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Sep 25, 2023

Electrifying an air-cooled Porsche 911 isn't for the faint of heart—or wallet.

_JamesGilboy

jamesgilboy

Once again, buying new isn't the only option for EV adoption. You can always just convert an older car—even a coveted, high-dollar classic like an air-cooled Porsche 911. The icon now works with a drop-in kit capable of toasting tires with almost 3,000 pound-feet of wheel torque.

The kit comes from Electrogenic, a British firm that has conducted EV conversions on a broad range of classic European and American cars. The 911's popularity apparently justified developing a drop-in kit for it, specifically the air-cooled 964 and G-body cars. It integrates the motor, inverter, charger, cooling system, and part of the battery on a custom rear subframe that bolts right to the factory mounts. It even includes custom driveshafts, whose importance will become obvious in a sec.

Electrogenic's 911 kits are offered at two power levels, which share most of their components. They have a common 62 kilowatt-hour (kWh) battery good for 180 to 200 miles of range, which can be fast-charged with a CCS connector.

Where they differ is at the motor: the base version generates 215 horsepower and a claimed 2,353 lb-ft, good for zero to 60 mph in under five seconds. Then there's the performance option, with 322 hp and an even greater 2,868 lb-ft, which will do zero to 60 in 3.8 seconds. I would guess someone forgot to carry a decimal, but that's really what Electrogenic's site says it makes at the wheels.

What the kit costs isn't listed, though EV conversions typically run tens of thousands of dollars. Designing the conversion as a kit may offer economies of scale, but the simplicity itself may also command a premium. It's not like classic Porsche owners are short on cash to throw around, though whether or not they want to go EV is another matter entirely.

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