What Are "Retro-Electric" Cars?

Forget next generation eco-friendly vehicles rolling out of factories. Utah-based company EV Wilderness is blazing a trail and giving past their prime petrol cars a new lease on life. Already, the company has created more than 3000 of these ‘retro-electric’ vehicles, which transform petrol guzzling cars into eco-friendly rides.  

Teaching old engines new tricks

To date, freeing the auto industry from its reliance on fossil fuels has depended heavily on big breakthroughs in battery technology. But now, EV Wilderness is test driving a new breed of electric car, which focusses on repackaging the past, as opposed to leaving it in the dust.

While next generation electric vehicles may be efficient, the manufacturing process is expensive, energy-intensive and environmentally damaging. So, in a bid to ensure that the electric revolution gets Mother Nature’s tick of approval, SMEs like EV Wilderness believe that retrofitting existing petrol vehicles is the way forward. Post-revamp, the result is clean, green, electric vehicles that could help to slash global carbon emissions.

“The future of transportation is electric, no question,” muses EV Wilderness owner Brian Berrett. “So converting old vehicles always seemed like a good idea to us. Why let them go to waste? Essentially it’s a recycling business because you’re taking a car from the scrapyard and giving it a longer life. If you could show auto shops all over the world how to do this work, it could produce a big change.”

Affordable, and eco-friendly

And the best thing? Converted cars sell from anywhere between £2,800 and £6,600, which makes them far more affordable than their brand new electric counterparts. Costs are kept down through the use of simple yet effective battery kits, which see cars hit speeds of up to 55mph, backed with a driving range of up to 50 miles. For those that prefer a little more firepower, other companies are trialling more expensive lithium batteries, which help to ease the ‘range anxiety’ stigma that accompanies electric cars. 

Giving electric cars European sex appeal

The conversion revolution isn’t just firing up in the USA, but also across the globe. France, start-up company Ian Motion is retrofitting Austin Minis with lithium battery powered engines, that offer drivers ranges of up to 100 miles. Though the cost reflects the prestige of the British classic, with a proposed price tag of £34,000.

“The process of building a new car is costly, in terms of energy and greenhouse gas emissions, so we have to take advantage of all those cars that are close to the end of their life, restore and electrify them,” explains Roland Schaumann, co-founder of Ian Motion.

For Schaumann, the goal is not just to revive classic cars, but to glamourise the concept of ‘retro electric’ rides and encourage carbon-conscious European consumers to embrace what he refers to as the “ecological transition.”

Building on the hype are experts like Professor David Greenwood, head of energy storage research at Warwick University’s manufacturing group. He maintains that in the future, EV conversions could be used to unlock even bigger environmental and economic gains when used to power commercial vans, trucks and buses.

Until the electric revolution arrives, the oil industry is taking milestone steps to improve its eco-credentials. ‘Accurate and Precise Quality Control for Lubricants and Fuels by EDXRF’ looks at the use of elemental analysis with EDXRF, and how it’s being used to guarantee optimal engine and machine performance while safeguarding the natural environment.