Is it a sin to convert a classic car to electric? 

Converting that immaculate S1 E-Type would be wrong, as it’s an excellent example of the best version of the car. However, run of the mill E-Types, especially S3’s, would be greatly improved by swapping to electric power, as many classic cars would

No it's absolutely not! The best thing about classic cars is their style and design, the worst is usually the engine, brakes and suspension. Modernise that and you end up with a beautiful, gorgeous car with great handling and decades more of a happy productive life. BTW I think most modern cars are very ugly and I hate the spaceship-like interiors with all those screens and flashing lights. Although I have money for a new car, I still drive a Rover 414si. I like the "old-fashioned" styling and above all the interior with velvet and those classy wood panels. I just bought a €60 Sony Bluetooth radio and I can play music from my phone and answer calls hands-free. I'd love to get a mint Rover 75 and convert it to electric, I think those are beautiful and just a couple years shy of being classics.

Why are you making excuses, so many excuses for what you want to do, just because knobs disagree? Get on with it! Just do it! I bought an e-bicycle 30months ago and cyclists everywhere tell me I'm 'cheating'. I ask, 'Do you have pneumatic tyres? Ooh, that's cheating'. Just do it dude 😎

Here is a question for you how much electricity does it take to make a full tank of petrol. Less petrol made freeing up lovely electric for us to use 😁

There is a strong anti-change effort going on in "my" generation. Anything that is "new" or "weird" is completely sacrilegious and should be burned at the stake (yeah, I live in the USA). There is no real argument that can be made to support it, so they have to argue the point on a "feeling" or other intangible point. That is where the "soul" of the car comes in. It was stated very well by someone I knew back in high school (in the 80's) that it's just not worth fighting with the religious mentality because your fighting with a ghost, nothing you say will be heard and nothing you can do will be felt.

Having taken a Ferrari 308 I've owned for 20 years, with a tuned Borla exhaust, (which I used to go out of my way to find a tunnel to drive it in second gear through), to have Moggie and his fantastic team stuff a Tesla model S drive in it. - I never missed the sound. Not once. Ever. The halving of the 0-60 was overwhelmingly noticeable along with the torque where ever you want it and the fact is started every time is a big bonus. But the drivability mentioned here, it cannot be described. It's a game changer. Until you experience it, you won't get it. So I suggest you give it a go.

I am sold on electric, but I still love the ICE’s. The problem is both forms of transportation require natural resources. The way that these materials are obtained is egregious. So now we are left with drilling and fracking for the liquid gold or strip mining for the nickel and lithium. The only positive about electric is no fumes. It’s six of one and a half dozen of another. I had made a statement “Imagine if after the big asteroid slammed into the Gulf of Mexico nothing but the animals survived and no humans existed except for our ancestors visiting from where we originated and just observed the planet almost like a giant zoo”. So am still waiting for the technology to be fully developed. Thank You 🙏 Great Videos!!!!

Simple: Classic cars are gorgeous (at least the ones we care about, no one is getting their pants twisted over Hillman Avengers and the like), but they are unreliable piles of crap. Ev conversion at least makes them live up to their potential.

You're doing it a favor. People have been putting SB chevy in Junquar since the 60's. Question is, Where do you get all the Tesla motor's?

There are some classics where the engine is special. But some where the engine was crap, a real let down for the car. I'm thinking Citroen DS. I think the French tax laws of the time limited the engine capacity?? or something. I'd happily restore a DS and put an electric motor in it. It would improve upon the original. Oh how I'd love to waft around in a 1960's DS EV conversion...

My classic is the 1976 Triumph Stag that my father bought when I was age 12. Since the passing of my father, it's now with me but the memories of hearing that very distinctive V8 under power coming up the hill towards the family home are what defines the car. My Tesla Model Y arrives in a couple of weeks, that will be my electric fix!

But what about all that fun you can have taking out a Beetle engine and putting it back in in world record time!? ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-gKF6dcKjLJo.html

(A possible future scenario): Doctor: “Ah, Mr Smith, I’ve got good news and bad news for you, firstly the bad news is that your heart trouble is terminal…However, the good news is that we can now fit an electric replacement that is fairly straightforward and should give you another 20 years of life, so would you like the replacement unit? - or would you like to stay original?”🤔….

