How is EV technology being accepted by the aftermarket?

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

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[islane]

The next company made me reminisce about my freshman-year science class in the early ’00s, when I first learned that EVs could one day have skateboard chassis. Meaning, there would be a basic chassis that you could swap different bodies between. Elkington Motors of Provo, Utah, follows a similar concept: bolt a classic muscle car (particularly any gen-one Ford Mustang) or truck body onto a ready-to-go chassis.

The specs are appealing: 90 kWh battery, 508 hp (379 kW), 2,212 lb-ft (3,000 Nm), all-wheel drive, and around 220 miles (354 km) of range. All chassis, suspension, and accompanying electronics to make it work are part of the build. Even in the sea of shoulder-to-shoulder attendees, it was apparent how well-thought-out and beneficial this sort of EV conversion could be, especially to the intrepid DIYer.

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 exclusive 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-released and sold in limited quantities to select installers.