Electrogenic

Interest in converting older cars to electric drive has accelerated in recent years. According to the customer list of one of the main suppliers of battery solutions and electric motors, the UK is at the top, with dealers scattered around Europe. Sweden has one supplier, while the electric car country of Norway is currently untouched.

Several companies can convert cars with internal combustion engines to electric operation, but for now all are in the starting phase. One of the companies, Electrogenic Ltd, now offers conversion kits for certain car models, and aims to be able to deliver to workshops and restorers. One of the standard solutions is adapted to Land Rover. The simplest kit is called Agricultural Kit, where the conversion can be carried out according to a drop-in principle. In the future, you should be able to take your Land Rover to a local dealer and have it rebuilt. Agricultural Kit only requires remodeling inside the engine compartment. Larger kits require more extensive intervention – so large that they should be included as part of a restoration project.

Vass Technology

Most Land Rover Defenders on the road today are powered by Land Rover's own 2.5 5-cylinder turbodiesel TD5 or Ford Duratorq 2.4 or 2.2. Typical candidates for conversion are 12-15 year old, relatively well-used cars. Since the conversion will cost several hundreds of thousands of kroner, with upgrades to the steering, chassis, brakes and drivetrain, a certain degree of restoration will also be necessary. Vass Technology exhibited two Land Rovers at this year's event London Classic Car Show. These were restored down to the smallest detail, including changing the frame and undercarriage etc. The company is in the initial phase of developing solutions for converting cars with internal combustion engines to electric drive. The exhibition cars are prototypes for two different conversion solutions. They attracted the public not only because of their electric powertrains, but also because they were so beautifully restored. These are cars that would have attracted positive attention anyway even with their original diesel engines, but both cars now had Tesla engines and Jaguar I-Pace battery packs.

Not in Norway

Using Tesla motors and batteries does not mean that any formal collaboration exists. This can be bought freely on the international parts market. The company NetGain Motors, Inc. specializes in supplying basic components to professional rebuilders, such as Electrogenic. The company has 8 partners/dealers in the UK alone, and the same number spread across the rest of Europe, including 2 in Sweden. Electric car country Norway is untouched. Sweden has relatively liberal rules for conversions carried out by self-builders. The problem with today's electric car conversions is that they are considered significant conversions of previously type-approved vehicles, which is very demanding to get approved in this country. Only when the conversions take the step to produce standard solutions can they be approved by international agencies. Then it is possible that cars can be rebuilt in Norway as well. We are not there yet - and the conversions will hardly be possible without the politicians relaxing the rules so that it becomes easier to approve conversion to electricity.

Perhaps a case for the MDGs?

A car for life?

The Land Rover Defender is a British icon. They are solid, simple and unglazed working iron that fits in anywhere - in front of an old pub, manor house or commercial building made of glass and concrete. Classic Land Rovers will probably never go out of style. If you are going to have one car for the rest of your life, Land Rover is a good candidate. The Land Rover Defender (or earlier series) deserves an extra life - and is well suited for heavy batteries. The industry has already found that out. Almost all the British companies now offer solutions for Land Rover.

Electrogenic showcased the Porsche 911, Jaguar E-Type and Land Rover.

What hides underneath

Although Land Rover is better suited to electrical conversion than many other models, the kits do not differ much conceptually from other models. If you open the bonnet on the prototypes from Vass Technology, you will find a control box on top of a battery box. Another battery box is located behind where the fuel tank used to be. The Tesla engine sits between the frame walls in the middle of the car and is connected to a permanent 4×4 transmission. This is an expensive solution.

Electrogenic offers simpler solutions where the electric motor is fitted into the existing flywheel housing, so that the clutch and gear can still be used. According to the supplier, slippage in the clutch plates can save the drive if you drive "butt" into a tree stump or similar. They also offer a clutch-less drivetrain.

