Podcast: Steve Drummond

from EV Powered Magazine - JULY 2022 EDITION

by CapitalBusinessMedia

Pole Position

35 PODCAST

THE EVERYTHING EV PODCAST

ELECTROGENIC:

Charging forward with electric classics

Steve Drummond, co-founder of classic car conversion specialists, Electrogenic, discusses the journey of the company and what the future holds for the world of electrified classic cars.

For Steve Drummond, the story of Electrogenic does not begin with a love affair or fascination of electric vehicles, but rather a realization of the technology and the potential of the electric classic car market. “The whole idea started about five years ago,” Steve explained on The Everything EV Podcast. “My colleague Ian tried to interest me in another old car and I said ‘oh it’s got another horrible old engine’ and he said we should make it electric, which I thought was a stupid idea. “We did a whole load of research and went over to the States and realised, for the first time, it was possible to make an electric car that was worth owning. We thought we’d give it a go and converted a Beetle, and the whole business grew from there.” Since the Beetle, the company has compiled a catalogue of completed classics, ranging from Land Rovers to Jaguar E-Types and even a fully electric Porsche 356 C. Yet Electrogenic’s work is not about completely transforming these iconic cars, but instead making them a better version of what they already were, as well as making them more reliable and easier to run. Steve continued: “The thing about classic cars is it’s all about character. It’s the character of the car; the way it drives, the way it feels. Every time I get into a Beetle for example, I have a big smile on my face and I can’t help it, and that’s the same for a lot of different cars. They have their own unique character, and what we try to do is bring that out with the electric. “The downside of owning a classic car is that they don’t work. Making them electric means you can keep the character but it’s reliable and easily accessible which means anyone can own one.” The company has since established itself as one of the most trusted and prestigious EV conversion firms in the country. And whilst Electrogenic will always continue to reimagine classic cars from years gone by, Steve outlined the future of the company and the other ways in which the company will grow. He said: “What we’ve managed to develop over the last five years is a really interesting suite of technologies, and so the future of the company is getting that into vehicles in many more ways, so not just converting them ourselves but providing kits for Land Rover‘s, Mini’s and MGs, that sort of thing. “We’re building prototypes of electric versions of new cars for small manufacturers. It’s a lot of different ways of getting our technology into cars that are being built by other people. We’re always going to carry on doing our core which is creating beautiful cars for customers directly because that’s what keeps us fresh, keeps us learning and keeps us current.” As the industry of electrified classic cars grows, and with electric vehicles generally becoming more and more popular, could we one day see people choosing between a converted car and a brand-new EV from a major OEM? It’s possible, according to Steve. “There are going to be a lot more opportunities to acquire an EV at a lower cost,” Steve explained. “We are working with a British manufacturer on a much lower cost motor that will go into small vehicles, to reduce the cost of conversion significantly. There’s not only a commercial pathway, there’s also a tech pathway - we look at the tech that’s on the horizon and start to plan that into what we’re doing. There are batteries coming through which are supposedly available commercially by 2025 which will reduce charge times to about 15 minutes, so that then massively increases the range of vehicles that are practical to convert and to have a good usability in terms of range. There’s lots coming and it’s going to make it more accessible.” Scan the QR code to listen to this episode and be sure to subscribe to The Everything EV Podcast for new episodes every week.

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