In a world where there are more and more EV conversions taking place, and most of the classic car "electromods" remove the manual gearbox, quite a significant part of driver involvement is being left behind.
Truth is, manual transmissions are becoming increasingly rare, even on ICE vehicles.
But the latest EV conversion from Electrogenic, known for classic car conversions, has just solved the issue with its Porsche 356, which features a four-speed manual gearbox.
And before you say it: no, it's not just some simulated-shift device. It actually utilises the actual box from the original car.
The 356 is powered by Electrogenic’s Hyper9 brushless electric motor producing 80 kW and 235 Nm. It's got a 36 kWh battery that will hold out for 225 km before needing to be recharged, and even has a 15 kW onboard charger.
In this case, the manual gearbox works because of Electrogenic’s use of a lower RPM motor which spins to around 8000 rpm.
The car features a traditional clutch pedal, and the gauges have been reworked to display the motor’s revs. The motor itself provides a decent amount of aural feedback, which allows the driver to anticipate gearshifts similar to a convention manual car. The driver even has the ability to “rev” the motors in neutral.
In essence, everything (but the powertrain of course) remains original. There's no power-assisted steering, the windows are “keep fit” spec, there’s no regenerative braking, and even the radio is the same period-appropriate unit from Blaupunkt.
The cost will set you back roughly £30,000–£50,000 ($60,000-$100,000 NZD) for the conversion alone, and you'll need to provide your own 356. So, it's not cheap.
But the cool thing about this conversion is it may inspire others to retain that classic driver experience, which may end up attracting even those most sceptical about EV conversions.