► Electrogenic is a global leader in EV conversions
► Focused on ‘plug-and-play’ kits for classic cars
► We meet the boss to find out more
Based at an unassuming trading estate in the Oxfordshire town of Kidlington, Electrogenic is one of the world’s leading electric vehicle conversion specialists. In fact, according to CEO Steve Drummond, Electrogenic’s approach is unique. On this page we’ll explore a little more about what Electrogenic does – and why.
The name is probably familiar to anyone who passes through CAR’s website on a regular basis, as the company makes fairly consistent announcements about what it’s up to. We’ve driven a few Electrogenic conversions ourselves, too, which we’ll come back to below.
But even if you have a sense that the firm specialises in providing electric drive solutions for classic cars, you might not appreciate exactly what’s involved, or how Electrogenic operates. Here’s where you find out.
What does Electrogenic do?
CEO Drummond explains Electrogenic as ‘Experts in electric drive systems and integration engineering – with a particular emphasis on vehicles because they’re the most complex way you can use an electric motor.’ This emphasis on complexity comes from a man with a background in electrical infrastructure engineering at an international level, which suggests to us it really means something.
There are four main areas to the business: electrification for the military; designing electric powertrains for small car manufacturers (as in small scale, rather than small vehicles); one-off bespoke electric conversions; and – the main reason we’re here – developing and manufacturing Electrogenic’s own range of EV conversion kits for classic cars and other vehicles.
The military stuff is in partnership with Babcock International, and Drummond says there’s less confidentiality about that than there is surrounding the low-volume carmaker work. The current project involves electric Land Rover Defenders – using the same kit of parts as Electrogenic’s commercially available conversions.
It’s not just about stealth, either, but about making the vehicles easier to drive and to fuel. Charging electric vehicles turns out to improve military logistics and reduce risk to personnel escorting fuel convoys, while using that fuel to power generators instead of the vehicles directly is also more efficient. ‘It’s a 40 per cent energy saving,’ Drummond tells us.
There’s a similar dynamic in play in non-military markets such as Kenya, where local fuel supply is so erratic that an electric Land Rover makes more sense than a petrol or diesel model. A number of Electrogenic staff are currently assisting a workshop out there that is turning out a conversion every four days in order to supply the needs of safari businesses and the like.
However, while the defence work is driving some interesting innovation, both this and the small carmaker activity that Electrogenic participates in is subject to the whims of budgets and timescales outside of the company’s control. Hence the importance of its own conversion work, and especially the development of its ‘plug-and-play’ kits.
What makes Electrogenic different?
Over to Drummond again: ‘We – uniquely in the world – actually design and manufacture complete solutions in the form of drop-in kits for converting classic vehicles to electric drive.’ That is to say, almost everything Electrogenic does is based around proprietary technology that has been developed in-house.
All the off-the-shelf components involved are sourced as brand-new items – so no recycled batteries and motors from crashed Teslas here. But way beyond that, there are two really significant elements to the Electrogenic offering.
Firstly, its in-house tech includes not only vital hardware, such as the bespoke reducer gearboxes that make ultra-high-revving electric motors more suitable for driving cars, but even more importantly the electronics and the software that makes everything work. This allows Electrogenic to – rightly, in our experience – claim that its EV conversions match the kind of powertrain engineering quality you’d expect from a large OEM.
Secondly, the commercially available conversion kits it sells genuinely are ‘complete solutions’. Which means they include everything needed to get the relevant classic car up and running on electric power. Right up to and including the wiring that will make the original dashboard work.
This means the places that offer Electrogenic EV conversions – and they’re distributed by a worldwide network of established automotive businesses generally specialising in high-end restorations – are able to offer a ‘global best-in-class solution’ (according to Drummond) ‘without having to really know how it works.’
This approach is only possible due to Electrogenic’s ‘solid, mature technology’, and the rightful expectation that it will work ‘straight out of the box’. Most installs are turn-key up and running in just 15 minutes once the spanners are down. That’s the level of quality the kits are providing to the people who rely on them. And what’s more, because they’re designed and engineered to be fitted without altering the original structure of the vehicle, the electric conversion is entirely reversable.
This means your numbers-matching Jaguar E-Type can remain that way, even if the engine is currently serving as your coffee table rather than the motive power for the car. This, says Drummond, stops any silly arguments about value in the future.
