I got my first drivers license on my uncle's original Morris Minor. Rugged and built like a tank. He bought it in England when he worked there and imported it to India. At that time you could get high octane petrol only in Delhi and he was filling it with that expensive fuel. When he moved to Bombay he filled normal petrol and she ran without a complaint. He had parked it in a basement garage for years, only starting it once a month to keep the battery charged. The garage got flooded and all the cars needed a major upgrade to their engine etc. except this beauty. When the flood water receded and the car dried out he started it and it was on as before! Too bad they don't build cars like this any more!!
Well, I started driving in 1969. My 2007 VW has rustproofing so is still pretty rust free after 12 years. Conversely, 1960s cars were not 'green' by modern standards, nor were they economical on petrol (unimportant as fuel was cheap pre-1973's enormous price hike). Buying even a 5yo car back then meant body rot was already eating your bodywork, and Morris Minor front suspension struts would corrode until one of them shot out sideways ... I've seen that! The MPG was in the low 30s but the new (say) Polo Blue Motion is _far_ more powerful than a Minor, yet can achieve _over twice_ that many miles per gallon! And in much greater comfort and safety. We all overlook just how basic these cars were... that said, I loved my Moggie and a restored electric one would be a hoot to own!
I've just been watching a You Tube vid, where a guy has another angle on 'Minor ' convertions. He's fitted a V8 engine, and all that's necessary to cope with the power, amazing.
I was wondering who was going to be the first to notice the error on the 1098 engine in a 53 moggie. The original MM had a 918 cc side valve. 2nd gear for most hills and no heater for the uk model meant driving with a blanket over you in winter. 52-56 as you say was the 803 A series. That grew to the 948 cc up until 62 when the 1098cc A series was used. The engine bay is huge so it’s a great car for a conversion. Done a great job. Had lots of fun putting an oversized 1275 from a MG midget along with running gear into my old 51 side valve. The midget gearbox was a stronger unit and I wonder with the extra torque from the electric motor, it might be a good upgrade. Same goes for the back diff and axle although I guess you’re not going to be holding your foot to the floor much in London. Also disc brake conversion at the front would be another improvement and easy to do along with a Spax shock absorber upgrade to supplement the slightly weak oil filled dampers. I had a couple of the damper bolts sheer off on one I had. Great job on the conversion!!!
lance allison American Car Cos change body styles/instead of Real Improvements (like drive trains OR Interiors)wtf// NO Class/Just Improvements In Body Styles &.Obsolescence./ There Ought To Be A Law.
I was wondering who was going to be the first to notice. The original MM had a 918 cc side valve. 2nd gear for most hills and no heater for the uk model meant driving with a blanket over you in winter. 52-56 as you say was the 803 A series. That grew to the 948 cc up until 62 when the 1098cc A series was used. The engine bay is huge so it’s a great car for a conversion. Done a great job. Had lots of fun putting an oversized 1275 from a MG midget along with running gear into my old 51 side valve. The midget gearbox was a stronger unit and I wonder with the extra torque from the electric motor, it might be a good upgrade. Same goes for the back diff and axle although I guess you’re not going to be holding your foot to the floor much in London. Also disc brake conversion at the front would be another improvement and easy to do along with a Spax shock absorber upgrade to supplement the slightly weak oil filled dampers. I had a couple of the damper bolts sheer off on one I had. Great job on the conversion!!!
Great video. For anyone thinking about doing their own conversion, Vintage Voltage started on Quest channel last week and it was packed full of information.
A morris thats electric, did you know that G A Brittain who had the irish branch of Morris Services ran electric vans back in the 40's. George used them for his laundry business as well as having the Morris factory in Portobello and a battery business where batteries could be repaired back then. keep up the great work, its nice to see the older cars having a new lease of life.
I love Moggies and Minis, both designed by Alec Issigonis... great project cars, you can do anything with them. Electric engine or supercharged V8, they just like to be loved xD
There's a Volvo 240 converted to Electric driving around here in the Netherlands and I know there's some other people around who've converted them. I think lighter cars are generally cheaper and easier to convert though.
TommyTwobats Are safety features such as airbags and seat belts of that much importance in a city like London where you rarely get passed second gear! I’d have this any day over a hideous plastic leaf or Prius!
Good idea Travellers have more space for Batteries for a longer range. A large roof on a traveller could Have self charging Solar Using a very light weight but expensive material called GRAPHEIN . ( a very thin flexible product with the characteristic of polythene.