What speaks against electrical conversion

Electric Land Rover has some clear disadvantages. Regardless of what the suppliers might claim, I would never dare drive in water or wet mud. And what range will you really get on bad roads with snow or mud? With critical eyes, you can ask yourself - why hasn't Land Rover itself chosen to launch an electric Defender? The biggest objection will still be the price. If you convert a 15-year-old TD5, the price will easily end up in excess of what you have to pay for a brand new Land Rover Defender 110 with a plug-in hybrid drive (PHEV). Then it's tempting to put your old Land Rover up for sale and order a new Defender instead.

- although you can hardly keep it for the rest of your life.

Rebuilt cars

2012 Land Rover 90 TD5 Soft Top converted to electric power

Center screen - otherwise original seating arrangement

Vass Technology EV Defender 90 Soft Top

The donor car from 2012 has received a full nut-and-bolt restoration with a new Marsland frame, new interior and brakes, etc. The drivetrain consists of one Tesla engine with 286 HP and a torque of 600 Nm connected to constant 4×4. According to the supplier, the off-road capabilities are as good or better than the donor vehicle even without the low gear range. The battery pack is 83 Kwh and originates from the Jaguar I-Pace. Stated range is up to 272 km. The on-board charger can take 6,6 Kw and CCS fast charging 85 Kw. RHD. The car is for sale. Price: £119 (ex VAT) - NOK 995 million (ex VAT and weight tax).

EV Defender 110 TD5 XS Station Wagon

2004 model from Vass Technology has undergone full frame-off restoration with new springs and brakes. The car is equipped with tough "backdated" doors, external cage and soft top. The battery pack is 35 Kwh which gives a relatively low range of around 110 km. This car also has one Tesla engine of 286 HP and a torque of 600 Nm. The on-board charger can take 6,6 Kw and fast charging with CCS can take 38 Kw. RHD. The car is for sale. Price: £94 (exempt from VAT) - NOK 995 (ex VAT and weight tax).

New Land Rover Defender

The new Defender 110 XS Edition P400e 2.0 SI4 PHEV AWD plug-in hybrid produces 404 HP, and has a range of up to 43 km in electric mode. The price is NOK 1 before winter tires and extra equipment. This is therefore a real alternative to the converted cars above. In England you can actually get a Defender V323 for about the same price.

This beautiful Austin Healey has been converted to battery powered drivetrain - London Electric Cars

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Bertie is not like other folk wagons. It has been converted to an electric car. The 1200 motor has been replaced with an electric motor. The petrol tank has been removed and the front boot now contains batteries.

Batteries are also mounted under the rear seat. According to the manufacturer, no modifications have been made to the frame and bodywork. Only holes are drilled for the necessary cables and the like.

The solution had already been invented

I came across Bertie and his friends at the London Classic Car Show last week. ElectroGenic is a small company in Oxford that has started to convert older classics to electric drive, - so-called Retro EVs. Bertie is a rolling demo that shows the possibilities. That's it Secondly, the car they have built up. It Firstly, was a Volkswagen Pickup T1. With plenty of space under the plane, the T1 and T2 pickups are ideal for electric conversions. Another factor that has helped ElectroGenic to get started is that there actually exists a solution for converting air-cooled passenger cars to electricity. Bertie's engine is supplied by NetGear Motors, Inc. in the United States. On their website, anyone can order "Tesla" battery packs as well as a solution for fitting the electric motor into the flywheel housing on air-cooled passenger cars.

For ElectroGenic it must have been like arriving at a set table.

Fully electric car

Bertie looks like a completely original folk wagon. The only thing that reveals that it is an electric car are the rear tailpipes, which no longer exist er there. According to ElectroGenic, they can be mounted for visibility. The battery cells are the same as Tesla uses - 7 modules. In comparison, the Tesla Model S has 16 modules. This gives Bertie the same electrical capacity as the previous version of the Nissan Leaf – the one with a 30 Kwh battery. Practical range is stated at 140 miles (224 km) – and charging time one and a half hours. The engine produces 109 HP with a constant torque of 235 Nm. 0-100 should go away in 9 seconds and the top speed is stated at 160 km/h. Are both parts more of a theoretical interest?

