The new crate motor by EV West and Revolt fits just like a small-block Chevy

[Grace]

One of the biggest hurdles to EV swaps has been for builders to construct a driveline that can withstand the capable torque of an electric motor, along with the big question of how to mount it in between the frame rails. The solution for a while has been to make custom motor plates under the hood from which that the motor can hang. Then, building a drive adapter to match a motor's output shaft with a driveshaft yoke usually involves spinning off custom-machined parts, which is both expensive and raises the barrier of entry.

Read the full article on Hagerty.com: https://www.hagerty.com/media/news/the-new-crate-motor-by-ev-west-and-revolt-fits-just-like-a-small-...

[sharkguy48]

Have seen EV West provide a swap-in cradle and electric motor conversions for Porsches.  EZ swap mechanically.  Not so EZ $$$.  Alas, its only money.

[hyperv6]

Fitting an electric motors not the problem. 

The issue is retro fitting enough batteries in a vehicle to make it worth while, safe and still handle well. 

Most EV cars are designed around the batteries not the electric motors. 

[Sajeev]

Nailed it. My biggest concern with these upgrades is how safe the occupants are in an accident, either from a collision or some sort of battery fire.  

[Hagerty Fan]

Everyone pushing EV pushes the performance. No one talks about the danger of EV conversions and repairs. A person making contact with wrong contacts would die of electrocution, I think I'll stay with gas and 12V.

[TimeFixers]

You had me. Until the price was mentioned.

[bowtieman502]

The day I can't drive my American V8 and feel the rumble, I will stop driving.

[Oldimpala]

Nope, nope, nope. 

Another two factors nobody discussed is battery longevity if they're not used consistently (as many toy cars aren't) and weight. 

If I don't drive my car all winter, even if I don't start it, they fire right up. I can let the FI system drain or float bowl evaporate. Worst case, even with Ethanol, I'm out a few bad words, a soak in the parts washer, and a carb rebuild kit. 

Let a Lithium Ion cell battery fully discharge and tell me how that works out for you.

I'm not sold on electric vehicles, on so many levels, from range to recharge times and ongoing costs... I'm good. 

Until they can get me to 500mi range in five minutes, like I can on the gas burner, I'm out. 

[Daniel]

What a joke 35K?

[greenhue]

For the price of parts, plus the batteries, plus the software, why not just butcher a used Prius and retrofit a classic Mustang body onto it. 

[964c4]

Gross. This defeats the purpose of vintage vehicles.

[jluvzcrz]

Ditto that. "Hey listen to the motor in my '69 Camaro....what you don't hear anything?"

[CJinSD]

Unless people start reading the bill of rights again, there are going to be more electric cars than anyone wants or has any use for soon enough. Why add to the problem?

[MarkIII]

It is a clever setup for sure and I was all about it until the issue of batteries occurred to me. Depending on what you are converting, the suspension and handling could be adversely effected by the weight. Fun to drive but a whole bunch of hurdles to overcome design and cost wise.

[3DClayman]

Electric cars produce more CO2 than petrol burners.

https://www.investors.com/politics/editorials/electric-cars-co2-emissions-global-warming/

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/electric-cars-are-not-necessarily-clean/

[532nmFlash]

I just read both of the articles linked above. Neither says that electric cars produce more CO2 than petrol burners. Both articles say that you must include the CO2 produced when generating the electricity used in producing and charging the batteries. This is only obvious. To quote one of these articles in summary,  "Worldwide, the researchers found, the CO2 emissions from electric cars are equal to a 51.5 mpg car. That is better than conventional cars on the road today, to be sure, but it is far from zero."

[Xaganhillman]

Wrong.   Plus you deny that fossil fuels are finite.  Apparently you think oil will come out of the ground for ever.

[packardboy]

Interesting idea, though I would think that the motor would be a little cheaper than $25-35,000, since it doesn't appear to include batteries and such (your budget will have to stretch to include the associated motor controllers, batteries, and hardware.).

[Ed_Turbo]

Yes, the price is too high right now. However, this is expected with new technology such as this (look at your worthless once valued computer somewhere in storage). This is the future guys- have a little optimism.

[Islander]

What does cross-pollinating gas engines mean?  None of this makes sense, batteries are toxic, juice is not free of emissions. No one needs outrageous acceleration (once in awhile fun maybe, but unnecessary).

If one is compelled to convert to something, go with an efficient ICE

[3DClayman]

The pictures are not showing the expensive throttle control computer or accessory drive for A/C.

[wilcom]

I wasn't even remotely interested and then I saw the price! Now I'm searching for a word that means a 1,000 x "not remotely interested"

[turquoisetom]

Electric cars are the worse idea since global warming! If they were practical our electrical infrastructure in this country can't support all the AC now. What is going to happen when millions of people plug in their cars every night?

[Roady68]

I wonder how this could fit into classic muscle car using hydrogen fuel cells to generate power.  H2FCs have been replacing batteries in fork trucks in large warehouses for years.  Though refueling would be more difficult as there are limited refueling stations (mostly in southern California). 

[silverado]

No way jose!!! that's all I got to say.

[Pops]

I can’t really picture my 70 Chevy PU with this but I never thought it would have an LS either, it is intriguing. 

[RJMatt]

Somehow that just does not look as good as a V8 with headers in the front, and the beer keg fuel tank out back.

[ScooterMcGavin]

Would love a 4WD transfer case that’s compatible with this set up

[JAG]

So for about $50,000 you can get the equivalent power of a medium upgraded LS motor (torque will be great though) in a vehicle that will go maybe 200 miles.  Oh, no AC or heat, and no exhilarating engine noise?  Not ready to sign up.  All this signals is that the end of the vintage car market is getting closer.

