Photo: Ford
Introduced at the 2021 SEMA Show, Ford's first electric crate motor, the Eluminator, is sold out after just a few days on the market.
Priced at $3,900 and first showcased in a 1978 Ford F-100 pickup truck, the Eluminator proved to be a lot more popular than the company predicted. It took only a few days for Ford to sell all units built so far, but the motor will soon return in stock.
"Demand has exceeded expectations. We're currently out of stock and interested customers can sign up to be notified when they are available again to order," Emma Bergg of Ford Electric Vehicle Communications told Motor Trend.
The company did not disclose the number of Eluminators sold so far, but representatives said they were "very pleased with demand."
The Eluminator's success isn't very surprising though. EV swaps have turned into a serious trend over the last couple of years, with builders mostly opting for Tesla motors and battery packs. With the market in need of an electric crate motor, the Eluminator arrived just in time to save builders from sourcing damaged Teslas for components.
The 2021 SEMA Show was packed with EV conversion solutions, including both suppliers that offer turnkey packages and shops that specialize in Tesla swaps. With Ford itself having promoted the Eluminator as a solution for classic vehicles and also given the affordable price, I'm not at all surprised that demand exceeded production. Especially considering that the e-crate motor hit the assembly line not long ago.
It remains to be seen whether EV swaps will become more popular than traditional hot-rodding, but it will definitely gain even more traction over the next few years. The Eluminator's (still limited) success will surely prompt other brands to roll out electric crate motors and that will be excellent news for the market.
And before you say that EV swaps will be just another nail in the traditional engine's coffin, keep in mind that crate motors will eventually help keep classic cars on the road.
As a brief reminder, the Eluminator motor is taken from the Mustang Mach-E and generates 281 horsepower and 317 pound-feet (430 Nm) of torque in this crate configuration. It can be combined with another one to deliver 480 horses and 634 pound-feet (840 Nm) in an AWD setup like showcased in Ford's all-electric F-100 truck concept.
The only drawback is that builders will still need to source a battery pack to power the Eluminator.
"Demand has exceeded expectations. We're currently out of stock and interested customers can sign up to be notified when they are available again to order," Emma Bergg of Ford Electric Vehicle Communications told Motor Trend.
The company did not disclose the number of Eluminators sold so far, but representatives said they were "very pleased with demand."
The Eluminator's success isn't very surprising though. EV swaps have turned into a serious trend over the last couple of years, with builders mostly opting for Tesla motors and battery packs. With the market in need of an electric crate motor, the Eluminator arrived just in time to save builders from sourcing damaged Teslas for components.
The 2021 SEMA Show was packed with EV conversion solutions, including both suppliers that offer turnkey packages and shops that specialize in Tesla swaps. With Ford itself having promoted the Eluminator as a solution for classic vehicles and also given the affordable price, I'm not at all surprised that demand exceeded production. Especially considering that the e-crate motor hit the assembly line not long ago.
It remains to be seen whether EV swaps will become more popular than traditional hot-rodding, but it will definitely gain even more traction over the next few years. The Eluminator's (still limited) success will surely prompt other brands to roll out electric crate motors and that will be excellent news for the market.
And before you say that EV swaps will be just another nail in the traditional engine's coffin, keep in mind that crate motors will eventually help keep classic cars on the road.
As a brief reminder, the Eluminator motor is taken from the Mustang Mach-E and generates 281 horsepower and 317 pound-feet (430 Nm) of torque in this crate configuration. It can be combined with another one to deliver 480 horses and 634 pound-feet (840 Nm) in an AWD setup like showcased in Ford's all-electric F-100 truck concept.
The only drawback is that builders will still need to source a battery pack to power the Eluminator.
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