How is EV technology being accepted by the aftermarket?

At SEMA, we heard Trump-like talking points but saw skateboard chassis, too.

See full article...

 

[Keith Tanner]

Not really good analogy.
HDDs (SMR in 20+TB) are still needed because do you see a 24TB SSD under $500? Or that recovery of an HDD is possible, but not so with an SSD. Spinners are necessary...just like Diesel locomotives, jet-fuel and airlines, and truck transport until costs and other factors are feasible to eliminate fossil fuels. And with countries competing for natural resources, tech and more to eliminate, its a race to the bottom...line.
Imagine the kerosene and methane wasted used to power Elon's test spaceship

I think that's what makes it a good analogy. HDDs are still necessary in some heavy duty applications. But for the bulk of consumer applications, they are the wrong choice.

 

[Keith Tanner]

My company is a SEMA member and I've been going to the show for nearly a quarter century. They're really, really helpful when it comes to trying to be emissions compliant. We've made good use of the lab in Diamond Bar over the years. When I go to the show, I spend much of my time in meetings and seminars regarding emissions instead of ogling the car with the most LEDs.

But they're also a very political organization that lobbies against anything that will make life more difficult for the industry, even if what they're lobbying against is for the greater good.

As for what you see on the show, keep in mind that it's a trade show with a wide variety of exhibitors. If you're a small company that's been working for three years on a skateboard chassis that will slip under a classic Mustang because that was where everything was going three years ago, you're still going to exhibit it. And there's still interest in retropowering classics or using electric power in interesting ways.

 

[Keith Tanner]

It feels like I've been waiting forever for a practical EV conversion to become available. By "practical" I mean to say: using a proven set of off the shelf components, doesn't require an electrical engineering degree to avoid killing yourself, and where the kit alone doesn't cost MORE than an entire new EV from a dealer.

As it stands, this still doesn't exist despite companies talking about EV conversion kits for the past 15 years. The companies selling non-vaporware EV conversions only seem interested in an ultra-polished, white-glove treatment (for multiple hundreds of thousands). In other words, very exlusive full conversions - done by them, and at their shop. Not for the end user or a DIY-er. The existing 'official' conversions couldn't be further from DIY friendly either. They amount to expensive toys or conversation pieces to be collected, garaged, and occasionally gawked at.

Sadly, I don't know that this is any different - a quick glance at the Elkington website shows some very custom work, along with no pricing aside from being able to place a deposit to reserve a future order. I'd love to see an actual product on the market, but this seems a lot closer to the GM eCrate - another "DIY" kit which was only ever half-release and sold in limited quantities to select installers.

Low volume production is inherently more expensive than high volume. The parts for an EV conversion still aren't cheap, especially batteries.

Heck, GM's "connect and cruise" ICE packages cost more than some new ICE cars as well - and they're just an engine/transmission/control unit. No fuel tanks, fuel pumps, cooling systems, other drivetrain parts or any sort of mounting system. They're a DIY option, but there's still a lot of custom work to do.

So if you're going to be doing a conversion, you're already going to be spending a fair bit of money. And if people will be spending a fair bit of money, they have high expectations. Thus the white glove treatment. It's a lot easier to justify a polished $100k conversion than a $50k conversion that uses a bunch of junkyard parts and is slapped into a rough looking car. If you've spent a bunch of time and money developing a properly engineered swap, you also don't want any rando putting it together badly and giving your work a bad name. So you keep it in-house.

We used to be in the LS swap game, so this is not idle speculation as to what customers want or what it takes to do things right.

 

[Keith Tanner]

I would have to assume in the long run stuff like this is how people will keep a lot of those classic cars running if you don't have unlimited budgets. I can't imagine trying to keep something OEM is going to be practical for someone who has the money to do this stuff as a hobby themselves.

(This is the end of the car modding market that actually makes sense to me personally, even if I'm not interested. My first boss at an internship had an old Corvette that was his hobby.)

And a lot of the newer stuff just isn't going to be rebuild-able the way that the extremely simple engines from say a Model T era were.

I can't imagine that interest is going to fade, unless the people who value those cars die out. Because how much of the interest in any given model of classic car was because it was what the average person with some money now saw as the cool car when they were 13?

You're right that the classic car market seems to follow "the car that was cool when the people with money were in high school". That's why the "young timers" or rad era cars are seeing a spike. Model Ts enthusiasts are becoming rare.

But newer technologies have made it easier to keep cars on the road. I know someone who has rebuilt one of the fantastically complex AMG 6.3 engines at home. Electronic modules can be replaced with home-brew setups to some extent, and there are DIY tools to communicate with them. 3D printing has made it possible to recreate parts that would otherwise need a larger industrial base. Even home CNC machines are becoming attainable.

Example, we sell a small doodad that is part of a Miata top latch. They're a long term wear item, and when they wear out and crack you swap in a new one. Problem is that Mazda stopped selling the version for 2003-05 models. So we print one out of carbon-reinforced nylon. Heck, when a bunch of the interior press-in fasteners in my 1985 CRX broke when I replaced the carpet I was able to draw up replacements and print them at home. It's never been a better time to be a classic car enthusiast.

 

[Keith Tanner]

I've had some luck by being honest about the good side and downside. Like with cold, my performance sucks in extreme cold on short trips. I've had my Bolt average 2mi/kwhr or less on those.

Like I told my sister in law my Bolt would be a great replacement for her Prius since she was at the time a in home care nurse. She could put a lot of miles on it, but generally never more than 200 as a commuter vehicle. (Rural area + in home care nurse = tons of driving) But it would be for the same reason that they bought a prius, you need a very low cost per mile vehicle to make that sort of work viable. Driving a truck or big SUV would be financially devastating.

So you just got to make the case for what the person wants or needs out of it, and be honest about the downsides. They probably know what the downsides of their vehicle are, including gas prices.

Pointing out "you never have to visit a gas station again" also works with a certain segment of the population. Turns out my wife hates gas stations, it's the biggest advantage to an EV that charges at home as far as she's concerned. Second is the ability to turn on the HVAC remotely so the car is cool/warm when you get in.

That concept of "if you can plug it in at night, charging disappears from your consciousness" is a big one. A lot of EV skeptics look at the charge times and map that directly to how they use an ICE, they drive to a special single-purpose place and then wait while the vehicle is refueled, and you always fill it all the way. Even if you can't charge at home, it's possible to incorporate charging into a daily routine by plugging in when you get coffee or when you're grocery shopping. It's an eye opener when people figure that out.