I have a 1997 Toyota MR2. What would it cost to convert.

If I wanted an EV-converted 1969 Mustang, I would choose one that came from the factory with an inline 6, that doesn't have very much intrinsic value. Would it be smart to convert a Boss 429? That car, in great shape, can fetch well over US$250,000. So I would be strategic with my conversion choice. Sensibly, I would never drive a Boss 429 frequently anyway, because the chance of an accident makes the money risk too high anyway.

Great video, very nicely explained on the pros and cons...... i have a 1983 Range Rover Classic with a V8 but the amount of milage that i do in it, its most likely not worth the expense. As for the heart and soul of a car, it's the whole package not just the engine, which is the big part of course for me. The sound, the vibration, the smell the thought of this car not starting........ It's machines that we have all grown up with, and got to know, its a feeling of the past i guess. An EV will no doubt give you its own feeling of a soul........ I would like the idea of listening to the wind, and the countryside as you drive through the lanes and hills.... but then i like the burble of a V8 too? Can you add a noise simulator of an engine,,,,, when needed at a push of a button? My thoughts would be if i was going to convert a car, would be something more modern...say an early Audi q8 3.0 with all the safety features...... best of both worlds!! A real every day car.

I would always miss the noise, but the driving of the car is the first joy, and to be honest it is just to be actually in the car (without reducing OUR FUTURE on the planet!) Therefore I would always prefer to be driving even a "plastic replica" with an electric motor and not to have these glorious shapes forever gone from the world. A KEVLAR / carbon fibre (British spelling get over it we spoke it first!) Lancia Fulvia or even Stratos would always be preferable to me to not having these glorious shapes available for our children to appreciate. We cannot allow our admittedly urgent need (Climate change - It's a thing!) to deny us these genius designs. I would grieve just as much for the loss of the Alfa romeo, Lagonda, Bristol 401, Lancia, JAGUAR (in all it's guises), as I do for the loss of the Passenger pigeon, Dodo, Northern White Rhino (Also proper RINO Republicans in America - not MAGA nuts), Pyrinean Ibex, Komodo dragon or the Elephant (OK maybe not the Elephant - not furry but cuddly just the same.) I am sorry this has become a rant against "purists" but we must keep what we can and let the rest go to the great automotive garage in the sky. Lets get this clear the world is not going to end, but it may not care to sustain humanity past about 10 billion population - I would rather drive and electric / plastic car that my family cease to exist. The joy the shape but I can't hear the engine - I can live with that for the sake of the human continued existence!

As a related issue; traffic noise is vastly reduced. I live nect to a busy B road and in the summer the noise from (especially) hoards of bikers, but also cars, lorries and buses as they accelerate out of the reduced speed zone (or the tractors that don't even slow down) makes outdoor life (the balcony), or even keeping the windows open on a hot night, impossible. Traffic noise pollution is so overlooked these days witrh all this talk of CO2, but for the millions living within earshot of busy roads. the impact on health is measurable.

Brilliant explanation of all things CAR🤙🏼🤙🏼 you just need some waterproof speakers that play back recording f the original engine sounds from under the boot🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺

I think it’s a beautiful way to keep then up and running! So a big yes for me ❤

I would love to put an electric motor in my W111 280se, the car is almost unusable, imagine storing the engine and driving around with an electric motor, what a lot of people don't realise is older engines are horribly inefficient compared to modern engines, you can taste the unburnt fuel, no amount of money and keeping it original will fix it, once you put an electronic fuel system in place you might as well go the whole way

Hasn’t this argument/discussion been around since the dawn of hot rodding? “Chevy in a Ford”? “Why are you modifying that classic?” “Why are you chopping that top?” ... why? Because it’s MINE. I own it, I care for it, and I modify it, if I so choose.

I've said it before, I'd get the metro converted tomorrow. But that kind of budget will sadly never be available to me so looks like it's internal combustion and all it's flaws for the foreseeable 😢

All this talk of reliability. I own a 1962 Dodge Dart and a 1963 Plymouth Fury. OK, I am a mechanic, but these cars need little maintenance. That said, if a Tesla motor was cheap enough....

