Electrogenic brings the DeLorean DMC-12 Back to the Future with a ‘drop-in’ EV conversion kit
Where BEV conversions are going, we don’t need roads… Actually, we still very much need roads, but we no longer need to look at the original DeLorean DMC-12, considered by many as a design far ahead of its time, as a dated combustion classic. The EV conversion experts at Electrogenic have introduced a new “plug and play” kit that can bring any sample of the original DeLorean into the future of electric mobility. It still can’t actually travel through time, though…
If you haven’t heard of UK-based EV conversion specialist Electrogenic yet, its latest addition to the portfolio will help you remember the name. Since being founded in 2018, the company has not only made it possible to electrify several classic cars but continues to do so using clever designs that maintain the integrity of the original vehicles with subtle touches to support their new all-electric powertrains.
The company uses specialized “drop-in” kits that present a “plug and play” solution for a growing lineup of notable models, including Land Rovers, classic Porsche 911s, and a 1960s Jaguar E-Type. Last summer, we covered Electrogenic’s most complex EV conversion to date – a 1929 Rolls-Royce Phantom II commissioned by Aquaman himself, Jason Mamoa.
For its EV conversion next project, Electrogenic has once again tied itself to Hollywood and has gone (slightly) younger in the classic DeLorean it has chosen to electrify. The DMC-12 was the flagship model of DeLorean Motor Company that held a brief moment in the sun during the 1980s thanks to its gull-wing doors and stainless steel exterior (you’re welcome, Cybertruck).
The original rear-engine vehicle served as a lesson in design by Giorgetto Giugiaro… and a lesson in how not to run an automotive company by John DeLorean. Still, the DMC-12 remains a cult classic in pop culture thanks to its starring role in the Back to the Future franchise.
The original iteration of DeLorean Motor Company only lasted seven years, but it was revived as an all-electric brand in 2022. However, DeLorean 2.0 also shuttered its headquarters a year later. While we aren’t likely to see a new DeLorean EV model on roads any time soon, Electrogenic has introduced an EV conversion kit to electrify the original.
The famed DeLorean gains an EV conversion kit
Great Scott! The DeLorean DMC-12 can now be retrofitted with an EV conversion kit announced by Electrogenic, bringing it into the 21st Century without any risk of going back in time and getting hit on by your mom. Phew.
The Electrogenic team said it exhaustively developed this new “drop-in” EV conversion package for the 1980s DeLorean, complete with its own proprietary EV powertrain technology that is “future-proof” and entirely reversible.
The conversion features 43 kWh of OEM-grade batteries positioned in place of the fuel tank beneath the front luggage compartment and above the rear motor. Thanks to its clever battery packaging, Electrogenic can keep the original structure intact without cutting anything.
It may not leave a trail of flames when it accelerates like it did on the big screen, but future drivers of the “plug and play” DeLoreans can take advantage of 160 kW of power and 310 Nm (~229 lb-ft) of torque. Despite the EV conversion weighing about 40 kg (88 lbs) more than the original V6 DeLorean, its all-electric powertrain halves its 0-60 mph acceleration from over ten seconds to less than five.
Other features include regenerative braking, range-saving Eco mode, and a Sport Mode for maximum power. Inside, you can add several other new features, such as Apple Car Play (thank you), enhanced air conditioning, and a bespoke virtual dashboard. The DeLorean DMC-12 is also the first Electrogenic EV conversion to feature “Launch Control” for sprints off the line at a red light… or if you want to try to bend space and time.
As with all Electrogenic EV conversion kits, the DeLorean offers CCS fast charging that can replenish in one hour, as well as vehicle-to-load (V2L) capabilities – 3kW of 240V power in case you want to set up a public screening of Back to the Future in a JCPenney parking lot somewhere.
Due to the limits in battery storage within the vehicle’s existing chassis, Electrogenic’s EV conversion of the DeLorean only offers 150+ miles of all-electric range, but that’s more than enough to cruise around and show it off. The DMC-12 has always been a head-turner, and BEV capabilities only add to its lore. Electrogenic CEO Steve Drummond shared a similar sentiment:
We’re delighted with the results of our ‘plug and play’ DeLorean EV conversion package; it transforms the DMC-12 from an American cruiser into a true sports car, with performance that perfectly matches its timeless space-age visuals. When John DeLorean set out to make the DMC-12 over forty years ago, he was determined to create a sports car that was sustainable and would stand the test of time. An EV conversion therefore makes total sense and feels in keeping with the ethos of the original project. I can also attest that the car’s original, Lotus-engineered, suspension is more than up to the task of handling the new-found torque; the car is fabulous to drive.
