Classic Car - Conversion to Electric?

[Guy Mayers]

An article in the January 2023 magazine Classic Cars runs a small, cautionary, article on one person's experience:

EV Conversion Challenges Come As A Shock.

Reader Ed Keane told us of an expensive pitfall he discovered after converting his 1960 Mini to electric. Following a DVLA engineer?s report he was informed that the car needed to pass an IVA Test, something almost impossible to achieve for a car of that age. Keane said that the DVLA?s concern was with holes drilled in the boot to secure the new battery, a change that falls under the rule for ?radically altered vehicles? which requires that the car must not have an altered chassis, monocoque or bodyshell or frame. Asked to comment, DVLA Spokesperson David Whitehead said that each car was assessed individually and stated that all information was online. Mr Keane has been told that even if converted back to standard his old V5 cannot be reissued and is now left with a car that can?t be used and around ?30,000 of expenses. Anyone considering a conversion is urged to visit www.gov.uk/vehicle-registration and seek advice from the DVLA first to confirm exactly what its definition of ?alteration' entails.

[Guy Mayers]

So, if you've read that please don't consider converting your ICE Stratos to electric power. Or you'll have to repeat the IVA process again. Long Live Petrol (and diesel)

Guy

[NoCorseChris]

There are plenty of EV conversions out there…the key is to make zero modifications to the base vehicle. Everything must be bolt-in to existing structure. A prime example would be the electric MGB being made with all new parts, or the 2CV and MX5 conversions. Of course, it’s a bloody nonsense given just how much blatant piss-taking goes on with post IVA mods for example, but for whatever reason, someone decided to apply the rules to the letter. Maybe the conversion was poorly done and the inspector was just looking to find a fail point.

Don’t really find EV classic conversions appealing myself, but don’t see why not if one wants one. All the ones I’ve seen are absurdly expensive.

On the topic of piss-taking, I often wonder how Retropower get away with some of their projects, as I don’t think they put many of them through IVA, and it would be fair to say that they are ‘radically altered’. Not that they’d have any bother passing I imagine, but they can forget about a lot of the hassle if they simply don’t bother with an IVA and just do a paper exercise on the V5 for an engine swap.

[ProtoTipo]

'Good job this is all as it left the factory then?:

[NoCorseChris]

Indeed.....

There must be tens of thousands of modified cars on the roads that would probably fail an IVA, and are, technically, liable to one. No doubt they get away with it because there's no real reason for them to get inspected, but an EV conversion is going to attract that attention, probably because it'll mean reduced tax revenue.

Can't see many people volunteering for an IVA. Does beg the question about insurance, but again, guess it's just not come up (yet).

All it'll take will be something like the incident that gave rise to the 'Part P' regulations for electricians.

[westonTB]

Keeps the nonsense rolling for the peeps with the clip boards & high vis... more admin to guarantee more work... maybe best stay in the public sector, can be scary without the safety net!!!