Yahoo Autos EV Swaps for Defenders Are Coming to the US
UK-based Electrogenic partners with two US specialists to offer EV conversions for the Land Rover Defender, Jaguar E-Type, Triumph Stag, and Porsche 911.
Electrogenic's conversion kit for the Land Rover Defender is meant to be easily installed by a mechanic, trading its engine for a battery and attaching an electric motor to the existing clutch bell housing.
Two shops, one in Vermont and one in Texas, will offer EV conversions based on Electrogenic's kits.
There is something of a cottage industry in the UK for converting classic cars to electric power, whether to give older vehicles—from classic Austin Minis to Land Rovers—a new lease on life or just spice up an urban runabout. But for a number of reasons, these vehicles have been tough to import to the US.
That's about to change as one of the EV conversion specialists, Electrogenic, has partnered with two US companies to carry out conversions here in the US based on the company's own kits.
Oxford-based Electrogenic has teamed up with TATC, based in Vermont, as well as Xerbera in Texas, to convert Land Rover Defenders as well as the Jaguar E-Type, Triumph Stag, and Porsche 911 models to electric power using its "drop-in" EV conversion kits.
"We've been inundated with enquiries from North America since we first revealed the kits, which convert automotive icons to sophisticated EV power, so we're delighted to have such fantastic partners serving customers across the pond," said Steve Drummond, co-founder of Electrogenic.
Electrogenic's conversion kit for the Defender, for instance, is designed to be installed by a suitably qualified mechanic rather than some large specialist shop, and is meant to bolt in with minimal modifications to the interior. In the case of the Defender, an electric motor is bolted to the existing clutch bell housing, serving up 120 hp and 174 lb-ft of torque. The engine bay, meanwhile, receives a 52-kWh battery in place of the engine, with this setup designed to deliver 100 miles of range.