London's zero emissions target

Interest in the retro electric cars at the motor show was enormous. Everyone had to look at the rebuilt cars. At the moment, there is growing interest in electric cars in London and other major cities due to the government's program to reduce emissions in the city centre. Motorists in London have to pay an expensive rush hour charge (£10,50-14,00 per day) - and an even more expensive charge for older cars. From 2021, the tax area will be increased, at the same time tax relief for zero-emission cars has been announced. Several London taxis already run on electricity.

Problem-free drivetrain

Driving a vintage car as an electric car can have many advantages over an original car. Even if everything is tip top, an original bubble from the 60s with carburettor and staples is not as reliable as today's cars during daily use. For some, old mechanics are part of the charm of driving an original bubble, but for others it means that the vintage car is only used on special occasions. Bertie is wonderfully clean and dry without having lost its "antique" value.

Weight

The image of Bertie in the open air is taken from a video where the car is driven on a country road. Without having driven it yourself, it is not possible to assess whether the center of gravity and weight distribution have changed significantly. I see that the car is quite heavy with two people on board - probably close to the original total weight. The front-mounted batteries do not seem to have made the car front-heavy. The stated payload of a 1963 Volkswagen 1200 is around 320 kg. The net weight of just under 800 kg includes the driver's weight and a full tank – 40 liters of petrol.

Is there room to install electric drive without strengthening the chassis and getting the car approved for a higher total weight?

We start at the back. A bubble motor weighs about 90 kg. The motor from NetGain weighs 54 kg - a saving of 36 kg. Without the front fuel tank, another 40 kg disappears. According to the manufacturer, the battery cells will comprise 7 packs of the same type as there are 16 in the Tesla Model S, - presumably with 85 KWH. Theoretically, bobble's batteries should then weigh 7/16 of Tesla's batteries - that is, 236 kg. This gives a net weight increase of 160 kg. The payload of the bubble is then reduced to 160 kg, which corresponds to 2 passengers plus 10 kg. The total weight will probably have to be increased, but the weight distribution still seems to be good, since the batteries are located both front and rear.

Price

ElectroGenic calculates GBP 35 (currently NOK 000) to convert your passenger car to electric operation. The price includes the necessary reinforcement of springs and brakes. Electromechanical power steering can be fitted at an additional cost. If you were to buy the Bertie today, you'd probably have to add £420 for the car itself. They have done a full restoration of it. For the same price (000 GBP) you can buy a new Tesla 20 Performance. The prices for the conversion are indicative. They depend on which engine and battery capacity the customer chooses, as well as what needs to be done on the vehicle itself.

Approval in Norway?

In Norway, it is difficult – but not impossible – to get electric car conversions approved. The problems include, among other things, documenting fire safety. It will probably be easier to get the conversion approved with a company like ElectroGenic behind it. Even easier when - or if - electric conversions become more widespread. We are currently in the pioneer phase. The engine that ElectroGenic has chosen for Bertie, for example, has serial number 42.

Wondering if anyone here at home dares to start a commercial conversion of public transport vehicles?

PHOTOS

Bertie — Conversion no. 3. The engine compartment in the Triumph Stag looks good. Although the model has never had a reliable drivetrain, I would be wary of converting a Stag to electric.

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Temperature control of electric car batteries — Active battery cooling?

ElectroGenic

NetGain Motors, Inc.

Electric Parts Company

HONEST ABOUT CARS

Electrogenic

A new spring for an old Land Rover?

Electrogenic

Vass Technology

Not in Norway

A car for life?

What hides underneath

What speaks against electrical conversion

Rebuilt cars

Vass Technology EV Defender 90 Soft Top

EV Defender 110 TD5 XS Station Wagon

New Land Rover Defender

Overview of companies

Netgain Motors dealers

Other dealers

See

Tesla drive in the bubble

The solution had already been invented

Fully electric car

London's zero emissions target

Problem-free drivetrain

Weight

Price

Approval in Norway?

PHOTOS

See