Omg I was thinking about this week it so odd that I think about someing like this I really want a rover 75 now I really want one and plus do this thank you
I had a 1965 1098cc Moggy in trafalgar blue. Very easy for the average person to service at home, but doing the grease points every 1000 miles was not a pleasant job. Great to see the old Minor soldiering on into the 21st century in electric form ! Nice work !
I'm a devout petrol head but it's quite clear that cities will be banning petrol/diesel cars soon, so I approve of these electric conversions to keep these older cars relevant. I won't be converting my '99 M5, '77 XJ-S or '70 Stag though.
@celtic barbarian Look up Nick Mann's Morris Minor, he used to hillclimb it and it had a Rover V8 with a turbo and Nitrous Oxide, it produced 600bhp. It was road legal as well.
5 років тому
The video which linked me to this one was of a supercharged LS Pro street Minor Traveller! 😂
@@tortron True. All due respect to the people, but I get the impression that they don't know much about classic cars, and are just in the business of selling electrical gear and, more importantly, batteries. I got badly stung a while back by buying e-bikes - ok for a year or so, but afterwards you find that the cost of battery replacement is so high as to be not cost effective. On one occasion I was charged nearly 40 quid just to tell me the battery was dead and needed replacing with an even higher cost "newer" type version. And that was a "respected" dealer. The truth seems to be that the ICE is still the most cost effective way of getting around.
@@gwarlow OK, point taken, but even short trips are cumulative, and having to keep plugging, unplugging and charging can become a bind. I know from experience that it can become an issue - I often couldn't be bothered to mess about after a hard day and the range gradually decreased - especially with battery use over time and cold weather. Still, not everyone is like me, and technology will hopefully improve in the not too distant future - so good luck to all!
This is the best electric car I have ever seen !. Something very British, Iconic and practical in central London. I imagine any old classic that has a traditional drive train, ie engine then gearbox then back axle could be converted. Mazda MX5 your next project, or maybe a MGB ?!. Then there is the Jags, BMW’s, gosh we can keep the best on the road once the petrol has run out....
As a classic car lover this looks a beautiful split screen Morris minor as the owner of a 69 Morris and a 74 mg just the thought of this conversation is wrong on lots of levels and is not environmentally friendly as the pollution created making the motor and batterys made more pollution then if the Morris was left as it was intended how is this green this is just my opinion
You are correct. I used to own one. The A series was "lifted" out of the Austin A30. It did grow to 1098cc eventually, in the last incarnation of the Minor circa nineteen sixties.
So I guess my dad’s Traveller is a perfect candidate for this type of conversion (helps that there’s no engine, but still has the gearbox). Though maybe I’d opt for a battery with a little more range, but eh, 45 miles isn’t bad at all.
For sure. Any car can be converted. If you're in UK, then reach out to londonelectriccars.com. If elsewhere in the world, then I am sure you can find someone that can help locally.
@@SilentDMotorShow I'm up by Chester In the North West but wen I've done all the body work on it I will bring it to you to have the engine work done if that's OK.
Uniqueness is a quality that can be applied to facets of this vehicle. It's not unique for being an electric car, it's probably also not the only electric Morris Minor. But perhaps it has a unique configuration in terms of the size of the battery pack, or the type of motor, or the fact that he uses the original gearbox. Or perhaps it's a combination of all those things.
@@triplem9805 ~~ I don't think it is pedantic to suggest that the word "unique" be used per its actual/original definition (the only one of its type or kind), instead of the current casual usage meaning "unusual" or "rare". You see, without the word "unique" in its correct definition, we do not have, in English, any other word that carries the same import. Even the two words "very rare", for example, do not reach "unique". "Unique" cannot be qualified, i.e. something cannot be "very unique" or "more unique". Best wishes to all; I enjoyed the video, thanks. #
@@drspaseebo410 I think I must have failed to convey my appreciation of Graham Hutton's comment, and the sprit of whimsy in which I responded to it. I understand perfectly what 'unique' means, and that it is an absolute and not a relative term - in contrast to the lazy way it is being used with greater and greater frequency.
It does have a heater, but I can't remember what kind. No idea how fast it goes, faster than with the original engine for sure. And lights were not converted to LED, although that is a great idea indeed!