The bespoke tech includes the Vehicle Control Unit, which is the heart of making legacy systems talk to the new age (it’s genius, and seemingly unlimited in its capability to make one electrical thing talk to another, regardless of the years between input and output types).
Then there’s the box of tricks that does the eventual, post-build commissioning, which looks a little like a particularly sophisticated diagnostics machine. A demo run of this on the company’s own Defender shows it as basically foolproof.
Why does Electrogenic do what it does?
There’s a sign on the outside of one of Electrogenic’s workshops that reads ‘Saving the world one car at a time.’ And that pretty much sums everything up.
‘We’ve got a whole building full of petrolheads,’ Drummond explains. ‘There’s no point in doing this unless you’re improving on the original car, you know? And all those designers that design those vehicles in the first place, they just want to make the best car they possibly could make using the technology that was available at the time. All we’re doing is it’s saying, well, we’ve got better technology now, so what can we do?’
This ties in with the varied motivations for the owners of Electrogenic conversions.
Some customers just want to go green. They might have already gone electric with their regular cars, and have a sentimental attachment to an older vehicle that now seems out of touch with their preferences. The owner of the Mazda MX-5 conversion we’ve recently driven is an example.
Others are looking for reliability. You’d probably expect an EV conversion to increase performance in many cases – Drummond highlights the DeLorean kit as a for instance – but the reliability aspect isn’t something we’d fully considered. Drummonds talks of being approached by an E-Type owner at a show, who was practically crying at the prospect of not having an unreliable petrol engine to deal with anymore.
In a similar vein, an EV conversion will almost certainly make your classic car more useable. You no longer have to wait for the engine to warm up properly, making short journeys more viable, while the extra torque and the prevalence of automatic transmissions means there’s less of an intimidation factor. So more members of the family might take the wheel.
No doubt some purists will sniff at this. But if it makes the hobby something a marriage can now share more easily, it’s going to keep that classic going for longer. And remember, no damage is done to the base vehicle during the install process.
Then there are the collectors – the kinds of people who already have lots of different types of a particular car, for example, and want an electric version just because it’s another string to their bow.
How is an Electrogenic conversion kit created?
It usually starts with a conversation with a potential client, which leads to discussion about whether such a conversion would have any wider market interest. That decision made, Electrogenic then needs the car to start designing and prototyping.
Drummond likes to insist that the car be in fully working order before this development process begins. This allows the team to evaluate the customer’s current preferences to better understand their expectations as well as the fundamental performance of the base vehicle.
There have been instances where the car has arrived fresh from a brand-new combustion engine rebuild. As well as providing the perfect baseline for Electrogenic, this also ensures the engine that comes out is in fine condition to go back in again or maintain the vehicle’s value should it be sold in the future.
Once all the original powertrain components are removed, the vehicle is then 3D scanned so that system design can start, taking into account packaging constraints. Once this is all worked out virtually, prototyping and development begins. Unsurprisingly, there are usually adjustments along the way, but 3D-printing and highly skilled fabrication staff make this reasonably straightforward.
Once the trial car is up and running, there’s a calibration process – often done in consultation with the initiating client – and when all of that is satisfactory, component design and software can be finalised for the kit. Drummond stresses that although the core technology is very mature, they do embrace a culture of constant improvement.
As such, kits are refined over time. Sometimes this process includes making a kit available to a wider range of variants. Just now Electrogenic is in the process of universalising its Land Rover offerings so that many of the same bits can be used across different Series models as well as the Defender.
What are the issues?
Well, cost is a factor. Not every car suits an Electrogenic conversion because the tech is expensive. The MX-5 is an interesting case in point, as that conversion is likely to cost upwards of £30,000 – probably about 10 times the value of the base vehicle. It makes more sense on a classic Porsche 911, perhaps, or an E-Type, but there are enough MX-5, Miata and Eunos Roadster owners out there to make the kit conceivably viable.
What’s more, ‘plug-and-play’ though these commercially available kits are, they still require specialist installation. The only exception to this is the kit for the classic Mini, which is so self-contained that Electrogenic feels comfortable selling it to the handy amateurs among the public.
Does Electrogenic do bespoke conversion work?