A Jaguar would do well with anything other than the original engine, am I right?

One thing is once again, cost. You didn’t bring it up and I didn’t read a thousand comments but let’s talk about cost to repair/replace an ICE. Take that Jag for instance. I’ll bet you’d be hard pressed to rebuild that (correctly) for 20k. The Jensen would be fairly cheap as it’s just a 440 Chrysler but you get my point.

I have a Daimler with a V12 engine. It takes me the best part of a day to just gap the spark plugs. The reward of occasionally opening up the throttle so I can hear the howl of the engine, does not outweigh the effort required to maintain the engine.

Ultimately, electric conversion is one of the very few ways to preserve cars as cars... as in actually driving vehicles. The only way to preserve classic cars with their internal combustion engine will ultimately be via hydrogen, but that needs the proper infrastructure and more time in the development of fuel storage (in terms of safety and range). Fully electric drive trains are much farther. In the end it comes to, what you like most about a specific car: the look/design or the sound. And no... not the "driving experience"... never... old cars are rubbish and dangerous in that regard. I personally, am in the camp of design. So, an electric conversion with a few added/improved safety features (breaks, tyres, shocks, steering, etc.) would be the best way to go.

All someone needs to do is test drive a Tesla, then imagine that kind of performance in your classic car and you will be a convert.

If Makers of Classic cars would have had viable Electric motors, batteries, and Electronics where available to them, they would have sold the Classics with the option of an Electric motor. There is NOTHING "magical" about a Petrol engine - it was just the most practical at the time. And now with modern Batteries, EV power is also practical.

It’s your car… do what you want!

What a great job you do, by making people aware of environmental issues. But, there is still a lot to do to clean electricity supply. At minute 14:45 you picked a particularly good day for CO2 intensity, which in 2022 was on average at 229 g/kWh

I have a ural with a sidecar .i.m very interrested in a electric conversion for that. Room enough for the batteries and some serious advantage in weight distribution en relaibility .... cant even write that word here ....

Well… I wanted to wright something smart, but you sir already said it, in the first fifty seconds … 😝👍😂 Greetings from Germany everybody 👋 Stay safe 👍

Soul? Internal combustion engines ignite our senses because of the primitive combination of fire and noise. The caveman in me likes it. :) That said, I’m a modern man and delight in anything that gets me from point A to B faster and more reliably. Love your work. Keep it up!

Soul: Because it is still related (albeit 'just') to fire. External combustion much more so, but there is the lineage, and we like to play with fire. Not passing an opinion and have long accepted IC can't continue for ever, and nor should it. But we need to make it fun and most (note caveat) are not appealing to petrol heads like myself (Morgan's 3-wheeler from a few year ago is a wonderful exception) and they'll sell themselves. Your way of doing it is fine by my reckoning and has a role to play in showing people we need to find different ways of having fun.

The ghost of James Brown 'soul' Bahahahaha. That was glorious! Great overview of the conversion rationale guys. Especially the rag over the exhaust pipe. We'd never sit our children right there but so many feel we should keep pumping the stuff out there for all to inhale.

Like any modification it can be done tastefully or not. For example you CAN swap out an original AM stereo from a classic car for a modern info-tainment screen. Or replace it with something that is “New Old Stock” that appears stock, but with better functionality. Or clean and repair the original equipment. Your conversations are more like the “new old stock” option, new but tasteful.

