First drive in the electric Jaguar E-Type from ECD Automotive Design: A welcomed upgrade
Just over a year after my last visit, I recently got the chance to visit my friends at ECD Automotive Design down in central Florida and take their latest EV conversion – the all-electric Jaguar E-Type for a spin. As always, there were tons of new and exciting happenings at ECD, as it continues to learn, grow, and delve further into electrification.
If you haven’t heard of ECD Automotive Design, you should look it up. It’s arguably one of the best one-of-one vehicle builders in the industry and continues to grow its customer base because of the quality, service, and level of customization it provides.
Last week, I got to visit the company’s HQ near Orlando for the third time, and let me tell you – every time I return, the group over there is improving, expanding, and experimenting with new things. That’s a huge key to ECD’s growth in the last decade, coming from one single industrial bay to a new 100,000-square-foot facility down the road it is already outgrowing.
The company’s founders have UK roots, so ECD was founded upon delivering top-tier, fully customized British classics like Range Rovers and Defenders. In recent years, we saw ECD begin offering its customers electric options, cleverly integrating Tesla motors and battery packs into the existing chassis and drivetrain.
In June of 2022, ECD announced plans for an electric Jaguar E-Type from the 1970s, available in a roadster convertible or a 2+2 coupe. When I last visited in October of 2022, I got a peek at the E-Type’s assembly line, as the ECD team was familiarizing itself with the classic before beginning to build complete and fully customized restorations.
Last week, I got to walk the assembly lines yet again to see the progress of the Jaguar E-Type builds – a majority of which are going electric. Furthermore, ECD had recently completed its first all-electric E-Type for a customer and I got to take it out for a spin and help with some quality control before it’s delivered. Here are my thoughts.
ECD’s Jaguar E-Type feels like it was made to be electric
Having visited ECD multiple times in the past, I knew the routine at this point. ECD co-founder Scott Wallace took me on a brief tour, focusing specifically on the E-Types because there are several currently being built, which is a completely unique process to what the custom auto builder is used to with its Land Rovers.
Wallace told me the ECD team initially thought it could transfer its build process from the Defender lines, anticipating a need for more knowledgeable staff as the key hurdle, but explained they got it wrong. It was the opposite. ECD’s talented workers handled the Jaguar just fine, but the building process is entirely different.
For instance, ECD had previously specialized in custom ground-up builds with the Land Rovers, using components shipped from the UK. The electric Jaguar E-Types on the other hand, are complete restorations – meaning ECD is acquiring entire vehicles around the US, disassembling them, sandblasting the usable parts, and building them back up as EVs. To this point, ECD says it reuses around 50% of the original car on each build, a process that currently takes significantly longer compared to the Land Rovers ECD has been building for several years.
Walking the assembly line, it was rather interesting how efficiently the electric motor and batteries fit inside the Jaguar E-Type, almost as if it were made to be electric – An argument I now standby having driven the roadster.
What’s even more interesting is that ECD’s electric configuration is a damn near match in weight distribution compared to the original V12 engine and transmission setup. So, the electric Jaguar E-Type drives nearly how its original makers intended, albeit with more torque and quicker acceleration. Wallace told me ECD would love to take credit for that design prowess, but it was merely a welcomed coincidence.
The drivetrain configuration consists of two batteries and a motor up front, plus a third battery pack in the trunk, combining for a total capacity of 42 kWh. Small by today’s EV standards, but remember – ECD is limited by the E-Type’s existing chassis.
Regardless, such a small vehicle can garner plenty of “oomph,” trust me. The drivetrain delivers 450 hp, while its batteries combine for up to 150 miles of all-electric range.
As you may recall, back in March, we reported that ECD was moving on from the refurbished Tesla motors and battery packs in favor of a new configuration from Ampere EV, enabling the custom builder to now offer its customers new features like 4WD, three different drive modes, creep mode, and finally… DC fast charging.
With this new drivetrain system, present in the electric Jaguar E-Type, ECD can deliver many of the EV technologies consumers come to expect today, even if their original vehicle was built 50+ years ago. So, how does an electrified E-Type drive? Well, let me tell you, my friends.
Test driving the E-Type
After my tour, it was time to take the E-Type out for a spin alongside ECD co-founder Elliot Humble. We did our usual route around the Orlando area I had driven several times before, offering areas of long open roads to see what the roadster could do. I was not disappointed.
