Porsche 911 EV Conversion Isn’t as Easy as Planned

Electrifying Project

In recent years, Porsche 911 EV conversions have becoming more and more popular as the parts required for such a job have become more readily available. There are several reasons why one might want to electrify their old Porsche, though in all fairness, plenty of reasons why one might not want to do such a thing. However, in the case of Barry Ritholtz and his own 911 EV conversion, this particular job is thus far proving to be a bit more difficult than originally thought. 

Photos: Barry Ritholtz

Suitable Donor

This particular conversion is being completed by a company called Moment Motors, which actually has a bit of a waitlist at the moment. Thus, once he got on that list, Ritholtz set out to find a suitable 911 for the job - a hunt that led to the purchase of a 1988 911 Cabriolet that he wound up restoring instead. Soon, however, he came across a 1987 Carrera that had nearly 300k miles on the clock that had once been in an accident and is fitted with lots of mismatched parts - including its engine - making it a prime candidate for an EV conversion. 

Photos: Barry Ritholtz

Process Begins

Around a year later, Moment Motors contacted Ritholtz and told him it was his turn, and as such, he shipped the car to them. The company proceeded to remove the ICE powertrain and install modern bits and pieces like a new HVAC setup and entertainment system, but during this process, they also discovered some problems. 

Photos: Barry Ritholtz

Rust Issues

The biggest was a rather large rust spot near the 12-volt battery that turned out to be far worse than Ritholz though - in fact, it was so widespread that it would impact the structural integrity of the car in a spot where it would soon hold heavy EV batteries, which weigh around 200 pounds in total. 

Photos: Barry Ritholtz

Good as New

Thus, fixing that massive issue wound up costing a whopping $9,000, but this was a necessary expense and it was repaired quite masterfully, as we can see from these photos. 

Photos: Barry Ritholtz

More Power

As for the new powertrain, it just arrived a couple of months ago - a Fellten EV Series 1 electric motor, which in this guise will generate around 350 horsepower, which is far more than the 210 horsepower the old flat-six originally pumped out.

Photos: Barry Ritholtz

Real Rocketship

However, the Series II kit that has effectively replaced the Series 1 came out later, but it was worth the wait, as it bumps output up to an impressive 440 horsepower. In a car that effectively weighs around 2,500 pounds, this 911 EV should be quite the rocketship when it's finished, and we're certainly looking forward to seeing just how good this project turns out. 

Photos: Barry Ritholtz

>>Join the conversation about converting classic 911s to EVs right here at Rennlist.com.

>>For help with your do-it-yourself maintenance and repair projects, please visit our how-to section.