You have missed the benefit of gearbox trouble

This debate is about change and those who prefer maintaining the status quo, and those that revel in change. I think it would be a Sin to electrify that Jag. It is history and history is always best experenced to see it, hear it, feel it, smell it to live it. If you have bits of one then go for it . Are there any companies sampling the vintage sound and proving sound packs for the electric cars. I heard many years back one of the big car manufactures had commissioned Lotus to find a "sound" for electric so they can't sneak up on pedestrians. I wonder if that is the Mitusbishi whine. For me electric is nearly there. From what I have seen on youtube and talking to a friend who worked in the power distribution industry; at present the generation and distribution of electricity is lagging behind the demand. Until the polaticians start push for more, local, 5 year build, power stations, like Rolls Royce Small Modular Reactor. Rather than the 25-30 year build of the new chinese/ french Sizeweel C station. From the user view charing stations are not comman, differing capabilities, and have different methods of payment, can have large difference in prices, and some of the charging company websites are poorly maintained. I love the swapible power packs, but that would need to be manufacturer lead. They will need to standardise the size, shape, removal and fitting, across their ranges, VW power station, Ford power station. What will happen to Shell and BP stations? Will we see Duracell, and Energizer power station. This could also add a push for the RR SMR stations, or maybe the people building industrial estates and distribution centres, might take up the torch. I look forward to the seen the wins and losses as we move towards a more electric tomorrow. It will be interesting who takes the lead and where we are lead and compared to other countries. We need the stategic champions like the ones that push for the fibre broadband into every home, they can take up the challenge of pushing for 100kW supplies into evey home. Keep up the good work and the conversation.

Richard, I completely agree with you! The engine and motor are just machines which provide mobility, that's all! I bought a Tesla Model 3 Performance more than two years ago and haven't questioned my decision ever. The quietness and sheer power of the Tesla astounds me. Cheers!

Some addition maybe - if you convert a 90’s classic car to electric, keeping the weight. Doesn't that mean the performance/weight ratio excellerate better that today’s fossile cars. Reference to your graph shown on 8.14 min. And even more, is converting a classic fossile car with its massive hunger for gas comparing to modern car not much more reasonable then todays cars with a consumption around 1/3 of what past cars did.

Simple question, do you prefer seeing the cassis driving or do you prefer the original standing in the garage.

Interesting presentation, the only problem I have is the EV enthusiasts continually talk about Cobalt used in refining fuel. Cobalt is used a catalyst in refining fuel - according to my school science lessons, ( a long time ago)a catalyst enhances a chemical reaction and does so without having any permanent change or degradation. It can be used over and over again. Some Cobalt is used but almost 99% can be recovered. The next question is of course, do they actually bother to recover that 1%?

It is no sin to do a conversion on on something like a Beatle or a 500. I can understand that some people would not want to do a conversion on something very rare. Your products alway do a great job of maintaining the appearance of the car.

One of the great benefits of electricity. No matter where electricity is produced it is transported from source to user at the speed of light. No big tankers burn fuel and produce emissions to get liquid get fuel to the user who will then use it to create more pollution. That is the big problem with hydrogen it is manufactured and volatile and has to be transported and stored at high pressure. Electricity is one of the energies that run the universe. So where ever you go in the universe it is available. No fuel to be manufactured, you could take your Ev Landrover to mars and solar charge it and drive around. Brilliant!!!!!! As the guy did in the film, The Martian, drove at night and solar charged during the day. Not impossible but challenging. Of course, you would need an oxygen supply. You never know it could be done one day as a challenge.

It really depends on the car. If the car is stunning to look at but has terrible reliability, than it makes sense to convert it to electric.

Frankly, I'm tired of sniffing (and smelling like) gas and diesel from the old Jeeps I drive. Not to mention, the fact that the engines are almost deafening loud. I'm over it, and excited to begin some BEV conversions.

You make a good point about fuel for classics. Petrol stations operate on tight margins. Within the decade petrol stations will begin to shut as demand drops and they are no longer profitable as we move to EVs. They will become fewer and further apart making ICE ownership difficult. A tipping point will be reached where it’s not worth keeping any open. This will be disruptive. ICE car owners will find themselves left with a useless vehicle. Although classic car fans might think synthetic fuel will come to their rescue, there’s not enough demand to keep a nationwide network of fuel stations running for a small amount of low mileage cars. Electrifying classics makes a lot of sense and preserves them beyond the demise of fossil fuel.

