Once again, buying new isn’t the only option for EV adoption. You can always just convert an older car—even a coveted, high-dollar classic like an air-cooled Porsche 911. The icon now works with a drop-in kit capable of toasting tires with almost 3,000 pound-feet of wheel torque.
The kit comes from Electrogenic, a British firm that has conducted EV conversions on a broad range of classic European and American cars. The 911’s popularity apparently justified developing a drop-in kit for it, specifically the air-cooled 964 and G-body cars. It integrates the motor, inverter, charger, cooling system, and part of the battery on a custom rear subframe that bolts right to the factory mounts. It even includes custom driveshafts, whose importance will become obvious in a sec.
Electrogenic’s 911 kits are offered at two power levels, which share most of their components. They have a common 62 kilowatt-hour (kWh) battery good for 180 to 200 miles of range, which can be fast-charged with a CCS connector.
Where they differ is at the motor: the base version generates 215 horsepower and a claimed 2,353 lb-ft, good for zero to 60 mph in under five seconds. Then there’s the performance option, with 322 hp and an even greater 2,868 lb-ft, which will do zero to 60 in 3.8 seconds. I would guess someone forgot to carry a decimal, but that’s really what Electrogenic’s site says it makes at the wheels.
Electric Porsche 911 Drop-In Conversion Kits | Electrogenic
What the kit costs isn’t listed, though EV conversions typically run tens of thousands of dollars. Designing the conversion as a kit may offer economies of scale, but the simplicity itself may also command a premium. It’s not like classic Porsche owners are short on cash to throw around, though whether or not they want to go EV is another matter entirely.
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