13 kWh to go 45 miles = 289 Wh/mile! This is too much for such a small car city driving. Should be around 100Wh/mile or even less! Does it have a shunt DC traction motor? That explains why: No regen and low efficiency at part load (because bushes drag a lot and no permanent magnets). A small car like this can maintain 32 mph with 500w-900W at the wheels. With an efficient drivetrain and regen, that would give him a city driving range of 300 miles on the same 13kWh battery pack. I built EVs in the 90' and forklift DC motors were for people wanting to impress. The rest of us that wanted range got a DC Lynch motor (Coreless, PM, 27kW) UK company still make these motors. On my 3.2 kWh lead acid battery pack, I could go 80 miles!!
The one time I miss modern technology with my 1966 Volvo is with parallel parking. No back up camera's; no little buzzers telling you the distance to the next vehicle and no power steering! I need a much bigger parking space than modern vehicles.
I had one in 75 used it for work when it looked like it wouldn't pass the Mot the girlfriend and I decided to drive it to Spain the long way ..went through 7 countries without a hiccup watching the road go by in the hole on the passenger side floor when I got to Mallorca I swapped it for a scooter the guy who had it drove it for another 6 months before he had an accident and left it at the side of the road frightened the police would pick him up ...driving past it every day was like seeing an old friend... minimal maintenance took a licking and kept on ticking when one morning I saw the police tow it away I feel like getting drunk seeing an old friend go...
Have you ever thought of towing a Trailer with an additional 30kWh of Battery Pack for a longer journey of approx 150 miles? Total would then be 43kWh. It seems to make sense, because you could also add Camping Gear into your Trailer.
Living in Australian bush E Cars don't make sense but, your idea is exactly the same as I had that is to have an extra battery pack for longer distances on a trailer, that can also help run lights TV etc at home from being charged by solar. IE this extra pack can be doubly useful, and free to keep charged But if a fan blade is placed within an intake system on the vehicle I have been told above a certain speed batteries can be recharged a little. EVs need to be simple and cheap to be available or worth while.
Polluting power plants have been disappearing at crazy rates. Wind is huge in the UK for example and most places will be renewable in just a few years. Wind and solar together with batteries is just way too cheap to use anything else at this point and they are getting better and cheaper at exponential rates now. An EV is 5-8 times more efficient as well despite the big battery weight so you can drive 100 miles in an EV and still only use as much energy as a gas car driving 15 miles.
I live In the States and just in the last week learned about the Morris Minor. Wish I had one as I love the older cars. So tired of the new complicated, plastic, beasts that are being made today. Fine machines for sure but for basic transportation they are overkill. Love the idea of electric and is a perfect fit. More range means more weight in batteries so your e-mileage goes down. I want one.
They exported the Morris Minor to the USA from the late 40s, and even changed the position of the headlights (mounted higher, faired into the fenders) to fit in with USA traffic regulations, which were used on all models from the early 50s onwards. So the USA had a direct impact on the car's design development . There must be many examples hiding around in the States somewhere....
I introduced the Morris Minor to my son-in-law who fell in love with the car immediately. He is a car guy and looked them up for sale. All he said was they are expensive here in the US.
@@krabenaldt7605 Yep, I can imagine that they are rather expensive (rather like the old Land Rover Defenders). But best make sure it's not a "rust belt" example, of course. They also made convertibles and a woody version known as the "Traveller", but I think these would be even more expensive than the sedans. They certainly are in the UK anyway.
Start mass production of this "E-Minor" electric car and send it to India. A very big market is waiting for this "E-Minor" here in India. Nostalgic fans are waiting for this car going to be "Made in India".
@@bipolatelly9806 are you mad? Many compounds in the internal combustion engines are not burnt completely. It reacts with the Ozone above and also makes harmful hydrocarbon fumes which results in choking of windpipe inside the human body as our body cannot use those fumes to respire.
You did not watch the video at all I take? This video was a bout taking old cars and converting them to electric. Nothing mass market about it. Also no need for battery improvement since the product works right now as advertised.
I would hardly call £12k to £20k cheap, think I'll stick to my diesel car. Would be better if you could just buy a kit and fit it yourself though I suspect it wouldn't be much less. Perhaps in the future mass produced kits will become more readily available, time will tell.
Why didn"t you fit the motor direct (or with a gear or belt pulley) to the differential and save a ton of weight aka more batteries. Ultra capacitors would also help on acceleration and regen which you would get from the rear.