Why do people hate electric cars and conversions soo much. I get that some engines are lovely to look at and hear! So I personally wouldn’t swap out every engine in every classic, but owners prerogative, surely?! Sure there are issues over where the energy comes from and the material for the batteries. But there are issues with fuel mining and processing, that many seem to ignore in their venomous defence of ICE and Hydrogen! Hydrogen?! Yeah that is such a good alternative considering how much progress has been made on that from in the last decade or two! Not!!! 😂😂😂

I think two of the major cons to electric right now are charge time and the total distance the vehicle can drive. Not to many people can afford having an “in town” electric commuter car and also a long distance fossil fuel car. Electric is well on its way but until these problems are solved it will always be in the back seat compared to fossil fuels. Additionally battery life is not yet proven and is an extreme cost if they do need to be replaced. I have pursued so many different options to convert a 53’ Dodge M37 to electric but currently not many options are available for that heavy of a vehicle. The energy density between fossil fuels and an electric battery does not compare yet but hopefully one day it will. This is one of the major problems with an electric semi truck. The gross vehicle available cargo weight is substantially reduced due to the weight of the batteries needed to get it going. Diesel fuel allows each semi truck to tow more weight in each load than electric is capable of. I appreciate the videos and enjoy them! Hopefully one day we can crack the battery problem “Achilles heel” of electric. Your correct in stated that an electric motor is far superior to any fossil fuel engine. The difference is the chemistry in which these engine derive there energy from is not comparable as of yet. Keep the content coming!

Only a couple of things you didn't cover, one of each. 1. Rebates from the government in some countries with registration on evs. 2. Do you have worries about battery fires which I understand are rare but are almost impossible to extinguishe though can be controlled with fire blankets.

An E type coupe is ideal for conversion to electric actually. Light, plenty of space. It's a great idea. However when one has complete bodyshells available as for a mini or MGB it makes even more sense.

The biggest downside with EVs and electric classic cars particularly is COST. The government doesn’t incentivise and subsidise affordability enough for new electric cars and have actually halved the subsidy and likewise have made installing solar panels at home less attractive. With regards to the classic stuff I understand entirely why Richard has to charge the big bucks currently and that this is a boutique product consequently. Nevertheless, hopefully modular kits that are truly plug & play can be developed in time, for the less well heeled DIY person, whilst meeting safety criteria. It will also be interesting how the secondhand EV market develops and what aftermarket and custom stuff will evolve to customise and maintain ageing examples?

The look of a well presented large engine that has a history linking several generations of cars is glorious to see. The sheer technical expertise that is invested into a iconic engine is a delight to any person who has appreciation of a well engineered car. The look and sound of a well maintained car is something to be admired, and may even stir memories of owning or just riding in one many years ago. Even the constant tinkering and maintaining of these classic cars often gives an individual pleasure. However, the cost and frustration of maintaining these cars is not something that gives as much pleasure when the thing is constantly requiring more time and money to keep it running. The other issue is that these classic cars are likely to be in a museum in the future. The real thrill will be still seeing these classic cars on the road. The sound they make may dissappear, but the style and design is still there for all to see. This is especially important as most modern vehicles seem to look very similar. Keeping classic visible on our roads through electric conversions will help reminds us that not all vehicles need to be chunky SUVs. Electrifying the classics will also help to reduce the waste from scrapping older cars.

first I thought that is a beautiful engine, then you did the rag test and its obviously got some sort of engine problem. Certainly Jaguars are known for having high maintenance costs. Those costs should go way down when its electric. If someone really loves the engine that much they should make a sculpture out of it... ;-)

I have three classic cars and I have seriously considered converting my E Type, I even discussed it with one of Moggy’s team last year. The main problem is cost, they estimated north of £70k with an 18 month lead time. I only drive a maximum of a 1000 miles a year in the car and frankly it just does not make sense. Converting a classic does not make the car a daily driver either as practical problems still remain like steaming up in rain etc and I would certainly not leave the car unattended too long in a public car park. So in summary if you have money to burn and are prepared to wait around two years to get a car converted then go for it.

I believe it has soul because it takes them back to a point in time when life still had meaning to them. Anything that's happened since then has to be wrong. Otherwise they have to admit something is wrong with them. Mind you, I wouldn't take a well-maintained motor out of a classic Jag. That's assuming I had the money. But most classic motors? Sure.