While the new drivetrain system from Ampere is less powerful than the previous Tesla configuration, its other perks gained in return outweigh the loss. The regenerative braking is much smoother and more effective, moving closer to genuine one-pedal driving, but not quite yet. Perhaps next year (wink, wink).
Acceleration was a breeze. One that whipped my longer hair around into a voluminous helmet by the time we were done because of a very low windshield. Still, I immediately felt at ease behind the wheel of this EV, whipping around and overtaking several “slower” cars on the road – although, I did need to use my neck to check beside me and in my blind spots because the side mirrors on this car are relatively useless.
Before I drove, I sat down with ECD’s head of sales and design, John Price, who walked me through the design process of my own electric Jaguar E-Type. Surprisingly, when I returned from my drive, the ECD had assembled a mini replica to take home. I share this detail because it speaks volumes about the level of customization and customer service ECD puts into every one of its builds – from the first design meeting to delivery and beyond. Check out my work!
Overall, this was yet another insightful trip to ECD Auto Design, filled with inspiration and laughter. Every time I visit, I’m amazed at how much the company has grown – both in size and in know-how. As someone that tries to improve and optimize his own life daily, I’m always impressed at how ECD can do it at such a scale and do it damn well.
That work has paid off as well. ECD’s success has caught investors’ eyes, and the company intends to go public later this month following a bell-ringing ceremony at the New York Stock Exchange. It is a huge milestone, but this company must maintain its small and scrappy attitude toward its one-of-a-kind builds, and it knows that. Let’s hope corporate America doesn’t kill the magic. My money’s on ECD (not literally… at least not yet).
I’m already looking forward to my next visit, especially since the company has given me a sneak peek at what’s next in its pipeline. I can’t say anything publicly yet, but it’s an exciting next step. Expect another visit in the future, but until then, check out this detailed look at ECD’s new electric Jaguar E-Type:
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Greenlane is firing up its second commercial EV truck charging corridor – this time connecting Southern California to Phoenix along Interstate 10. The move targets a major gap in electric freight infrastructure on one of the busiest shipping routes in the US.
Greenlane’s new electric truck corridor is backed by a strategic partnership with electric truck maker Windrose Technology, which has already proved the route’s viability. Its R700 Class 8 electric semi pulled off single-charge trips from Greenlane’s flagship Colton, California, site to Phoenix – nearly 300 miles – with a gross combined weight of 74,420 pounds and still had 12% battery left.
That’s no small feat for long-haul freight. Windrose also completed a Colton-to-Las Vegas run on I-15 under similar conditions. The trucks can charge fast, too – the R700 hit a peak 772 kW using dual-gun charging at Colton, cutting downtime for heavy-duty operations.
Windrose plans to build 2,000 electric trucks in 2026 and ramp up to 10,000 in 2027 worldwide. “Electric long-haul trucking isn’t just theory – it’s proven real-world performance,” said Windrose founder and CEO Wen Han.
The I-10 corridor will link Greenlane’s Colton hub to new sites in Blythe, California, and Greater Phoenix, Arizona. It’s part of the company’s larger plan to create a nationwide public charging network for medium- and heavy-duty fleets.
Electric trucking carrier Nevoya will be among the first customers to run the corridor. The company will use the Colton site as a charging and driver support base while operating battery-electric trucks along both I-10 and I-15.
Greenlane’s Colton flagship opened in April and packs over 40 high-speed chargers, including 12 pull-through bays for semis and 29 bobtail lanes. The site also has restrooms, Wi-Fi, 24/7 security, carports, office space, and parking – the kind of amenities long-haul drivers need on the road.
Read more: Greenlane’s flagship electric charging truck stop is now online
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Rivian has posted a job listing for a steering engineer, specifically mentioning work on a future steer-by-wire system for the company.
Update, Aug 11: Rivian has now specifically mentioned rear-wheel steering in a job posting.
Steer-by-wire is an automotive concept that has been around for a long time, but hasn’t yet reached mass adoption. The idea is to replace (or supplement) mechanical linkages between the steering wheel and the wheels with electronic actuators instead.
There are a number of potential benefits to this, like allowing more customizability or adaptability to a steering system, reducing mechanical complexity, or adding speed-sensitive variable steering ratios.
Although there are also disadvantages, like a reduction in steering feel (although, since most cars are moving to electronic power steering, that was already gone anyway).
