Ever thought of avoiding the expensive Tesla prices by turning your petrol-powered car into an EV, but were put off by the price of the conversion?
Sourcing lithium-ion batteries and the cost of a reliable motor usually mean that these conversions end up costing thousands of dollars, but these amateur mechanics may have just proved that it can be done on a shoestring budget.
You may recognise the Honda Civic sedan in this video as the same car that recently underwent an outboard boat engine conversion. It seems that the boat engine wasn't a long term option for the Civic, and it is cut off at the start of the video.
Now that the engine bay has been cleared, the team set out on installing the new electric powertrain, and cut as many corners as possible in the process.
Orion, the host, explains that the most important part of any electric car is the batteries, so naturally, they seek out a set of some extremely questionable batteries at their local wrecker's yard.
Questionably-sourced batteries deserve only the best questionable wiring on offer, and after all the positive terminals are connected using a set of industrial hose clamps, and a bit of glue, it's time for the motor to go in.
While a lot of professionals with experience in the area opt to go with Tesla-sourced motors in their conversions, this would've broken the channel's budget, so a second-hand bench grinder found on the Facebook marketplace with have to cut the mustard.
Once the grinder motor is welded into place in the engine bay, the team run the batteries through an inverter, and connect the motor to the system. Incredibly, the motor starts turning the transmission first try, and Orion runs it through a few gears before the official road test.
In true backyard mechanic style, everyone jumps aboard the Civic, and they head out to see if it produces enough grunt to move the whole team.
While it's not going to beat a P100D in a race, you have to appreciate the fact that the little Civic powers along with the combined weight of the batteries in the boot, and the crew in the cabin.
It may work, and was completed within an extremely tight budget, but we wouldn't recommend trying this at home as had this video gone for 10 minutes longer, we can almost guarantee that something would've caught fire.