I like the idea of recycling the old cars and making them more friendly to the environment. I guess most of the cost of salvaging an old car is the body repairs to make it look brand new. I have one question: Did you have a request to convert a car to hydrogen fuel cells? Toyota is doing huge progress in hydrogen storage and ease of usage. Did you include Toyota power train into your work? It may reduce the weight of batteries and you replace the gas tank with a hydrogen storage unit.

Great work,.. someday I love you convert a Lincoln Continental Mk5 for me, someday if I got the cash

I loved the video and agree with mostly everything you said but RANGE RANGE RANGE! You never mentioned it once? I know it varies wildly for all sorts of reasons but here would have been the perfect place to explain the options and likely outcome of the range on a few of your examples I think.

If the power plant is part of the classic aura, conversion feels wrong. If the power plant is the least thought of thing in a vehicle with said aura, conversion is alright. Good example: Delorean, shit engine but the community loves it for the looks and Back To The Future so for the latter it fits even more so.

How much of the initial cost is because of the batteries? If prices on batteries dropped to half, how much cheaper would a conversion of a Range Rover be?

"If you think that you can buy a Jaguar and forget it, forget it." Advertisement for Jaguar in the early 1960s.

I too choke on the cost of conversion, but it's really not that bad. If you need to convert at EV - you need eng/trans/rad/fuel tank/pump, lines and a few other bits. All New or recently used won't be cheap - and getting the same performance will be quite costly. And the cost of running an EV is much lower that petrol - not much maybe for a classic that sits around. My daily driver Tesla is saving $150-200 a month over the outback it replaced.

Conversion = increased reliability. I’m sold on electric conversions. 👌🏻😎👌🏻

@2.25 '"Always a good idea to listen to people with experience and not opinion" Absolutely right. As a former devotee of the 'Under £1000' section in AutoTrader, I can attest to the pain of owning old bangers to try and get me to work. Granada MkII (autobox stopped) Lancia Delta (always leaking coolant) Fiat Uno (rotar arm crack), Honda Prelude (fuel tank leaking allover). I stopped owning cars back in 2001, and only in 2019 took out a lease on a BMW i3. What a revelation, no droning noise on the motorway, no strange noises coming from autobox, no whining diff etc. Fast, reliable and most importantly, very cheap to run compared to ICE. It's cost of ownership as well as performance that is driving uptake of BEV's now. I would absolutely love a classic car - but only with BEV drivetrain so that I can admire it, and enjoy using it everyday. I think there is a vast un-tapped market for converting some of our 70's / 80's / 90's favourites that are still on the roads. Most importantly, the emissions associated with these vehicles are already in the environment - better to re-use and recycle. Anyone for an electric Volvo 240 GL ?

well restoring a classic car is expensive, especially body work, yet alone trying to work on engines, where parts may or may not be available. But if you convert to electric, you can even upgrade things like brakes say from drum to disc (meaning more reliable) yet alone engine braking / regeneration with electric motors ,

Seeing as jaguar are selling conversions them self for their cars I don't see it as bad. I have had classic cars and would love another.

Depends on the car for me. VW? Have at it. Lamborghini Espada? I might have a problem with.

Best video I've seen that compares ICE to EVs. Very well done and easy to understand, except for those close minded petrol heads. As for the soul of a car, I feel it's the ride not the engine. I'm still waiting to get an EV and both the power and ride of my Tacoma truck stink. I hate loud cars, especially those with stupid exhaust amplifiers. Give me a quiet ride with enough power to get where I'm going and I'm happy. I just wish you guys would come up with an EV conversion for my 2013 Toyota Tacoma (Hilux in your area?). I have plenty of room under the bed for batteries and after installation of the motor in the front to use my transfer case for 4WD, I would have room for a frunk and with some suspension changes, still enough to carry close to a ton. My truck is paid off and is not like the big, fat trucks of today. I doubt I'll ever be able to pay for the Cybertruck I have reserved so doing a conversion might actually cost me less. LFP batteries are a given with enough to handle towing and long drives along the West Coast of the USA.

Lets get down to basics - fossil fuels will not be available for much longer so these cars will all end up in museums not getting driven at all! Electric is the only way currently to keep these fantastic objects usable and continue enjoying them in the future. Also electric vehicles are an absolute buzz to drive!