But few cars have implemented steer-by-wire systems, or at least not fully committed to them, given that mechanical steering racks are a relatively solved problem and the general inertia of the car industry which would rather stick with a solution they know than switch to something better (haven’t we here, at this EV publication, heard *that* one before…). There’s also the matter of regulations, which have often been written to require mechanical steering systems, and may need updating to allow for steer by wire.
But, steer by wire made it into mass production with the release of the Tesla Cybertruck. This was big news when Tesla committed to this – at the time, it was the only thing on the road to exclusively use a steer by wire system, though there are other cars with partial steer by wire (for example, mechanical front wheel steering, and steer by wire rear-wheel steering).
But it seems to have opened the floodgates, as a number of other companies are working on or have since released steer by wire systems (Lexus, for example).
And now, it looks like Rivian is one of those companies – though we don’t know if it’s for the front or rear. (Update: Well, now we know, it looks like they are at the very least developing a rear-wheel steering system, according to another job listing. Though the company might still be working on steer-by-wire for the whole vehicle, too)
The company posted a job listing for “Sr. Staff Technical Program Manager, Steering Actuator System,” based at its Irvine, CA headquarters (spotted by Rivianforums). This wouldn’t be so exceptional, except that the job posting also specifically points out that “you’ll have full cradle-to-grave ownership of the SBW subsystem.”
So – we know they’re working on steer by wire, to some extent.
But a few other EVs, particularly large EVs like the Rivian R1 platform is, use steer by wire just for the rear wheels – for example the Hummer EV and Rolls-Royce Spectre. These systems are particularly helpful for giant vehicles, because it allows them to be more nimble and make turns that otherwise would require a lot more… negotiation in a giant land yacht.
So it’s possible that Rivian is only working on rear wheel steer by wire here, but we’d like to think there’s a chance it’s working on steer by wire for the full vehicle.
We also don’t know if this would show up on all of Rivian’s vehicles, or only on certain models – the R2 and R3 are in development, with R2 in pretty late stages, and the R1 just got a big refresh. But, perhaps even more interestingly (and very speculatively), VW has invested heavily in Rivian for technology help, so we wonder if we might end up seeing this in VW group vehicles, or Scout vehicles eventually…
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Automakers are scrambling to push their EVs out the door before the $7,500 Federal tax incentive for EVs disappears — and BMW is no different, offering aggressive cash back, owner loyalty, and special financing rates on its just-released 2026 model year EVs.
BMW has a history of offering solid loyalty incentive programs on its EVs in early summer to clear the tail-end of the model year and make room for the incoming builds, but CarsDirect is reporting some unusual loyalty deals from the brand that seem to suggest BMW is keen to capitalize on a spike in EV sales ahead of the Federal tax incentive’s looming cancellation in September.
BMW dealers now have the choice of adding an additional $1,000 loyalty contribution on select 2026 EVs. The i5 and i7 are offered with $1,000 and $4,000 loyalty bonuses, respectively, meaning if you drive a BMW and your dealer opts to tack on the extra bonus, you could save $5,000 on a 2026 i7. These loyalty programs are good when buying or leasing.
There’s also a $1,000 conquest bonus available for drivers of eligible EVs and PHEVs from other brands. This program is stackable with other offers.
Like other EV brands offering huge lease incentives, BMW customers will see the largest rebates on new BMWs when leasing. Now through September 30th, 2026 BMW i5, i7, and iX models are available with a stout $9,900 lease credit, while the bigger BMW XM comes in with a slightly lower, but still substantial $7,500 lease incentive.
Big deals on big BMW i7 sedan
People who prefer to own their vehicles once the payments are up can still score a great deal on an objectively excellent 2026 BMW i7 luxo-cruiser, thanks to the previously mentioned loyalty bonus if they’re previous customers plus a $7,500 Loan Credit that anyone can get when financing their new i7 with the brand’s captive financing company. BMW Bank offers financing rates as low a 3.99% for up to 60 months on the 2026 i5 and i7 sedans, as well as the iX crossover, as well as 4.99% APR 60-month rate on the high-performance XM plug-in hybrid.
The BMW iX, of course, snatched the top spot in J.D. Power’s EV Satisfaction Survey last year, having taken the crown from its BMW i4 stablemate. You can find out what’s behind that score here, or experience it for yourself at a local BMW dealer near you. Click the link(s) below to get a uniquely tailored offer on the exact BMW you want (trusted affiliate links).
SOURCES: CarsDirect, J.D. Power; images via BMW.
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