I’m getting closer to officially kicking off my EV (Electric Vehicle) conversion project. Like any big project, this means doing something drastic like pulling out the engine so you’re kinda forced down the path. But before I do that, I thought this would be a good time to record my scope of work – partly for others if they want to keep score, but mostly for me to keep myself on the right path. On a high-level, my goal is to modernize my Autobianchi Giardiniera, Dante, while keeping it’s cool, classic car soul.
‘Ruining’ the car
First, let’s cut to the chase; I don’t see this as ruining a classic car. I’m guessing many will immediately feel that the car will lose its value and soul as soon as I convert it to electric. I’ve already had people tell me that for the money I’ll spend, I could soup up Dante to be a gas powered sleeper car of my dreams (or is that of their dreams?). I consider myself a bit of a car nut, but I’m finding myself less and less excited by loud growling motors (actually I’m kinda turned off by it now). I’m getting really excited about electric vehicles, so spoiler alert, it makes sense that I’d like to update what I think is a cool car with an electric motor.
While it’s not a classic Porsche or Ferrari, I personally think that a Giardiniera is one of the most interesting cars ever built. Although ingeniously engineered, they’ve always been budget cars, and there were hundreds of thousands built. Many are still around today, especially in Italy. That said, I’ve also had some people tell me, oh, you’re crazy to change such a lovely car. I get it – I’ve seen some ‘improvement’ modifications to Porsche 914s (another of my favourite cars) that make my soul hurt.
While my car was lovingly restored, it wasn’t super meticulously part matched, etc. In essence, it’s not a unicorn that must be preserved in as pristine condition as possible or something like that. But when you mention EV conversion though, many folk agree that you’re doing something unholy.
These people may think that I’m ruining the car, and for them I may be, but in the end its my car and my project.
EV conversions
There are many ways to convert a car to electric. There are many choices: battery cells vs modules, battery pack size, various motor options, transmission options, etc, etc, etc. I’ve now done a lot of research (and need to do much, much more), and I can appreciate a lot of what other people have done with EV conversions. That said, I increasingly have a more firm sense of what I want to do for mine.
Many people on the EV side of the car community have very strong opinions on the right way to do things as well. Some think taking a Tesla subframe is the way to go. Or, you’re insane if you don’t rip out the useless, heavy transmission. Every decision I make in the process will reflect my goals for performance, simplicity and cost.
Again, I may be doing it all wrong, and for them I may be, but… in the end its my car and my project.
Guiding principles and goals
I selected and imported my car because I wanted a modest, cool car that was in good body and mechanical shape. I wanted to focus my project on an EV conversion, not a full car restoration. Sure, a full restoration could be “fun”, but I want to keep the scope reasonable so that I had a higher probably of getting it completed on a reasonable timeline (and budget).
A side benefit of an austere car like a Giardiniera, is that there’s no power anything: no power brakes, no power steering, no power windows, no power locks. This keeps the conversion straight forward without having to add the likes of compressors and vacuum pumps. The car is also very small, so power requirements should be limited; and therefore, engine and battery pack cooling minimal (or maybe simply air-cooled).
Keeping that in mind, I have some high-level guiding principles to help me on my EV conversion design:
- Some more pep: I want to modernize my car Dante, so it needs more pep to keep up in modern traffic. Electric motors have great torque performance, so more pep is basically a given. If this turned into a ’sleeper’ micro car that would surprise people at a stop light, fine, but I’m not focused on extreme performance. I definitely don’t want to pay extra for higher performance beyond my definition of ‘pep’
- Maintain aesthetics and storage: Not impacting the original fit and form factor of a car is a big ask when doing an EV conversion. Gasoline has a lot of energy by volume, so If you want mileage/range, you’ll likely have to give up storage space for batteries (eg new cars hide them in sub frame). Some people give up the trunk and back seat to get the range they want. My car is a classic micro car; it’s extremely tiny, so space is at a premium. I don’t want to give up Dante’s rear storage or make it look different to the casual observer. Sometimes you can solve some of these issues with money. For example, higher price / performance batteries may take up less space. But, sometimes you just have to give up range and power
- City range: I don’t want or need to drive this car far. I’ve chosen an Autobianchi Giardiniera as a cool city daily driver. It’s not safe for highway/freeway use in my mind. (I don’t even want to think what a giant SUV going 130km could do to it and me in it!) I started with a 100km range target, as this would cover a ‘big’ day of local driving and alleviate range anxiety when climbing hills and wanting the heat on. 100km was a starting point, but I know that I may have to lower the target range depending on how the battery math works out
- Revertible: I may be ‘ruining the car’, but a goal of my EV conversion is to make it completely reversible with no or little drilling or cutting. Just for the record, this is not because I want to revert it or feel I’d be ruining the car. I know I won’t revert it, but it’s the way I roll. Plus, it makes things harder, and apparently I like to make things difficult for myself
- Cost: Converting a car to electric is not cheap, but I wanted to keep the project costs reasonable. Since my range and performance targets are minimal, this is possible. Of course ‘reasonable’ is subjective, but if you see that someone has converted a car to EV for next to nothing, they’ve either cut some major corners, or are being, well, not quite honest. My goal is to keep a modest EV conversion budget, but like any project, budgets slip, so I have to keep an eye on it
Side projects
Speaking of keeping within scope, I am working on and planning some side projects. While the major thrust is all about the EV conversion, as mentioned, I want modernize my Autobianchi Giardiniera Dante. I may like my the soul of my classic micro car, but it could use a few conveniences too while keeping the look original-ish.
For example, I’ve already added seat belts, a stereo system, updated the front disc brakes, and added a storage drawer under the driver seat. I’m also working on a custom CarPlay infotainment system and a custom vehicle instrumentation panel.
Some side projects are practical for an EV conversion though. For example, I’m also looking at adding heating to the seats, as this is more energy efficient than heating the whole interior to make it comfortable in colder weather.
Looking for advice and guidance
I’ll learn much more along the way. Oh, and don’t worry, I’ll likely make a few mistakes and meander in different directions while I’m at it. Hopefully I’ll keep mostly on track and have a mostly finished project to drive around for years (while I actually finish the last details).
I’ll keep researching and talking with smarter people than me, and I look forward to the advice that I receive. I might even take some of it. All info is valid, but I’m synthesizing what I think will make my project work. So, please let me know your thoughts.