Richard..I've been riding motorcycles for 46yrs and after converting my 1980 honda goldwing to fully electric..I enjoy the country rides more now than ever before...I can even hear the birds in the trees sometimes .I love it..and thank your team for their help with parts and advice..Trev

One major problem with the e-type jag will not be changed by conversion to electric drive. The stupidly long bonnet. I would not like to take an e-type along a narrow country lane.

5:00 something i think a lot of people also miss when talking about conversions. lets say you have 1 of 1000 of a particular car. a general rule is that if you are using original parts you typically need 2 cars to make 1 car drivable. if you are doing a conversion on the other hand you only need half the car to make it drivable. this means that if it is a collector car there are more parts in circulation to keep them running for people who want them to be original and also more of them usable on the road because some don't have or need original parts.

Regarding maintenance. Just think of the number of moving parts in your typical combustion engine and compare that to the number of moving parts in an electric motor...

To me it has 'soul' as its something that actually 'comes to life' when its started. I'm a big fan of EV's and know that they offer big advantages over ICE units, no question. Is it ok to be a fan of both EV and ICE without being judged too harshly? :) I will always love the sound of a full spec rally engine echoing through the forest but also love the sheer power of EV's and all the other good things they bring along. Guess I'm in a minority but maybe that's ok lol

It’s simple! Value. That Jag is very expensive and I would not take a beautiful car and it’s in perfect condition and converted to electric it’s worth too much as it is. Now if I had a clunker that if I had to put back together to match that eat type jack that you have there it would cost me an arm and a leg and take probably 5 to 10 years accruing all the parts, then that is the one I would convert to electric make it look just as nice as that windows on the outside without any of the maintenance on the inside

It’s funny that the same way some react to EV’s is the same reaction the petrol cars many decades ago got before they became popular and the main way of transportation. It also happened when seat belts was introduced

To me cars are washing machines. Or any other home appliance. I even wash mine as often as my fridge. I appreciate silence. So every home appliance, including the car, should be as silent as possible.

I love that I no longer have to go to a petrol station. Plug it in when you get home and when I wake up the next morning it's fully charged again

Would you please commit the ultimate heresy and electrify a Harley Davidson motorcycle? I don't need to hear the sound of a perpetually farting Concorde.

I bought my first Tesla S in 2014 and now I'm on my third, a model X. On the X five years and 40K miles has cost £150 total in maintenance plus one set of tyres. I charge from off peak electricity so the energy is very cheap. Your film made me miss my Series 1 E Type which was in the same colours as your car and built to FIA regs for hillclimbing and sprinting. I wouldn't have converted that car because the howl of the straight six and the lovely gearchange where so intrinsic to the whole experience. I do hanker after a converted car where the engine and transmission are not one of the key reasons why you are buying the car in the first place. A Merc SL, Citroen DS, 914 Porsche, Fiat 500 a Carver or a hot mini all make perfect sense to me. The instant torque will make them all better cars, in the end it is the real difference between a Cobra and an AC Ace. Its a personal thing, but I don't think I want to replace the drivetrain in anything with an iconic 6, 8,10 or 12 cylinder engine. Maybe that Jensen will change my mind! Love what you do and fascinated to see where developments will take you!

At around 4:00 - Soul is one of those words which most people misunderstand and therefore misuse. You do not _have_ a soul. You _are_ a soul. In other words, a soul is a life. Once that is understood, we can see that neither an engine nor a motor has life. Therefore neither has soul. On an anthropomorphic level, a noisy vibrating engine can seem to be alive, and the effects of both propulsive machines give the appearance of being alive. But neither is any more alive than any other tool.

It's not a definitive answer. Some design classics deserve to have a few examples preserved in their out-of-the-factory form as far as is possible. So keep these with their petrol engines for motor museums etc. The rest are best preserved with modern components in the power units, drivetrains, brakes, driver aids, etc. as desired by the owners.

Electric Classic Cars are doing a brilliant job. I love the look of classic cars, but the thought of an unreliable engine fills me with dread. I don't seen any need to make an engine to motor swap reversable. Do whatever it takes under the panels to make the car the best car it can be.