Why do people think ultracapacitor are the answer or even a possible answer. I'd like to know where this comes from as someone that has actually played with them they are so far away from being a battery money-wise and Weight Wise. Kind of like saying why don't you use diamonds instead of Ice Cube's you could freeze them in the freezer and use them over and over.
@pmailkeey That would have been an extra when this was built. From memory heaters were not standard even on Wolseley's, at the top of the BMC range, until the late 50s.
I have just done a quick check on another upmarket BMC car of the period - a Riley RME. That says that a recirculating heater was normally optional but was fitted as standard in territories where necessary.
@pmailkeey I would not want to swear to it, but my recollection is that the VW did have a heater of sorts from the beginning. It collected hot air from around the engine and blew it into the car.
@pmailkeey If it does, then you're pretty sleepy after even a short journey. That's the heater I was thinking of, VWs did not reach the market here until '52 or '53 and as far as I can remember all had that heater. I don't know of earlier ones.
Why would there be? I had a 1951 Morris Minor in the mid 1970s and it did not have any oil leaks. It was a lovely car to drive, but slow at 55 mph flat out. I never did figure out the mileage. I just put 1 gallon in and it would last about 3 weeks. It was 803cc.
In the few Morrises I've been a passenger in, one thing they had in common was lousy a heater. Guess converting one to electric does not make it worse. From my memory a Morris minor got 84 miles / UK gallon driven carefully.
£6,000 for the car and £12,000 to convert. With batteries being the highest cost factor. Whilst a lot cheaper than a Tesla, it still is costly. Hopefully price on batteries keeps going down, while performance goes up. Thanks for watching and commenting.
@@SilentDMotorShow Thanks for the pricing. Think the cheapest Tesla is £30,000 so it beats that. I really like that you're renewing the old, giving old cars a new lease on life. I will seriously consider. Ideally I'd like greater km's per charge.
I got my first drivers license on my uncle's original Morris Minor. Rugged and built like a tank. He bought it in England when he worked there and imported it to India. At that time you could get high octane petrol only in Delhi and he was filling it with that expensive fuel. When he moved to Bombay he filled normal petrol and she ran without a complaint. He had parked it in a basement garage for years, only starting it once a month to keep the battery charged. The garage got flooded and all the cars needed a major upgrade to their engine etc. except this beauty. When the flood water receded and the car dried out he started it and it was on as before! Too bad they don't build cars like this any more!!
Well, I started driving in 1969. My 2007 VW has rustproofing so is still pretty rust free after 12 years. Conversely, 1960s cars were not 'green' by modern standards, nor were they economical on petrol (unimportant as fuel was cheap pre-1973's enormous price hike). Buying even a 5yo car back then meant body rot was already eating your bodywork, and Morris Minor front suspension struts would corrode until one of them shot out sideways ... I've seen that! The MPG was in the low 30s but the new (say) Polo Blue Motion is _far_ more powerful than a Minor, yet can achieve _over twice_ that many miles per gallon! And in much greater comfort and safety. We all overlook just how basic these cars were... that said, I loved my Moggie and a restored electric one would be a hoot to own!
so, is this now an E Minor
Pa, dam, thss! :-)
Keep the tyres pumped up or it will be E flat Minor(!)
You hum it and I will play it
Hahaha clever!
"Solitude in E Minor"
What a great idea. I love the idea if electric but hate modern cars.
I've just been watching a You Tube vid, where a guy has another angle on 'Minor ' convertions. He's fitted a V8 engine, and all that's necessary to cope with the power, amazing.
It's an interesting concept, in cities like London, it definitely makes sense financially as a daily commuter vehicle
Sam Glorioso Yes, makes so much sense on all fronts :)
I was wondering who was going to be the first to notice the error on the 1098 engine in a 53 moggie. The original MM had a 918 cc side valve. 2nd gear for most hills and no heater for the uk model meant driving with a blanket over you in winter. 52-56 as you say was the 803 A series. That grew to the 948 cc up until 62 when the 1098cc A series was used.
The engine bay is huge so it’s a great car for a conversion. Done a great job. Had lots of fun putting an oversized 1275 from a MG midget along with running gear into my old 51 side valve. The midget gearbox was a stronger unit and I wonder with the extra torque from the electric motor, it might be a good upgrade. Same goes for the back diff and axle although I guess you’re not going to be holding your foot to the floor much in London. Also disc brake conversion at the front would be another improvement and easy to do along with a Spax shock absorber upgrade to supplement the slightly weak oil filled dampers. I had a couple of the damper bolts sheer off on one I had. Great job on the conversion!!!
