- Plug-and-play kit transforms the 1920’s Ford Model A into an EV.
- It comes with a 25.7 kWh battery pack and an electric motor that’s three times more powerful than the original gas engine.
- It doesn’t come cheap, though.
With nearly five million units sold in less than five years, the Ford Model A is one of the most ubiquitous pre-war classic cars out there. It has served as the base for countless hot rod builds and wacky conversions over the years, but this one is a little bit different.
Thanks to a drop-in kit made by Texas-based Flash Drive Motors, any Model A owner could transform their gas-burning, nearly a hundred-year-old classic into an electric car that’s much more powerful, quiet, and comfortable than the original.
Converting a classic into an EV will always raise eyebrows among enthusiasts because the beating heart of the car–its engine–is replaced with what many consider to be an appliance. An electric motor doesn’t stir emotion like a finely-tuned inline-six or V-8 lump can, but for pure power and convenience, it’s hard to beat an electric drive unit.
In the case of Flash Drive’s conversion kit, the motor in question is a NetGain Hyper 9 rated at 125 horsepower and 175 pound-feet of torque. That’s a huge difference compared to the 40 hp of the original 3.3-liter fitted by Ford to the Model A.
The best part about this kit is that everything is included in the box, and it’s dead easy to do the conversion at home, as you can see in the video embedded above. The electric motor bolts straight to the original three-speed transmission through a custom-made adapter plate. Wiring, bolts, brackets–everything is included, and there are minimal modifications that need to be made to the original car, like drilling some holes and replacing the radiator with a lookalike that includes a Tesla-designed charging port on top.
The kit comes with Felon battery modules with a total capacity of 25.7 kilowatt-hours, as well as an Orion battery management system, an electronic throttle assembly, and a 3.3-kilowatt on-board charger that also keeps the 12-volt battery topped up.
It’s a great way to keep a classic alive and up for daily driving duty, despite it being nearly a century old. However, this conversion doesn’t come cheap: $25,000. It’s a cool weekend project, for sure, but for that kind of money, one could get a used Tesla Model 3, which is much more modern, safe, and comfortable.Â
Just for kicks, though, driving a 90-year-old car to work every day would surely be a conversation starter.