I think a big one you are missing is how much more the car will get driven. So many classic cars spend their days in garages or under tarps because of reliability and safety concerns. My landcruiser spends a lot of time in the garage since its clutch was slipping a few years ago. A lot of classic car shows really fail to talk about safety and reliability but when you climb out from a car with 3 point seat belts, abs, hundreds of herspers, and crumple zones, getting into a classic can be a mix of fun and anxiety. Taking away a few of the concerns gets them back on the road and used.

I'm of the mind that since your way of conversion does no harm to the vehicle and uses only stock existing mounting locations, all is good.

no stumble at part throttle, no lag in throttle response, no misfires! and so on. Worked at ERCA doing car driveability testing. (Esso Research Center Abingdon).

The reliability is the biggest thing IMO. How many people have classic cars and never take them anywhere because they don't want to risk breaking down? Or because they know it will take 30 minutes to get it started. And then it sits and sits and sits and only gets harder to start and more unreliable and then its covered in dust and needs a wash before you can drive it and its all too hard so it just sits forever. If its a reliable useful car you can take it out whenever the whim strikes you. or even daily it if you want.

First of all I don’t understand how this video has come unnoticed for me since I’m subscribed to the channel and I enjoy the content so much. Secondly and most importantly, this video is actually the epitome not only of classic car conversion, but actually of the whole EV purpose and the absolute need to switch massively to a sustainable transportation ecosystem. It is so well presented, structured and backed by actual experience from someone who’s not at all suspicious of hating cars that it should be divulged and shared among all possible platforms. Setting aside the incredible and admirable work you all do at electric classic cars, your stance in the need for a cleaner, cheaper and definitely more enjoyable future for automobiles of all sorts is praiseworthy. I wish there was a way to dub or automatically generate subtitles in other languages for the sake of a wider reach. Thank you and congratulations. I wish you success in your endeavors and hope your example ingrains all around the globe, as it’s still a very niche market for electric conversions.

As an owner of a tesla for my daily and a MX5 for fun the only thing I'd really miss is the gearbox. Solve that and it's sign me up.

It has often been the case that a particular vehicle benefited from an engine swap, sometimes to a completely different manufacturer. That was never considered a sin, it was a way to make the car legitimately better. Similarly, swapping in an EV package is great if it improves the product. Further, I say forget about 'reversibility'; no one is ever going to put a gas engine back in one of these if it's done properly. EV technology is only going to improve. Batteries will get smaller and lighter for the same capacity, same with motors/inverters, etc. Plan to adopt those changes, not go back to gas.

Love the video, but I wouldn't consider nuclear as clean energy long term, spent fuel rods and nuclear waste goes somewhere and take longer to remediate into the environment.

I love the whole series of explanation. Good points on all the topics. I'm in the process of converting my 67 Porsche 911 with a Tesla unit., I'm still researching battery options.

I have an argument about the soul, but sadly it’s for the electric conversion, the ghost in the machine or as I like to call it software, exists with electrical cars ergo you are putting a sword or a sort of an artificial intelligence for battery balancing for Range and for diagnostics rather than a mechanical vibrating automaton!

As a second point, I work in the listed building conservation field and many of the points you make about alteration ( or “intervention” as it is called in my field ) are paralleled by the arguments that go on with listed buildings. Key areas are conserve? renovate? re-order? or extend?and considerable analysis goes into the “significance of the original” both in architectural and historical terms before any decisions are taken on for instance rare grade 1 listed buildings. Ypur argument about the significance a of a mass produced but beautiful car is well made, provided of course there are plenty still left. You can always keep the best for Beaulieu!

Anyone remember the classics used for banger racing? - sticking in a 'leci motor and keeping the car in good condition for anouther 20 years is much better.

Kudos on this stance!!! (And that is from an American.) Love what you are saying, but I want to comment on the paint jobs!!! OMG! The finish on some of those cars/parts is frikken AMAZING. Keep doing you! (My secret plan was to buy the neighbor's (parked in a field) corvette and make it electric...)

Those who don't like converted classics can keep theirs running on fossil fuel. 🤷🏻‍♂️