It’s great to see these old cars getting a new lease on life.
lance allison
American Car Cos change body styles/instead of Real Improvements (like drive trains OR Interiors)wtf// NO Class/Just Improvements In Body Styles &.Obsolescence./
There Ought To Be A Law.
This was my first car..such great memories...
Nice job, I once restored a minor, and love them. Started converting my Alfa Romeo (916) GTV, which I want better than original performance.
From 1952-56, an 803 cc a A-Series inline-four engine was used. 1098 did not appear until 1962. I would have opted for a late model, but nice idea.
Wasn’t there a 948cc version too?
I was wondering who was going to be the first to notice. The original MM had a 918 cc side valve. 2nd gear for most hills and no heater for the uk model meant driving with a blanket over you in winter. 52-56 as you say was the 803 A series. That grew to the 948 cc up until 62 when the 1098cc A series was used.
The engine bay is huge so it’s a great car for a conversion. Done a great job. Had lots of fun putting an oversized 1275 from a MG midget along with running gear into my old 51 side valve. The midget gearbox was a stronger unit and I wonder with the extra torque from the electric motor, it might be a good upgrade. Same goes for the back diff and axle although I guess you’re not going to be holding your foot to the floor much in London. Also disc brake conversion at the front would be another improvement and easy to do along with a Spax shock absorber upgrade to supplement the slightly weak oil filled dampers. I had a couple of the damper bolts sheer off on one I had. Great job on the conversion!!!
I'd love to see more Morris Minors on the road. Lovely car, great conversion.
I didnt want to like this because im all about classic cars being original... But I really like it, the ability to change gears is awesome too!
So our good old morris minor is going to survive for a long time in new avatar , good job my dear. thank you . Hail E- Minor
Saw the machine parked this evening ......... great work .
Part of the Charm of my moggy is that unique exhaust vibration as you go back down through the gears, I would miss that greatly.
Great video. For anyone thinking about doing their own conversion, Vintage Voltage started on Quest channel last week and it was packed full of information.
Beautiful machine. Minors should be brought back.
Do that to Triumph Herald. The best car for London. Turns on a sixpence we used to say. Try 5p now; but it doesn't have the same ring
It's been done - saw one in 1973...
A morris thats electric, did you know that G A Brittain who had the irish branch of Morris Services ran electric vans back in the 40's. George used them for his laundry business as well as having the Morris factory in Portobello and a battery business where batteries could be repaired back then.
keep up the great work, its nice to see the older cars having a new lease of life.
I love Moggies and Minis, both designed by Alec Issigonis... great project cars, you can do anything with them. Electric engine or supercharged V8, they just like to be loved xD
Great vid and inspiring bloke - one more plus: the excellent turning circle of the minor!!
There's a Volvo 240 converted to Electric driving around here in the Netherlands and I know there's some other people around who've converted them. I think lighter cars are generally cheaper and easier to convert though.
ExperiMendel I need to visit the Netherlands soon! Old Volvos are so much appriciated over there :)
Loved it and love the whine it produces when you pull away loved it I hope your business goes well it reminds me of my old Austin 7
Compared to modern cars, there's so much space in them because there's not all the ..ehm...eh... (Safety equipment! lol) Love it tho and congrats!!
The crumple zone is the people inside.
Also, no seatbelts in that old Minor.
TommyTwobats
Are safety features such as airbags and seat belts of that much importance in a city like London where you rarely get passed second gear! I’d have this any day over a hideous plastic leaf or Prius!
Maybe people would slowdown if they didn't have so much safety equipment
I love the jelly mould especially in black. No spontaneous shopping expeditions though with a 45 mile range though. But it's a start..
Love morris minors.My dad had one when we were young about 40 y ago.
This is very cool - I’d love to see the 240 converted. Love the Minor
I am 80 years of age, my wife does the driving so I shared with an Irish friend :) Maybe a Traveler will be converted. Many congrats for this.
Good idea Travellers have more space for Batteries for a longer range.
A large roof on a traveller could Have self charging Solar Using a very light weight
but expensive material called GRAPHEIN .
( a very thin flexible product with the characteristic of polythene.
Omg I was thinking about this week it so odd that I think about someing like this I really want a rover 75 now I really want one and plus do this thank you
I had a 1965 1098cc Moggy in trafalgar blue. Very easy for the average person to service at home, but doing the grease points every 1000 miles was not a pleasant job.
