Only a few people know why Honda Civic owners get a lot of hate from other car enthusiasts. Just like BMW owners and their turn signals – it's more of the association with people who drive them than the car itself. Civic owners have been labeled Fast and Furious wannabes and strong expediters of the 'form over function' car culture ideology.
There's a high likelihood a car is a late 90s Honda Civic if it's riced-out, with a loud exhaust, causing mayhem at your local convenience store parking lot or cutting guys off in traffic. It's by design they get abused. These cars are cheap, plentiful, reliable, easy to maintain, and better yet, easy to boost on a budget.
All you need to do is get a K20 engine, slap a massive turbo on it, get a tune – and wait for VTEC to kick in! If you want to rub it in, get a bunch of sponsor stickers. It adds a couple of hypothetical ponies and gives off an aggressive demeanor.
Chad Bee of the CB Media YouTube channel recently checked out an unusual Honda Civic in Thailand. The Thailand-based ECU-Shop owners gave an unlikely treatment to the globally-abused Civic. It's not your regular parts-bin-built ricer but an electrified version of the EG Civic. Chad believes it's the best thing after a K20-swap.
The folks at ECU-Shop Thailand sourced three universal electric vehicle engines. They CNC-machined a plate to mount all three motors, which use a chain to drive a five-speed sequential transmission. The result is; 250 hp (253 ps) and 440 lb-ft (597 Nm) of torque to the front wheels. Chad did not specify the range of the electrified Civic EG hatchback.
Two hundred fifty ponies are nothing new in the world of tunning Civics. Parts-bin builds are making more than 300 hp (304 ps) easy.
Photo: YouTube Screenshot/CB Media
Still, this build is remarkable because it's the future of motoring. This electrified Civic is the future of the automotive world in its classic form.
"I've been in some fast EVs, but I think this, being a sequential transmission, is the same as a stock car. There's zero additional weight added. It weighs the same as a factory EG hatchback. Just with absolute instant 440 lb-ft of torque at the wheels," Chad of CB Media revealed.
Unlike most EVs, ECU-Shop saved the transmission on this car and, as such, it uses a sequential 5-speed gearbox. Thanks to the instantaneous torque, you don't need to start in first gear.
From the video, the Civic is quite responsive to gear shifts, even though the electric motors make it sound like it is powered by a washing machine.
Chad thinks the electric engine in the EG Civic is much better than any B-Series engine put on the EG hatchback. In his opinion, the B-Series engine line could never sound anything close to a German V8 or American LS.
The electric-swapped EG Civic is a fascinating build and a benchmark for future ICE to EV performance car swaps.
We can hate on Civic owners all we want – but beneath all that hate, we know deep down all great car tuners started with cheap backyard builds with cars like the Civic.
Are you curious how this electrified Civic bolts on the track? You can catch that action and more in the video below.
Humphrey is a car enthusiast whose love and passion for automobiles extended into collecting, writing, driving, and working on cars. He got his passion for cars from his Dad, who spent thousands of hours working on his old junky 1970 E20 Toyota Corolla. Years later, he would end up doing the same with a series of lemons he’s owned throughout his adult life. Full profile
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