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Electric ‘crate motor’ turns any classic into an EV

A new plug-and-play 'crate motor' promises to turn essentially any car into an electric vehicle.


The market for electrified classic vehicles is growing, thanks to cars like the Jaguar E-Type Zero and the Aston Martin DB5 EV that starred at the 2018 Royal Wedding.

Homemade conversions with repurposed Tesla batteries are also becoming increasingly common. Swindon Powertrain wants to make it easier for low-volume manufacturers to create electric versions of classic, rare, and unique vehicles.

"To date, niche manufacturers have not had access to compact, high-power EV powertrains they could source in low to mid volume, leading to a vacuum of supply," said Swindon Powertrain managing director, Raphael Caille.

"When you factor in development costs, specialist OEMs haven't been able to electrify their vehicles as quickly as they would like."

"Our ready-to-install 'crate' powertrain will accelerate EV adoption in sectors poorly served by the larger tier one manufacturers and integrators," he added.

Swindon Powertrains says its 'crate' motor – made up of a motor, inverter, single-speed transmission, and cooling system – will slot into cars as small as a classic Mini, or into vehicles like quad bikes.

It outputs 80kW, and can be mated with a lithium-ion battery of essentially any size. Remember, plug-and-play.

The development team already builds an original Mini with its in-house motor, with 125mi (200km) of range from its 24kWh battery pack.

The 98km/h sprint takes 9.2 seconds, and Swindon Powertrain says the original 68/32 (front/rear) weight distribution has been changed to a more balanced 57/43.

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