Great to see the old Minor soldiering on into the 21st century in electric form ! Nice work !
I'm a devout petrol head but it's quite clear that cities will be banning petrol/diesel cars soon, so I approve of these electric conversions to keep these older cars relevant.
I won't be converting my '99 M5, '77 XJ-S or '70 Stag though.
I want one! Great upload, thanks
Somewhere on UA-cam is a series 2 MM with a 4 litre Rover v8 under the bonnet. The very antithesis of an "E Minor".
@celtic barbarian Look up Nick Mann's Morris Minor, he used to hillclimb it and it had a Rover V8 with a turbo and Nitrous Oxide, it produced 600bhp. It was road legal as well.
The video which linked me to this one was of a supercharged LS Pro street Minor Traveller! 😂
I'd like to see this guy convert a Morris van to electric!
Inspirational. I'm seriously considering buying one...
Is the steering heavier due to the weight of the batteries or is the weight equivalent to that of the old A-Series engine?
Didn’t feel at all heavy :)
The real downside is the lack of that distinctive exhaust note!
Giving it a cheeky rev before you go down hill so you can hear it rasping and banging on the overrun... ;)
Exactly!
Actually, the downside is all the windnoise you'll hear now that the exhaust note isn't covering it all up!
you could put in an outside audio system and play whatever sound you'd like, one day a Ferrari, next day a London bus, third day a RR locomotive.
@@henryostman5740
😂 I love that idea.
The rear lights are not original - they date from 1963 to 1970. Front side lights look a bit odd also. Nice car/ idea though, but range a bit short.
No 1098s in 53 either. Not till 63
@@tortron True. All due respect to the people, but I get the impression that they don't know much about classic cars, and are just in the business of selling electrical gear and, more importantly, batteries. I got badly stung a while back by buying e-bikes - ok for a year or so, but afterwards you find that the cost of battery replacement is so high as to be not cost effective. On one occasion I was charged nearly 40 quid just to tell me the battery was dead and needed replacing with an even higher cost "newer" type version. And that was a "respected" dealer. The truth seems to be that the ICE is still the most cost effective way of getting around.
Its designed for intra-city use. Is London 45 miles from east to west (north to south)? Where is the range issue?
@@gwarlow OK, point taken, but even short trips are cumulative, and having to keep plugging, unplugging and charging can become a bind. I know from experience that it can become an issue - I often couldn't be bothered to mess about after a hard day and the range gradually decreased - especially with battery use over time and cold weather. Still, not everyone is like me, and technology will hopefully improve in the not too distant future - so good luck to all!
@MIKE J hmm...can be if you can't fully afford proper motooting...
Long ago here in the former colonies, I owned an Austin Somerset, never got the heater to work, do you have the same problem? do you have a heater?
I had a friend who had several Morris Minors here in the US and none of them had reverse, he had several cars and several trucks!
This is the best electric car I have ever seen !. Something very British, Iconic and practical in central London. I imagine any old classic that has a traditional drive train, ie engine then gearbox then back axle could be converted. Mazda MX5 your next project, or maybe a MGB ?!. Then there is the Jags, BMW’s, gosh we can keep the best on the road once the petrol has run out....
Loved this vid. Great to see a great car with a new lease of life
As a classic car lover this looks a beautiful split screen Morris minor as the owner of a 69 Morris and a 74 mg just the thought of this conversation is wrong on lots of levels and is not environmentally friendly as the pollution created making the motor and batterys made more pollution then if the Morris was left as it was intended how is this green this is just my opinion
yamaha ttr600 I totally agree with you I’m also a fellow MG owner with a 62 MGA
A 53 series 2 Minor had an 803cc engine, not the 1098cc.
Dick Lang. That's what I remembered also.
Swapped out lots of Sprite motors and dead old Morries for 1200s from later Midgets.
You are correct. I used to own one. The A series was "lifted" out of the Austin A30. It did grow to 1098cc eventually, in the last incarnation of the Minor circa nineteen sixties.
So I guess my dad’s Traveller is a perfect candidate for this type of conversion (helps that there’s no engine, but still has the gearbox). Though maybe I’d opt for a battery with a little more range, but eh, 45 miles isn’t bad at all.
Perfect candidate indeed :)
I have a 1972 opel manta can you do it to electric?
For sure. Any car can be converted. If you're in UK, then reach out to londonelectriccars.com. If elsewhere in the world, then I am sure you can find someone that can help locally.
