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Teslas Used To Refit Classic Cars With Electric Motors


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#1 mab01uk

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Posted 26 December 2019 - 11:16 AM

Electric motors are being pulled from written-off Teslas in the USA to refit classic cars with electric motors.....

https://news.sky.com...c-cars-11895031

 

This 550-horsepower 1968 Porsche 912 is getting all of its power from an unexpected source: the electric motor from a Tesla Model S P85. It was made by two Southern California shops, Zelectric Motors and EV West, which convert old Volkswagens and Porsches into modernized electric cars. It’s a new way to rescue aging vintage cars — though not everyone is happy with the idea.

 

 

 

 

 



#2 MiddletoM

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Posted 26 December 2019 - 12:23 PM

id love to put a tesla motor in a classic mini. now i know people on here wouldnt like the idea of someone doing that!



#3 g0myw

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Posted 26 December 2019 - 12:24 PM

I think the " Leaf " is another popular option for a less powerful conversion..



#4 yeti21586

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Posted 26 December 2019 - 05:26 PM

I'm tempted to make a hybrid mini, leccy motor up front and a jet engine in the boot to charge the battery's lol

#5 sonikk4

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Posted 26 December 2019 - 06:11 PM

I do think its way cool to be able to do this.

 

I do get the whole EV thing, but also the classic don't mess with a classic car thing as well. As the man said "its your car"

 

As long as you are not one of these eco warrior hypocrites who extol the virtue of EV transportation but in the same breath do not take into consideration where the materials come from to start with, how they are manufactured etc etc then why the hell not. 

 

The range on the VW was not brilliant so for us doing the London to Brighton would be a no no if you only had the range of that car. BUT you could have a blast with some serious instant power and torque.



#6 schelle63

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Posted 26 December 2019 - 06:11 PM

I think a Tesla-engine woud make the Mini undriveable, unless you build a RWD-car. It also looks as if a Leaf drivetrain causes severe problems because it does not fit into its proper location.

Markus



#7 DomCr250

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Posted 27 December 2019 - 12:23 PM

I think a Tesla-engine woud make the Mini undriveable, unless you build a RWD-car. It also looks as if a Leaf drivetrain causes severe problems because it does not fit into its proper location.

Markus

 

Markus,

 

There is a Leaf conversion being detailed on the forum - looks good if a little bit of a tight fit.

 

There is also a great conversion using a Suzuki Swift gearbox mounted with a AC motor.

 

Using a whole car makes it much more simple, as you just reconnect the mini lights to the EV's cars loom.



#8 Carlos W

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Posted 27 December 2019 - 01:24 PM

I think the Porsche 912 conversion was a shame. It’s a rare car.

I suppose depending upon the conversion it could be swapped back potentially.

The other issue I’d have would be around safety. Presumably the Tesla is designed to keep the batteries and wiring protected in a crash. I wonder what the conversion company are doing

#9 sonikk4

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Posted 27 December 2019 - 01:48 PM

I think the Porsche 912 conversion was a shame. It’s a rare car.

I suppose depending upon the conversion it could be swapped back potentially.

The other issue I’d have would be around safety. Presumably the Tesla is designed to keep the batteries and wiring protected in a crash. I wonder what the conversion company are doing

 

They did basically say the 912 was a basket case with a lot of key components missing like engine gearbox etc. So going on from there if you can bring back a classic like that with totally cutting edge motors etc then why not. They even mentioned that about the bug i believe but also any conversion. As we know with our cars there have been countless different conversions done, some you can return back to standard, others that would ultimately need a new shell.



#10 Simples

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Posted 28 December 2019 - 10:21 AM

The EV West stuff is generally made to be reversible, they’ve got a mental Tesla powered E36. There’s a company in the U.K. doing similar things, think they converted a Ferrari 308, also Jaguar and Aston have retrofitted electric motors into classic cars, it’s what’s always happened, as the technology becomes more available then it filters down to us lot

Edited by Simples, 28 December 2019 - 10:22 AM.


#11 Black.Ghost

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Posted 31 December 2019 - 05:25 PM

I think it’s great if it can be done properly and safely. For cars that would other wise end up rotting away, it’s great.

My concern is I have a relatively rare mini, but it’s in bits and I’m not getting anything from it. I can’t weld, and give them the rareness of the model would not want to balls it up. I’m also aware I don’t have the money for many years to pay for the restoration. Once I do get to that point, will I find that actually, it’s too expensive to drive or will the laws have moved on too much for me to even be able to drive it?

Then turning it electric sounds like a plausible solution. However, it’s too rare a model for that and then it’s be lost forever as what it is.

Tech wise, it’s great to see the ingenuity in doing this stuff.




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