Being a car guy/girl has its perks but it also has its drawbacks. Car people love cars regardless of age, design, make, model and everything other non-car people look at. Vehicle to them is a piece of art that needs to be loved and saved for as long as possible.
When it comes to old cars they have a special place in the hearts of car people. Modern design is all cool and everything but there is something to old-styled lines, smells, looks and performance that drives car people crazy and draws them like a moth to light.
Some will argue that old cars had soul and that they were there to make us both happy and serve our needs. The new cars do that as well, but somehow they do lack something and it is hard to pinpoint what exactly. Owners of old or vintage cars, who daily drive theirs, are getting in a lot of trouble lately. The troubles are tied to the emission systems and the fact that the vintage cars never cared about that.
Now, since we have polluted our planet to the line where we now have to use non-combustion engine cars, both new car owners and old car owners have to think electric. Electric cars are slowly taking over and each year we see them more and more. They are the future if we are thinking about 0 emissions and we will all have to accept that; the only problem is what are the old car lovers to do with that?!
As you could read from the title today we will discuss the issue of conversion of an old or vintage car into an electric one. Some companies do retrofit old cars with modern electric engines, and you can read about that at carlkruse.at, but today we will discuss costs and is worth it.
Money
We will divide the article into two parts and the money will be the first one since it is the focus. When it comes down to the money you have to consider the long run and the short run.
Retrofitting an old car with an electric engine will cost as much as buying a brand new one with a warranty included. The prices for retrofit of this type go from $25,000 to $35,000 which is roughly a price of a new Nissan Leaf or similar spec car. The price is still lower than what you would have to pay for a new Tesla Model 3 but hey, you have an old school car that has a soul to it.
If you consider the long run here and if you are keen on keeping your old car for the future and being able to drive it in the cities, then the price of conversion shouldn’t bother you because, in the long run, the car will pay for itself in registration costs as well as running costs. Another thing you need to consider is the state of your old car. The physical state is important if you are to see the benefits in the long run. This means that if you have a car that is rusty, structurally unsafe then you need to put more money into it to make it safe for both you and the conversion.
The short-run is estimating your costs today and worrying if the conversion and the investment will be a good short term solution. If you invest $30,000 for conversion and wait for it to be done several months, is it or can it be considered a smart investment? The fact that for the same amount of money you can go out and buy a brand new, warranted EV and drive it without a care in the world is something that is hindering this process. Plus, if you need your car ASAP you will most definitely put this idea to rest and simply go get an EV today and enjoy it tomorrow.
Love
Love is what makes us all think irrationally and give in to our feelings. This isn’t necessarily bad because those feelings and love toward something are what drive us as humans. If that love is pointed to a VW Golf MK1 from the 1980s, for instance, then let it be and let that little Golf of yours get a new wind and a new power plant that will allow it to stroll in all major cities that now have emission standards. If you have spent the last 20 years of your life behind that Golf and you loved and cared for it every day of those years then why not, for the sake of love, convert it and make it a car that will last another 10-15 years, and let its tires stroll the place where some cars from the 2000s will not be able to drive very soon.
Love is what makes us humans and if love is given to a metal box on wheels then let that love be expressed in an electric conversion that will allow you two together to enjoy each other’s company for a little while longer.
Love doesn’t mind costs, love doesn’t mind time spent in the workshop, planning, changing, replacing, making more rigid and safer, love only looks for that moment when you sit in your beloved vehicle, press that gas pedal and drive away in the sunset. Love will make us do crazy things, and thanks to the love this article is available today. Love is what made engineers start the conversion business in the first place. Love is what forced people to say I want my Mk3 Mini converted instead of buying a brand new one that is made electric from the factory. Love makes us do things and it is awesome.
The bottom line
The bottom line would be really up to you. As far as costs go making a conversion and buying a brand new EV is almost the same. Some EVs are a bit more expensive but hey, that is the price of popularity. If you have the money, and if you want to save your old car just for a while longer, making it efficient at the same time, go ahead make the conversion. A period of 3 to 9 months is the average waiting time, depending on who you choose to do the conversion, and if you can spare the money and stand the waiting time, why not, it will be worth it!
