Nice to hear yoj changed the pneumatic pump, it still balances exactly like the original. But with some electronics upgrade could be run flatter...the car is a beast and can eat whatever you throw at it ans speed wise would make it a serious fast one. Beautiful and respectful. Great job!

Citroën should make this car (again) as a hybrid or a pure ev. This design was ahead of its time when it was released (and still is), the only comparison I can think of would be the revolutionary NSU RO 80 a decade later. Also a bold concept in a body from the future.

I had one of these many years ago. A truly unusual but beautiful looking and very comfortable car. The engine was weird though and probably a bit under powered. The steering wheel is designed to gradually collapse in the case of a crash. The brake is a little rubber button on the floor. A single touch is like applying air brakes on a truck!

Th weakest point of the original was it's ancient, somewhat underperforming engine. A car like this is what would get people into electric cars... and love it.

Half the appeal of the DS was when you lifted the bonnet off such an exquisite machine, the engine bay was like something assembled by Dr Seuss

Great efforts,good job,congra from México.

Awesome, tho the soft bronze color is understated. Trying to picture it in: bright yellow, crimson, jet black, turquoise.

This and Ford Granada MK1 is the most beautiful cars ever made.

One of my favourites.

Wau. I wish they, someone, would make new DS's like that. I'd love it. Upgrading old ones én masse would also be ok. I don't think there are enough scrap DS's out there.

Oh my Lord I had this car I was in just in my 30s and I am in my 60s now!!! It was the same colour !

This! This is my dream car. An Electric DS. I'll take mine in dark - borderline black - blue, with black leather interior please =))

What does the conversion cost?

I've got a Tesla Model 3 as a daily drive, and a DS with perfect body and interior but crap engine sitting in the garage. I'm pretty sure you guys just solved my problem..... apart from the minor point that I'm in Melbourne (AU). Any chance you might be putting a kit together ?

Ah, the Electric Goddess.