During the DeLorean’s road testing and calibration program for over the past few months, our engineering team has been blown away by the response it gets from the public; it generates interest and excitement like nothing else. You’re constantly being stopped by DeLorean fans asking for pictures or wanting to take a closer look at the car.
The DeLorean DMC-12 EV conversion kit is now available for sale through Electrogenic’s vetted global installer network, which includes numerous partners in the United States.
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Mitsubishi is partnering with Ample and Yamoto Transports to deploy an innovative new battery swap network for electric cars in its Japanese home market — but it’s not just for electric cars. Mitsubishi Fuso commercial trucks are getting in on the action, too!
Despite a number of early EV adopters with an overdeveloped concept of ownership, battery swap technology has proven to be both extremely effective and extremely positive to the overall EV ownership experience. And when you see how simple it is to add hundreds of miles of driving in just 100 seconds — quicker, in many cases, than pumping a tank of liquid fuel into an ICE-powered car — you might come around, yourself.
That seems to be what Mitsubishi thinks, anyway, and they’re hoping they’ll be your go-to choice when it’s time to electrify your regional and last-mile commercial delivery fleet(s) by launching a multi-year pilot program to deploy more than 150 battery-swappable commercial electric vehicles and 14 modular battery swapping stations across Tokyo, where the company plans to showcase its “five minute charging” tech in full view of hundreds of commercial fleets and, crucially, the executives of the companies that own and manage them.
A truck like the Mitsubishi eCanter typically requires a full night of AC charging to top off its batteries, and at least an hour or two on DC charging in Japan, according to Fuso. This joint pilot by Mitsubishi, Mitsubishi Fuso Trucks, and Ample aims to circumvent this issue of forced downtime with its swappable batteries, supporting vehicle uptime by delivering a full charge within minutes. The move is meant to encourage the transport industry’s EV shift while creating a depository of stored energy that can be deployed to the grid in the event of a natural disaster — something Mitsubishi in Japan has been working on for years.
Trucks like the eCanter already serve a number of roles throughout the global truck market, including municipal waste collection, regional delivery support, and more.
The pilot is backed by Tokyo Metropolitan Government’s “Technology Development Support Project for Promoting New Energy,” with local delivery operator Yamato Transport testing swappable EVs for delivery operations on both its eCanter light-duty trucks and Mitsubishi Minicab kei-class electric vans.
Electrek’s Take
Electrifying the commercial truck fleet is a key part of decarbonizing city truck fleets – not just here in the US, but around the world. I called the eCanter, “a great product for moving stuff around densely packed city streets,” and eliminating the corporate fear of EV charging in the wild just makes it an even better product for that purpose.
Here’s hoping we see more “right size” electric solutions like this one (and more battery swapping tech) in small towns and tight urban environments stateside somewhat sooner than later.
SOURCES | IMAGES: Mitsubishi, Fuso.
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After becoming the first European brand to offer fully electric versions of every model it sells — and at the same price as the ICE models — Opel is going even further, with a new, AWD electric SUV that should give American Jeep fans hope for a new electric Cherokee!
Now part of the Stellantis, rather than GM portfolio of brands, Rüsselsheim-based Opel showed off the first official pictures of its new Opel Grandland Electric AWD — the company’s first all-electric SUV to feature the “Blitz” performance emblem and all-wheel drive.
“Our top-of-the-range Grandland SUV is a milestone for Opel,” says Opel CEO Florian Huettl. “Customers already have a choice of battery-electric drive, plug-in hybrid and hybrid with 48-volt technology. We are now offering even more choice with the Grandland Electric AWD and thus ensuring that our customers can enjoy maximum efficiency and safety in diverse weather and road conditions, combined with plenty of driving fun.”
Stellantis gets it right in Europe
Opel says its new, AWD Grandland is its most aerodynamically efficient model yet, with a drag coefficient (Cd) of just 0.278. That efficiency, paired with similarly efficient electric motors and a 73 kWh li-ion NMC battery give the electric crossover a 501 km (311 mile) WLTP range, while a combined 325 hp and 375 lb-ft of torque should make for suitably spirited acceleration to go along with all that green cred.
