Battery-powered vehicles have been around for well over 100 years, it’s not a new phenomenon. I would argue that it’s also not a flash-in-the-pan feel-good exercise for folks often labeled as tree-huggers or any such nonsense. They really are a technological tour de force which makes it always surprising for me to hear real car guys and gals cut them down as being a waste of time. This 1974 Porsche 914 EV can be found here on eBay in Lake Forest, California and the current bid is just over $2,200 with no reserve.
These are the only two exterior photos, which is always supremely disappointing. There are no photos showing the other side of the car at all, for all we know it could be missing, or pink, or who knows what. For a seller to have put such an incredible amount of work into what looks like a nice EV conversion, if they would have taken just two or three minutes to take better photos it could have made a real difference in the selling price. But, it is what it is, as no Porsche driver said, ever.
The steering wheel is electrifying and/or shocking, and I promise that’s the only pun that I’ll use on this one. We have seen quite a few EV conversions here before and I think they’re always interesting. I have one, a 1988 Subaru GL EV conversion, one that our own Jamie Palmer knows very well because it’s been stored in his shop building for several years now. Thanks, Jamie! If an original engine is kaput, it’s a fun way to do your daily commute or to run errands, which most of us could easily do with just a 30 or 40-mile range.
The seller says that this one has a range of just 35 miles which is much lower than I expected to see, but that’s still more than most of us would commute on a daily basis. I mean, back when we commuted other than from the bedroom to the dining room table to be on Zoom meetings all day. And, then commute back to the kitchen 8-feet away for a sandwich and then back to the dining room table again. Remember commuting and how we all complained about it, but most of us would give anything to go back to those days again, just a few short months ago?
The seller says that this great looking 914 body is, well, they don’t actually mention the body at all, but it sure looks great. There is a 12-volt control battery from a 2012 Chevrolet Volt and it has lithium-ion batteries, which makes the 35-mile range a head-scratcher. It does need work, as evidenced by the super low bid price. The D&D motor needs rewinding, the transmission needs seals, and the emergency brake needs work. All of that is doable in a single-car garage and it would sure be a fun way to grab some groceries without making any noise.
Wow, no thanks!
Wow! I’m pretty charged up about this
project. But the limited range is what’s
shocking to me. A stock Chevy Volt
can go much farther than this car can.
What’s got me amped up is the fact that
cars like these could be used as alternative transportation in the event
a hurricane or some other catastrophe
knocks out the power grid. You could
make this car more usable by having a
car cover made with flexible solar panels
that would recharge the car when you
park it at work. By the time you get off,
it should be fully charged and ready to
take you home again. Like the lithium
ion battery, but where’s the re-gen brake
system you hear about on other modern
EVs? It would be wise to add it to give
you a bit more range. Other than that,
it’s a really neat project you’ll really get a
charge out of.
35 mile range? Nice experiment but pretty worthless for transportation.
There’s something not quite right here.
Ziptie battery supports says it all.
I have that motor in my Gizmo EV. It’s a SepEx design, which provides for regen braking if the controller supports it. I have one-half of a Volt battery in my Ariens AmpRider electric riding mower. The low range is likely due to the not-complete-Volt pack installed in this vehicle. At the current price, it seems like a pretty good deal. Add a couple more Volt modules in parallel and more range is yours.
Awesome looking car. Awesome EV conversion. I’ve always loved the Porsche 914, probably more so than the 911. I’d buy one if I could find someone willing to part with it. $2,200 sounds like a reasonable asking price for a car of this vintage.
Yeah, WOW, NO THANKS!!!! Terrible, 35 mile range!! How does the seller know this by the description, it needs everything! Only in California.
Go to the eBay site, not as good as it looks, even at that price. It needs a lot & what it needs isn’t Cheap…………..
At this price, you could get rid of the 1st generation EV motor and batteries. EV West makes good, reliable and powerful electric motors and battery packs for these and other classic cars. If you use today’s technology, you can get great power, good range, and smooth reliable transportation.
Looks like there is enough room in the engine (motor?) bay to hold a few more batteries to extend the range a wee bit more.
Would’nt even make a good grocery getter as-is/
Already mentioned…but take it to EV West for a proper upgrade.
A grocery getter with no room to put the groceries!
It sold for 4 k
I would love to have this but being canadian has its draw backs …
We cannot license a modified car and this is !
And it would cost me a small fortune to get it to montreal
So 4 k would get up to around 10k and we dont have any ev shops !
I have a carrera gt body waiting for this type conversion but its not worth me putting money in it , if i cant drive it !
I think those of us in the UK and US have to be grateful that our Gubmts still allow is to modify cars.
Although perhaps not like this one.