[llawrence9]

Will home builders have safety systems in place to prevent electrocution or lithium fires in the event of a mishap?

Current electric vehicles are capable of 0-60 in 3 seconds, beyond the experience of all but the most skilled race car drivers.

Will they have the skills and means to upgrade the braking systems of repowered hot rods?

[TB]

As I have stated before, after all the classic cars now 'restomodded' appearing on Mecum etc.  Are they going to put the last original '63 Vette Split Window coupe in the Peterson for people to see how it was????

[Tim]

I was interested until the $25,000-$35,000 part. 😄 

[Michael]

This EV stuff is a stroke of genius for any tax authority. Fossil fuels are subject to the highest and easiest applied taxes worldwide. As we keep using less and less of it, what better to do than coming up with a new source. Eliminate the gas and diesel and it won't be long until a kWh is no longer 13 cents , but rather a 1.13 dollar or more. With the added benefit that you get to charge everyone with a light bulb, not only vehicle owners.

[Falcon_Bob]

You lost me at the $25K to $35K price range....LOL

No thanks, I will wait until we run out of 'Dinosaur Fuel'

[55longroof]

Hell no, there would be no thunder behind the car...

[spark123]

Zero emissions,  hardly!  More like about the same as that SBC it is replacing and A ton of torque that needs to be throttled back to that of a SBC???   At a $35K price tag that makes no more sense than powering the car with a hamster on a wheel.  

Why would you put all that power through a ring and pinion?  Mount it transversely and modify the tesla drivetrain to add adjustment for the various wheelbases.

[46HudsonPU]

Defeats the intent/purpose of the whole thing, doesn't it?

[Rider79]

Would I? No.  This is most certainly not what vintage cars are about.

Personal biases aside, the price is ludicrous - and that is before one buys batteries, and the necessary other hardware to run the electric motor.  And as many have mentioned, what about the weight of the batteries - and space consumed?  And for what?  How likely that one would ever drive enough on electricity to offset the extra cost of this drivetrain, as versus a SBC?  Or, even drive enough to make the "carbon" reduction meaningful, in a vintage car?  Nothing more than a novelty.  If you want electric, buy a Bolt or a Taycan, for example - cars that were actually engineered to be electric! 

[StephenStIves]

A characterless, soulless, coal-powered-by-proxy vacuum cleaner motor with the road-to-hell-good-intention of saving the planet from the radiation of the sun? PERFECT!!! Just perfect for the government-indoctrinated Millennial Zombie hordes who will buy these abominations as a virtue-signal. As General Patton said, if this is the "future", I'm glad I won't be here to see it. Being old has it's advantages.

So the subject line on the email message linking to this article is "Would you swap a small-block Chevy for this EV drive train?' Lemme think about it NO!

[jmine]

I would put it in my C10 if I had $50,000+ just for the motor/drivetrain but it is not realistic for most of us I think.  Also battery management and battery cooling are crucial for the new EV's.  It's getting better.  I saw a lot of EV West projects in the past without battery cooling which should degrade the batteries much faster but they options now, expensive options but they are improving.

[drhino]

Bad enough putting a Chevy engine in a Ford Hot Rod; but this...

Nothing like a car that sounds like someone running the sweeper to get your heart racing!

And by the way; “zero emissions”?  Only if the electricity is produced without any emissions. 

[ChevyKev]

After seeing the story headline last week, I eagerly read the article to find out the cost. What a shock/disappointment. 30K? Gimme a break, howabout something affordable for the average enthusiast, I personally don't know anyone who has that kind of cash to invest in a "just for fun" hobby. I'm sure some rich guy would to have love his staff install one. But that's not most hobbiests. Spare me.

[RALPHIII]

I don't buy it, 25-25K **bleep** YOU

[Tomko]

I spoke with them last weekend about this. For the $50-$60k price for the motor, battery, etc, I'd say no way. It looks cool though and the idea is pretty sweet. But for a novelty, the price is just too extreme.

[Corkola]

Would you swap this unit into your next project?     No.

[TonyT]

People, people, PEOPLE! To all those naysayers that want nothing to do with this, you're missing the point! As members of the car-loving community, you are required to jump on the bandwagon. Electric motive power is the only answer to our ever-dwindling supply of petroleum. We must lead to charge to alternative means of powering our transportation devices so that our future generations can live in world free of harmful emissions and are able to frolic in never-ending meadows with daisies and butterflies... (Urp) Sorry. I can only do this for so long until I start to taste last night's dinner. Why not consider a hydrogen conversion? Byproduct? Water. Still get to run a lumpy cam, still get to have A/C and heat, and still able to polish this shiny rocker covers. And no battery weight. Win, win, WIN!

[OldCarMan]

The motor was the easy part. Where do you put enough batteries to get adequate range?

[Tsteinmetz53]

Keep it!

[docric]

I can see it now... I breeze into the car show/ rod run/ etc, in my 72 red convertible stingray. 383 strocker normally thumping. Instead the whirring of the EV sounding like my mothers old sowing machine.  My friends ask if I've been covid tested,  because I must be SICK. My bank account is empty, my trophy goes to the 69 Camaro parked beside me. 3 2o something year olds are the only people even glancing under the hood all day. I drive home missing that sound that always caused me to never even turn on the radio. Thanks, but no thanks!!!

[DaveVan]

I have a 46 Ford coupe with 350 motor....I'd be happy to be a test bed for the EV  motor.....But I do not have $35K in the entire car so I ain't going EV with my wallet!!! It is funny that back about 1985 I wrote a short story about hot rodders in about 2020 that were forced to replace their gasoline motors with electric. The lead character had a 70 Mustang 'BOSS' and bragged he had a sound system that made the car sound like it did in the old days! With all HP regulated the 'original sound' became the point of pride! Didn't think I'd see it!