[dmills66]

Is it possible to take a vintage vehicle body and retrofit it with EV technology?

 

[80698]

Yes. But it's expensive, difficult, the results may not be as good as you hoped either. You've got to find somewhere to keep the batteries too.

Plenty of people have done EV conversions though. It's just not as straightforward as you first think and you often have to make sacrifices.

 

[TimSharrock]

FullyCharged.Show have covered some, eg https://fullycharged.show/episodes/ev-resto-modding/

 

[Zomb]

@henryv did get a 911 targa converted, and created a lengthy post here to detail the story as it happened. The thread: Electric 911!!

 

[Hairy Leafer]

I would presume cars like those pictured with a proverbial f tonne of spare space in the boot and bonnet are easier to convert than European econoboxes though, and decent beetle, mini and minor conversions have been made. They wont be economic upgrades though and will often be more expensive than buying a nearly new or sometimes brand new EV.

 

[RobEV]

There was an article on the BBC about it a couple of months ago https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-48956000

It's only worth doing it on higher value classic cars.

 

[Vertigo]

Companies have been doing this sort of thing for decades. You probably won't get much change vs. buying a new Model 3, but if you're genuinely interested, try contacting EV West or CanEV for a quote.

It'd be something to do because you love the car rather than to save money though.

 

[AnotherJoe]

There was an article on the BBC about it a couple of months ago https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-48956000
It's only worth doing it on higher value classic cars.

And even then some might disagree with that because it's no longer a "real" classic car and it's lost the value it had on that account.
Devils advocate, why not buy (say) a Leaf or Zoe and put a fibreglass replica body on it? Would it be nearly as authentic as a classic with engine and associated ICE components removed, new shocks etc, drive experience completely different, and the body probably with a very high amount of non original metal to replace rusted panels maybe new safety glass, reupholstered seats etc . Plus the replica would retain the space of the original rather than maybe losing some to batteries in the boot.
I saw a YouTube, probably Fully Charged,where they did a Morris minor I think. Just as unsafe as the original, tiny range, what's the point ?