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Aston Martin Will Make Old Cars Electric So They Don't Get Banned From Cities (theverge.com)
Aston Martin announced this week that it's starting a "Heritage EV" program where owners of classic Aston Martins can have their cars converted to an all-electric powertrain. The British automaker said they are starting this program so that classic cars don't get banned from cities that are moving to shun internal combustion engines in favor of boosting air quality for residents. The Verge reports: Aston Martin says the technology for these conversions will be built on "key components" being used to develop the Rapide E, a super-limited all-electric sports car due late next year. The Rapide E will use an 800-volt, 65kWh battery, offer "over 200 miles" of range, and feature a sub-4-second 0-60 mph time, as well as a top speed of 155 miles per hour. Only 155 of them will be sold, too. So the best way to get a taste of Aston Martin's electric future might actually be one of these EV conversions.
The automaker says the first car it will develop a conversion plan for is the 1970 DB6 MkII Volante. Aston Martin will build Rapide E-inspired "cassettes" that can essentially slide in where the original engine and gearbox used to be, and will even be attached to the same mountings. A new screen will be fitted in the car's interior, but otherwise, little else is changed. This also means that, should an owner change their mind, and also have the money (which, come on, of course they do), they should be able to change it back if they so desire.
The automaker says the first car it will develop a conversion plan for is the 1970 DB6 MkII Volante. Aston Martin will build Rapide E-inspired "cassettes" that can essentially slide in where the original engine and gearbox used to be, and will even be attached to the same mountings. A new screen will be fitted in the car's interior, but otherwise, little else is changed. This also means that, should an owner change their mind, and also have the money (which, come on, of course they do), they should be able to change it back if they so desire.
Even here in Germany, classic cars are exempt from most air qualityrules (and even regular car taxes) so I doubt that would be a problem anywhere else.
But then, this is pretty cool and catapults classic cars into the 21st century.
And best of it is: A company is showing dedication to their own products and is not trying to obsolete their old products as fast as possible to sell a few more new ones. That's the long term support i want to see from phone manufacturers.
bickerdyke
The big problem that I have with EVs is that they're all new. In other words, they all have "navigation systems." In other words, they all spy on you.
This lets me have an EV and lets me grandfather in my privacy at the same time.
James Bonds DB5 with the machine guns and ejector seat
This is actually kind of cool
I agree. I have some doubts about this specific effort. Teslas are, to some extent, big heavy cars because they need a lot of battery space. I'm told that current Tesla batteries are approaching theoretical limits for Lithium-ion energy density. Not that that's an absolute limit on how compact car batteries can be, but it does suggest that wedging batteries into an Aston-Martin DB6 that is a foot shorter than a Tesla Model 3 and unlike the Model 3 not designed around the need for a large battery pack may be a problem. Of course, the engine, transmission, and fuel tank are no longer needed, so maybe it will work out.
And the weight distribution will likely be quite different. That's got to affect handling?
I'm not especially a car guy, so maybe I'm overestimating the problems. Or maybe I'm missing some. But anyway, it's interesting, and, I agree, kind of cool.
You can't see ANYTHING from a car, You've got to get out of the goddamned contraption and walk...Edward Abbey
great way to ruin your investment by making the car near worthless.
it will only be worth its money if it is in its original state.
nobody is driving these classic cars anyway, except maybe once or twice a year to go to a meeting or somesuch. even then, it might be they're just transported with a trailer. and these meetings typically don't take place in a city (not enough space to display so many cars anyway). so no cause for banning-fear.
On a long enough timeline, the survival rate for everyone drops to zero.
My '04 XJR is about as perfect a road car as I can find. Physically, I fit, unlike a Tesla Model S, and it is quite roomy; the large "greenhouse" gives me great visibility; it has sufficient power; it handles beautifully. Currently, because I drive long distances on obscure roads, an electric is not useful to me as an "only" car. However, as an alternative for city use, an electric version would be magnificent. Jaguar has a decent history of electrics https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jaguar_C-X75, as well as a current "Sport Utility" model https://www.jaguarusa.com/all-models/i-pace/index.html. A retrofit kit for a same model XJ would make much more sense to me than anything likely to come out in the foreseeable future.
Oh, stop being such a Grinch. This is actually kind of cool.
I've got an 82 Corvette that I'd love to convert. the cars from about 1975 To 1990 suffered greatly from loss of power due to emission controls. getting up to Tesla speed plus having some new tech to play with would be fun.
Depends on the car. I have friends who live for working on their cars. An Aston Martin deserves to be parked in a nice garage, taken for a spin every so often and have the oil changed on schedule.
I was at a classic car show a few weeks ago, and saw an old MG that had been converted in a similar way. The company who did it said that the conversion actually improved the car's handling - as well as being in the boot (trunk for USA-ians) batteries were also distributed along the car's floor, which lowered the centre of gravity compared to the regular car
The thing is, nobody sane takes an antique Aston Martin on a 4 hour trip. You take one out for 30-40 minutes and then have a rest. Or, you are using the car in an actual multi-day race, in which case you would obviously not undergo an electric conversion.
I expect very few classic car owners would both cruise in the town for fun, and also race with the same car.
Take off every 'sig' !!
Anyone who does this isn't really a fan of the car itself, they like the idea of the prestige of being seen driving the car. A fan of the car itself would want it to drive as much as possible like it did the first day out of the factory.
Laws are rules for the court, but merely a bottom bar to hit for life. Think beyond laws in your actions always.
The thing is, nobody sane takes an antique Aston Martin.. and BUTCHERS it eviscerating its heritage and history.
These aren't collectibles insomuch as "choppers".
Life is not for the lazy.
modern cars are basically fully electronic, it seems like it wouldn't be too much of a stretch to pull the IC/tran and replace it with an electric drive train. It seems like there is a business model in there somewhere.
For improved handling, you want the mass towards the center, as close as possible to midway between the two axles. That'll minimize the moment of inertia, allowing the car to "turn on a dime." That's why most of the famous sports cars are rear-engine two seaters, and tend to spin out in the hands of an inexperienced driver (rear wheel drive + small moment of inertia = easy to spin out).
Tesla did it right with the battery pack under the floor. Putting some batteries in the trunk indicates they needed to counterbalance excessive weight towards the front, meaning the two combine for a higher moment of inertia. The car will not react as quickly as it could to steering input (doesn't handle as well as it could).
Let's face it: Aston-Martins are not cars that people buy to use for their work commute. They are expensive and relatively small numbers of them are made. And as they age, they tend to become even more valuable. The idea of taking a valuable 1970 Aston Martin Volante and stripping out the engine and drive train to install electric motors and batteries does not seem like a good one to me. These cars will immediately lose all of their collector value and the owners' investment in them will tank. Knowing the company, it probably will not be cheap to make the conversion, either.
While an Aston Martin is out of my price range regardless, one of the key elements of a sports car is the availability of a manual transmission. I don't see any mention of how the transmission would work after this conversion. By my understanding most all-electric cars on the road today use either single speed transmissions or CVTs; neither are particularly sporting for someone who really wants to have fun driving. I hope they have something figured out for that.
Damn_registrars has no butt-hole. Damn_registrars has no use for a butt-hole.