As electric and hydrogen cars become popular, it is inevitable that combustion cars will disappear from the roads. It is not only because the market is evolving, but also because laws are coming that will limit and even prohibit the circulation of polluting cars. In most cases, this will be an improvement, but it also means that some mythical vehicles cannot start again.
However, there are many projects to convert combustion cars into electric cars, but they all encounter the same problem – not every car has space for an electric motor and batteries.
Electric GT, a California startup, has an interesting idea – why not take advantage of the space that already exists for the combustion engine. The company has created an “Electric Crate Motor,” a modular electric motor designed to replace the internal combustion engine without any additional modifications.
This engine has the right shape and size to be installed in the bay of a classic combustion car without problems. Also, as it is modular, it is possible to remove or adapt a multitude of parts and power needs according to the requirement. The company will offer two crate motors, the strongest generating just under 180 kilowatts (240 horsepower) and 460 newton-meters (340 pound-feet) of instant electric torque.
Its creators define it as a plug-and-play system with high performance and very low maintenance, almost zero. Visually, the new electric Crate Motor will also look almost like a V6 or V8, so that they do not violate the aesthetics of the engine compartment of the classic cars.
Electric GT’s business idea is that customers request an engine for a specific car and receive it with the necessary accessories. The objective is that the customer can change the combustion engine for the electric one without any difficulties. It can even be installed without changing the transmission, since it is compatible with manual gears, programming it to provide torque depending on the gear in which we are.
This may be the key to continue driving classic cars without violating emissions regulations. However, at the moment, this engine is still in development.
