Instead of converting an electric car into one powered by a V8 – as he did with his Tesla Model S – Benoit presented ways to invert that logic. In other words, he showed companies with exciting solutions for EV conversions – not before making an accurate and sarcastic profile of ICE and EV lovers. One of the most interesting EV conversion propositions came from Webb Motorworks.
The shop from British Columbia used to work with engine cases to make them look like something else. When Chris Webb’s daughter Emily asked him for an electric hot rod, they started to work together on a solution for that. In a case that may look like a flathead, a big block, a small block, or a Hemi, they stuffed all things an electric car would need: batteries, inverter, controller, water pumps, etc.
What they sell is something that can replace a traditional engine with very little work. It has the same mounts and can be coupled with manual transmissions. That makes the conversion process something really easy to accomplish with the bonus of making the motor look like one of these iconic engines we just mentioned.
Benoit and Steven Salowsky also presented the work done by Electric GT. They have an electric crate motor that is not limited to the motor. Brock Winberg rightfully argued that a crate engine already has everything it needs to run, so why doesn’t the same happen to electric motors? This is why his company created the 413 eGT Motor.
Winberg compares it to a V8 on Electric GT’s website. At SEMA Show, he also showcased the 913 eGT system for the Porsche 911 and multiple other solutions that the Electric GT founder promises to be plug-and-play. It is a similar concept to that presented by Webb Motorworks but without nostalgic looks.