Suspension and handling, too, are promised to deliver on what Opel claims is a “typical” Teutonic driving experience in the Grandland AWD:
Both driving pleasure and comfort are further emphasized by dampers with frequency selective damping technology. This unique technology comes as standard on the Grandland Electric AWD and incorporates a second hydraulic circuit in the damper chamber to mechanically adapt the damping force in relation to the frequency. Depending on the situation, road surface conditions and driving style, it enables different damping characteristics for comfortable gliding at high frequencies – i.e. with short impacts such as on cobblestones or a manhole cover – as well as for a sporty, ambitious driving style with more direct contact with the road at low frequencies. The Grandland reacts even more immediately and directly to any command from the driver and, as is typical for Opel, remains stable when braking, cornering and at high speeds on the Autobahn.
OPEL PRESS RELEASE
The Opel Grandland Electric AWD ships with four standard drive modes that include “normal,” eco, sport, and 4WD mode, which simulates locking axles and true 4×4 off-road performance. The ESP and traction control systems adopt specific settings to enhance grip in 4WD mode as well, and maximum power and torque are instantly available.
Electrek’s Take
As you maybe could tell by now, feeding European Stellantis EVs into an AI image generator and asking it to “make them into Jeeps” is one of my new favorite things to do. This new Opel is no different, and the resulting image (above) paired with the models’ stated specs give me hope that the next wave of Jeep EVs will do better than the Wagoneer S at attracting buyers. All they really need, I think, is the right name — and the right price, to be winners.
SOURCE | IMAGES: Opel.
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Like a 90s “gifted” kid that was supposed to be a lot of things, the electric Jeep Wagoneer S never really found its place — but with dealers discounting the Jeep brands forward-looking flagship by nearly $25,000, it might be time to give the go-fast Wagoneer S a second look.
SKIP THE STORY: get straight to the deals.
Whether we’re talking about Mercedes-Benz, Cerberus, Fiat, or even Enzo Ferrari, outsiders have labeled Jeep as a potentially premium brand that could, “if managed properly,” command luxury-level prices all over the globe. That hasn’t happened, and Stellantis is just the latest in a long line of companies to sink massive capital into the brand only to realize that people will not, in fact, spend Mercedes money on a Jeep.
That said, the Jeep Wagoneer S is not a bad car (and neither is its totally different, hideously massive, ICE-powered Wagoneer sibling, frankly). Built on the same Stellantis STLA Large vehicle platform that underpins the sporty Charger Daytona EVs, the confusingly-named Wagoneer S packs dual electric motors putting out almost 600 hp. That’s good enough to scoot the ‘ute 0 to 60 mph in a stomach-turning 3.5 seconds and enough, on paper, to convince Stellantis executives that they had developed a real, market-ready alternative to the Tesla Model Y.
With the wrong name and a sky-high starting price of $66,995 (not including the $1,795 destination fee), however, that demand didn’t materialize, leaving the Wagoneer S languishing on dealer lots across the country.
That could be about to change, however, thanks to big discounts on Wagoneer S being reported at CDJR dealers in several states, according to our friends at the Car Dealership Guy podcast.
- Jimmy Britt Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram in Georgia, has a Wagoneer S with an MSRP of $67,590 listed at $43,104 ($24,486 off)
- In Florida, Taverna Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram Fiat has a $67,590 Wagoneer S slashed to $43,138 ($24,452 off)
- Chris Nikel Chrysler Jeep Dodge Ram Fiat in Oklahoma has a Wagoneer S listed for $43,425 ($24,165 off)
“Stellantis bet big on electric versions of iconic American brands like Jeep and Dodge, but consumers aren’t buying the premise,” writes CDG’s Marcus Amick. “(Stellantis’ dealer body) is now stuck with expensive EVs that need huge discounts to move, eating into already thin margins while competitors focus on [more] profitable gas-powered vehicles.”
All of which is to say: if you’ve found yourself drawn to the Jeep Wagoneer S, but couldn’t quite stomach the $70,000+ window stickers, you might want to check in with your local Jeep dealer and see how you feel about it at a JCPenneys-like 30% off!
Jeep Wagoneer S gallery
SOURCES | IMAGES: Car Dealership Guy, CarScoops, and CarsDirect.
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