I’m honestly amazed there are not more conversion kits. Pull the IC powertrain and gas tank, replace with battery and electric motor. It’s obviously way harder than it seems or I think a lot of folks would be doing it.
I think the main issue is that it takes a lot of engineering from the ground up to make an electric car with good range and performance. Maybe if batteries get significantly better, then conversions will get more popular.
They actually even make cars exactly like that. They’re pretty compromised cars though. An E-Golf for instance is just what it sounds like: they took the existing Golf and made it an EV.
Right, you need to do that engineering yourself. And ICE engines are heavy, so it typically is reasonable to work out as the lighter engine compensates for the battery weight. It is a design task, not a project killer.
If modern EVs are anything to go by, the battery weight will be substantially more than the weight of an ICE engine plus gearbox etc. But yes, it'd be for the hobbyist to figure out the details and whether it is safe enough to drive.