This is a small part of the business – not least because Drummond quips the bespoke work is so involved that it’s inevitably loss-making. So the decision to take such projects on usually hinges around the level of interest. Either within the Electrogenic team or that it’s likely to generate in publicity.
There are cars in the workshop during our visit that we’ve been asked not to talk about, but also present is one of Electrogenic’s most famous bespoke undertakings: Jason Momoa’s 1929 Rolls-Royce Phantom II. This wonderfully intricate and, as ever, completely reversible piece of work even includes a kind of period- / steampunk-looking under-bonnet cover for the electric drive components.
On the other end of the scale, Electrogenic was also responsible for the Kia Pride ‘restomod’ commissioned by the UK press office to celebrate the Korean carmaker’s 80th anniversary.
Electrogenic conversion kits
Below are some examples of the commercially available Electrogenic drop-in classic car EV conversion kits, including links to reviews and further details where we have them.
Mazda MX-5
At the time of writing in February 2025, this is Electrogenic’s latest plug-and-play kit. Replacing the aging petrol engine in this classic roadster with an up-to-date electric drive system won’t please everyone, but we really enjoyed it when we were able to give it a try.
To find out more, read our Electrogenic MX-5 review
Mini
The original Mini has certainly seen its fair share of engine swaps over the years, with all manner of different motors crammed under its stubby nose. But it’s not just high-powered four-pots donated by Honda, Vauxhall or a superbike, the Electrogenic Mini is a potent all-electric version you can build yourself.
To find out more, read our Electrogenic Mini review
Jaguar E-Type
To many eyes – including, most famously, Enzo Ferrari’s – the Jaguar E-Type is one of those beautiful cars in the world. But even if you’ve got a bottomless budget, we gather you might not want to try living with an original. Fortunately, Electrogenic’s plug-and-play conversion should solve those long-standing reliability woes. We’ve driven it.
To find out more, read our Electrogenic E-Type review
DeLorean DMC-12
One of Electrogenic’s most recent exploits is the EV conversion kit it now offers for the Delorean DMC-12. This significantly improves on the wheezy old 130bhp original motor by offering 214bhp and instant talk. Electric drive is a great fit for those futuristic looks, too.
Porsche 911
Described as Electrogenic’s first truly plug-and-play customer kit, this 911 conversion is offered with two levels of power. The 1989 G body car pictured uses a 215bhp electric motor that produces 230lb ft of torque but 320bhp and 310lb ft are available – the later managing 0-60mph in 3.8sec.
Land Rover
Perhaps the steadiest area of Electrogenic’s EV conversion business, there’s a ready market for electric Land Rovers among enthusiasts as well as a good business care for using them in fuel-uncertain areas of the world such as Kenya. The British Army is interested, too.
Other Electrogenic cars of note
These aren’t (yet) offered as full kit conversions, but are certainly conversation starters.
Jason Momoa’s Rolls-Royce Phantom II
Although this belongs to a Hollywood A-lister, it was sitting in the Electrogenic warehouse during our visit and we can assure that it’s an even more impressive piece of work in person. Details include the motor regen acting only on the rear wheels, much like the original brakes…
Morgan 4/4
Electrogenic’s Morgan 4/4 was a pioneering conversion of the original four-wheeler. Based on a 1957 example, the 1930s-inspired ash-framed body now houses decidedly 21st-century technology without altering the work of Malvern’s craftspeople and stylists.
Find out more about the Electrogenic Morgan 4/4
Citroen DS
One of Electrogenic’s most well-known cars is this gold Citroen DS, developed as a one-off commission. This conversion is now under development as a kit, which there should be more information about soon.
Find out more about the Electrogenic Citroen DS
Porsche 356
Using a ‘fully reversible’ process, here 356’s 1.6-litre, flat-four petrol engine is replaced with an air-cooled, Netgain ‘Hyper9’ brushless electric motor. The new unit generates 120bhp and 173lb ft of torque, both of which are increases on the original powertrain.
Find out more about the Electrogenic Porsche 356
Volkswagen Beetle
A Beetle was apparently the first car Electrogenic converted to electric power, and while there’s no drop-in kit for this listed on the company’s website it can offer the components for a really neat looking conversion that even looks utterly proper when the bonnet’s open.