Although there still are voices than say otherwise, it does look like we are looking at an all-electric future for the automobile industry. Manufacturers are already heading that way with their new cars, and owners of older vehicles are getting a pass toward this new world as well.
We are already seeing multiple small companies rerouting their efforts toward electrification, as a need to convert gasoline-powered cars to electric power will most likely emerge in the near future. And with so many people putting their brains to work on this task, who knows how much faster the technology surrounding EVs is going to evolve.
After all, when Mate Rimac first started fiddling around with the idea of having an electric car, he converted his gas-powered BMW E30, and look where he is now, some 10 years later. Even the like of Bisi Ezerioha, owner of Bisimoto has gone the same way with one of his Porsches, and things don't seem to stop here.
We've just recently seen Jonny - who used to be a host on Fifth Gear many years ago, driving an EV swapped Mazda MX-5 NB. Now the MX-5 was already a pretty fun chassis to go around in, and with its original engine being not all that impressive, an electric swap couldn't really hurt, could it?
The MX-5 developed by the people over at Zero EV will serve as a test mule for their upcoming projects, and we wouldn't be surprised if more Mazda owners would actually make the switch over to electric power. Current range sits at around 100 miles (160 km), but they do mention that more careful driving could provide a slight increase in autonomy.
In this new setup, the electric motor develops 120 horsepower and 169 lb-ft (230 Nm) of torque, which makes for a 0 to 60 mph (97 kph) acceleration time of 8.5 seconds, so pretty much identical to the top of the range 1.8-liter MX-5 NB. After Jonny guides through the workings of the little MX-5, we get to see a very special EV converted car at the end, an RWD Nissan Skyline R32, which might be seeing some sideways action in 2021.
The things Dragos enjoys the most in life are, in no particular order: cars, motorcycles, diecast cars, and drifting. He's seen (and driven) many vehicles since he started his writing career back in 2009, but his garage currently houses a 1991 Mazda RX-7 FC3S Turbo II and a 1999 Suzuki SV650-S. Full profile
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