@@SilentDMotorShow I'm up by Chester In the North West but wen I've done all the body work on it I will bring it to you to have the engine work done if that's OK.
Better value for your money because of the low depreciaton. O! did i mentioned it was my fathers/ouwer dealy driver? It was a two door in Dove Grey.
It’s either unique or not. It can’t be more or most unique.
Uniqueness is a quality that can be applied to facets of this vehicle. It's not unique for being an electric car, it's probably also not the only electric Morris Minor. But perhaps it has a unique configuration in terms of the size of the battery pack, or the type of motor, or the fact that he uses the original gearbox. Or perhaps it's a combination of all those things.
An admirable and much-needed spot of pedantry, Mr Hutton - thank you.
@@aftonline So it's an innovative and interesting vehicle, possibly with some unique features.
@@triplem9805 ~~ I don't think it is pedantic to suggest that the word "unique" be used per its actual/original definition (the only one of its type or kind), instead of the current casual usage meaning "unusual" or "rare".
You see, without the word "unique" in its correct definition, we do not have, in English, any other word that carries the same import. Even the two words "very rare", for example, do not reach "unique". "Unique" cannot be qualified, i.e. something cannot be "very unique" or "more unique".
Best wishes to all; I enjoyed the video, thanks.
#
@@drspaseebo410 I think I must have failed to convey my appreciation of Graham Hutton's comment, and the sprit of whimsy in which I responded to it. I understand perfectly what 'unique' means, and that it is an absolute and not a relative term - in contrast to the lazy way it is being used with greater and greater frequency.
Love it! Hope you make sure the conversion is reversible 👍
😂
I love this, what an amazing conversion, love the idea of converting classic cars to electric, best of both worlds, good work!
Great video and very interesting. I would like one!
Matt, could you please let hub nut channel, drive review your cars. Thank you
I'm not sure Matt will see this. But you can write him on info@londonelectriccars.com. Thanks for watching!
aye up! another nutter ^^,
Surely it could be done for less than
£ 25k if sourcing the parts your self and fitting them yourself.
Wonderful. (I would have prefered to see more technical details than their faces though).
Smart little classic made kind of modern. What about heating in the winter and maximum speed and are the headlights etc led to conserve power???
It does have a heater, but I can't remember what kind. No idea how fast it goes, faster than with the original engine for sure. And lights were not converted to LED, although that is a great idea indeed!
13 kWh to go 45 miles = 289 Wh/mile! This is too much for such a small car city driving. Should be around 100Wh/mile or even less! Does it have a shunt DC traction motor? That explains why: No regen and low efficiency at part load (because bushes drag a lot and no permanent magnets). A small car like this can maintain 32 mph with 500w-900W at the wheels. With an efficient drivetrain and regen, that would give him a city driving range of 300 miles on the same 13kWh battery pack. I built EVs in the 90' and forklift DC motors were for people wanting to impress. The rest of us that wanted range got a DC Lynch motor (Coreless, PM, 27kW) UK company still make these motors. On my 3.2 kWh lead acid battery pack, I could go 80 miles!!
I might do this for a business too. Give me so thing to do in retirement. Make use of my trade skills.
How about the Water insulation of electronic components used when during heavy rain and there is water when you are driving ..?
Super. Classically beautiful concept.
Wow so happy seeing this beauty; some sure start making it again like the new Volkswagen
But it wont have the Morris Minor gear change fart.
The one time I miss modern technology with my 1966 Volvo is with parallel parking. No back up camera's; no little buzzers telling you the distance to the next vehicle and no power steering! I need a much bigger parking space than modern vehicles.
Would love to see the herald drive .
I still have my 1963 Morrie and if I had the money, would very much consider changing out to electric.
My leaf holds 12.5 to 13 Kwhrs on its battery 2013 base model and has chademo and 6.6kw charger. Avg distance 38 miles.
How could you still call it stepping on the "gas" when it runs on electric motor?
I had one in 75 used it for work when it looked like it wouldn't pass the Mot the girlfriend and I decided to drive it to Spain the long way ..went through 7 countries without a hiccup watching the road go by in the hole on the passenger side floor when I got to Mallorca I swapped it for a scooter the guy who had it drove it for another 6 months before he had an accident and left it at the side of the road frightened the police would pick him up ...driving past it every day was like seeing an old friend... minimal maintenance took a licking and kept on ticking when one morning I saw the police tow it away I feel like getting drunk seeing an old friend go...
