Vintage Voltage

11 VINTAGE VOLTAGE VINTAGE VOLTAGE

Following the release of the second season of ‘Vintage Voltage’ on discovery+, EV Powered caught up with Richard ‘Moggy’ Morgan to talk all things EV conversions.

What inspired you to start converting classic cars over to electric?

Having had classic cars all my life I wanted to improve one of my cars so I could use it as a daily driver. That meant making it extremely reliable, reducing the maintenance and increasing the power to be able to keep up with modern traffic. Converting it to electric seemed the obvious choice. That was 6 years ago now. Why is it so important to electrify classic cars?

Converting a classic car to electric has so many benefits for the owner and the planet. As well as zero emissions out of the tail pipe, there is no need for oil changes, tune ups, filter changes, belt changes, new spark plugs and all the regular engine servicing that comes with a classic car to keep it on the road. This makes them much easier to live with and enjoy on a daily basis, and more accessible to the younger generation that might not be ‘au fait’ with maintenance on a classic car. What have been some of your favourite projects to work on so far?

We’ve converted over 70 cars in the past five years, so it’s tough to pick a favourite. Some of the highlights include a Ferrari 308, BMW E9 CSL, Delorean and some very quick Land Rover Defenders. Which classic cars do you think would make for the perfect EV?

Any classic car can be converted to electric, however, ones that had a classic design but were let down by the engine are always a good basis. The Delorean is a great example of that. Last year, we spoke with Ian Callum and he said electric car designs are too conventional. Are modern EV designs too boring in your opinion?

Exactly. That’s one of the reasons why I converted my first car. We had a good look at what new EVs were on the market and found them all a little boring. What do you say to old-school petrolheads who believe that electrifying classic cars is wrong?

I was one of them six years ago, so I can completely understand where they are coming from. But once they have a go in one of our electric classics, they soon see things our way. Driving an EV, after driving an ICE for so many years, the first sensation is one of quiet smooth acceleration, but lots of acceleration. It feels very eery to start with, but you soon get used to it. They’re also so much easier to live with compared to an ICE car. It’s a little like converting your home from coal fireplaces to a modern central heating system.