EV swap a Trans Am? Yay or Nay?

[FormTA]

Very interesting. Thanks for that explanation. The only energy thing I did when I built my house was to install a geothermal unit because  at the time (2010) we got a huge rebate so it ended up costing the same as if I installed a propane unit. And geothermal cost way less to run than the propane, so win/win.

[5th T/A]

A friend of mine sent me this link comparing fueling cost of Gas versus an all-Electric vehicle. The answer is somewhat complicated, depending where you live and where you charge your car there is quite a variance in cost. Another variable that is bound to change is how to tax users of all Electric vehicles for road usage.

 https://apple.news/A7gZPHq1-Sm-9qqkhcm4j5g

[MNBob]

With the Jeep versus the ID4, the economics for me are very favorable to the ID4.  The Jeep was getting about 14 miles to the gallon.  In the Jeeps’ defense, the suburb where I live in is light after light when you try to go any place, so no SUV is going to do great in that situation.  At any rate, it was taking 16 gallons to fill which gave me about 224 miles. Because the Jeep took premium fuel, the price was about four dollars a gallon resulting in a fill up cost of $64.

I calculated the cost for the ID4 to go this same distance at $9.  The price of electricity here with all the adders is 14 cents per kWh, a lot less than what Gene said the rates are in California.  These figures are estimates, but with an average of three fill ups a month, this is quite a monthly savings.

[roadking77]

I would love 3 fill ups a month. Last fall I was putting $100 in the gas tank every other day! Working closer to home as of late so it has not been so bad. My v6 f150 gets about 17 mpg around town, a bit better when we had a 4 hr commute. Went across the scale at the refuse plant yesterday and empty the truck tips the scale just at 7,000 lbs.

[FormTA]

I don't feel that bad now. I get 13-14 MPG and fill every 3 days or so at $80 or more a fill up. 2021 RAM with 6.4L gas.

[MNBob]

You guys are using the trucks for work, I am retired and on a fixed income.

I did find a good summary article on EV's expected in the near future that might be of interest:

https://www.caranddriver.com/news/g29994375/future-electric-cars-trucks/

[twov8sandat4]

I wouldn’t swap an LS into my TA, never mind do an EV conversion 😁.  The reason I love my car is the personality it has, with all the noises, smells,…. EV would suck the soul right out of it.

On a recent trip to ÇA, I drove a Model 3 and a Porsche Macan GTS back to back.  While the 3 ran circles around the Macan, it was an appliance.  It did everything well, just like my refrigerator.  Although slower, the Macan just owned the 3 when it came to the enthusiast factor.

If you are looking for a transportation/commuting module, an EV would fit the bill.  But then again, we’re on this forum for a reason 😁

[L8KRFAN]

I'm in the "never" group but even if I wanted to, I don't believe it's allowed since my 79 still goes through smog check every two years in Southern California. Anyone know for sure?

And no I'm not moving out of California or registering it in another state or blah blah blah 

[stros]

I'm in the "never" group but even if I wanted to, I don't believe it's allowed since my 79 still goes through smog check every two years in Southern California. Anyone know for sure?

And no I'm not moving out of California or registering it in another state or blah blah blah 

Yes CA requires smog every 2 years.  My LS3 (as mentioned earlier it’s the CARB legal E-Rod crate LS3 ) never has any issues passing.  My old broken down 400 had some challenges passing before it kicked the bucket. 

While I appreciate those who want to keep it original there’s absolutely no comparison between an always dependable 430HP that never overheats vs the old 180hp Pontiac 400 L78.  It is way more enjoyable.  I’m also much more confident taking my kids out in it as I’m not stressed it’ll break down or overheat.

Not sure how the LS swap compares to the EV ones now but if the LS is still significantly cheaper it’ll be hard to justify an EV swap for most of us.   Not many of us are getting over 1000-2000 miles per year on our cars. 

[FormTA]

You know I agree with you but that said, I do enjoy the originality of the old carb and transmissions too. My son has decided wants my 79 Formula that's in the barn and we are now going to swap in a manual transmission so it will be all period correct and something I can drive when I want to satisfy that itch.

As for the LS debate, I don't think others realize how much the cars stay the same, at least mine did. It feels to me like it did when I was a kid but like you said, it starts instantly and I don't have to do maintenance on it, like plugs, wires rotor blaa, blaa, blaa. It just w
Runs and runs amazing, whenever I want to drive it. I think, someday there will be ev swaps done with our cars but I feel it will be limited as the gas engine is part of the feeling that goes with these cars. I would have to have my gas version and then the ev so I could make a choice when I go for a drive.

[stros]

Agreed that I think these cars still need that exhaust sound.  The LS sounds just as good to me as the 400 did.  Also agree with you that the TA just feels like a new car after the motor and the character isn’t horribly changed. As folks have seen before I tried to keep some of the original character by adding a Pontiac blue cover to the engine.

Obviously if I had one of the Super Duty motors or any of the early 70s motors it’d be a different story.  I’m guessing my 77 400 had about 150hp left in it before it died.   

[stros]

One of the other funny things is when I changed the shaker decal to “E-Rod 6.2” I get a lot of
folks asking if it’s an EV

[kentucky yeti]

One of the other funny things is when I changed the shaker decal to “E-Rod 6.2” I get a lot of
folks asking if it’s an EV

 

[stros]

Please ignore all of my comments regarding EVs above.  I now see what Gene was talking about.  We traded our 2019 Tesla Model 3 standard model in for a Kia EV6 GT.  The Kia is 100x nicer than the Tesla in every single aspect.  The driving experience is way more engaging.  It pumps in some sound (only audible in the car) when accelerating - it just sounds more like a normal car from the inside.  The Tesla made me feel like I could fall asleep driving it. 

The power is absolutely insane with 4 driver modes.  Eco - 287hp,  Normal is 430HP.  Sport is 430HP and tightens up the suspension.  GT mode is 576HP/546 lb feet and has a drift mode (0-60 in 3.4).  It handles great although it’s a relatively low SUV.

I’ve owned about 20 cars in my life and this one is the most fun to drive by a large margin. 

The interior is also much more like a normal car but still has all of the new tech features.  The cameras are much better than the Tesla.  The 360 view allows you to perfectly position the car in a parking spot or next to a curb.  No more curb rash concerns - my wife had destroyed our Tesla’s wheels. The fit and finish is much better.

I’m happy that Kia didn’t just try to copy Tesla’s approach.  I’ve never owned one of these Korean brands before but I’m really impressed.

So in summary Tesla really gave me a bad first EV impression.  I still wouldn’t bother doing an EV swap on a classic due to the costs involved but don’t be afraid about buying a new one (but not from Tesla).

I ended up leasing the Kia for 2 years - I’ve not leased before but the lease deals are really great right now.  Plus my Tesla’s value was plummeting over the past year.  Pretty sure the lease investment will nearly equate to the $s I would’ve lost on the Tesla over the next 2 years.

[Gene-73]

Excellent choice Darryl. You also picked the same color as our EV6!

[stros]

Excellent choice Darryl. You also picked the same color as our EV6!

Thanks Gene!