What about a Lincoln Town car from the 1970's?
Haha, that be very cool!!
Can you explain why you kept the gearbox and why you choose to start in 2nd?
1st is pretty low in these. With any power you won't need it
tortron I mean why not start in 4th/direct drive? No need for 2nd surely
Brother of Ambassador or Beatle?
Awesome can we have it in our country
How much for the conversion?
Have you ever thought of towing a Trailer with an additional 30kWh of Battery Pack for a longer journey of approx 150 miles? Total would then be 43kWh. It seems to make sense, because you could also add Camping Gear into your Trailer.
Living in Australian bush E Cars don't make sense but, your idea is exactly the same as I had that is to have an extra battery pack for longer distances on a trailer, that can also help run lights TV etc at home from being charged by solar. IE this extra pack can be doubly useful, and free to keep charged But if a fan blade is placed within an intake system on the vehicle I have been told above a certain speed batteries can be recharged a little. EVs need to be simple and cheap to be available or worth while.
I suspect the traditionalists would be upset if Big Ben were to experience an electrical conversion.....
I would happily do this to a Beetle. But I revere original Morris Minors.
Yes, please!
Correction no pollution at the car but instead at the power plant. Still pretty cool tho
Polluting power plants have been disappearing at crazy rates. Wind is huge in the UK for example and most places will be renewable in just a few years. Wind and solar together with batteries is just way too cheap to use anything else at this point and they are getting better and cheaper at exponential rates now. An EV is 5-8 times more efficient as well despite the big battery weight so you can drive 100 miles in an EV and still only use as much energy as a gas car driving 15 miles.
I live In the States and just in the last week learned about the Morris Minor. Wish I had one as I love the older cars. So tired of the new complicated, plastic, beasts that are being made today. Fine machines for sure but for basic transportation they are overkill. Love the idea of electric and is a perfect fit. More range means more weight in batteries so your e-mileage goes down. I want one.
They exported the Morris Minor to the USA from the late 40s, and even changed the position of the headlights (mounted higher, faired into the fenders) to fit in with USA traffic regulations, which were used on all models from the early 50s onwards. So the USA had a direct impact on the car's design development . There must be many examples hiding around in the States somewhere....
I introduced the Morris Minor to my son-in-law who fell in love with the car immediately. He is a car guy and looked them up for sale. All he said was they are expensive here in the US.
@@krabenaldt7605 Yep, I can imagine that they are rather expensive (rather like the old Land Rover Defenders). But best make sure it's not a "rust belt" example, of course. They also made convertibles and a woody version known as the "Traveller", but I think these would be even more expensive than the sedans. They certainly are in the UK anyway.
How much does this conversation cost? I'd be worried about the batteries being stolen because they are easily accessible
My grandfather used to own one.
James Mandal everyone’s grandfather used to own them 😂
@@indiekiddrugpatrol3117 after this one he bought a Fiet, a mazda and a Toyota crown.
James Mandal mine got a Morris marina, three ford cortinas and a rover 400
Love it!
Love it. Wish I hadn't sold my 55.
Start mass production of this "E-Minor" electric car and send it to India. A very big market is waiting for this "E-Minor" here in India. Nostalgic fans are waiting for this car going to be "Made in India".
I think this will happen more and more. You can have what ever shell you want.
None polluters lol, just moves the emissions elsewhere! That said - nice adaptation 👍
iVlogBuzz
Who cares.
Emissions rock.
eCars are for idiots....
@@bipolatelly9806 are you mad? Many compounds in the internal combustion engines are not burnt completely. It reacts with the Ozone above and also makes harmful hydrocarbon fumes which results in choking of windpipe inside the human body as our body cannot use those fumes to respire.
Brilliant idea
Good concept it won't be mass marketable until the battery technology improves
You did not watch the video at all I take? This video was a bout taking old cars and converting them to electric. Nothing mass market about it. Also no need for battery improvement since the product works right now as advertised.
I would hardly call £12k to £20k cheap, think I'll stick to my diesel car. Would be better if you could just buy a kit and fit it yourself though I suspect it wouldn't be much less. Perhaps in the future mass produced kits will become more readily available, time will tell.
Yeah, battery pack is still the most expensive part. Hopefully prices will keep down, while quality and capacity improves.
Is this kit available to purchase?
I think so. Contact: londonelectriccars.com/
How come there's no wing mirrors?
excellent
Does it have heat and air conditioning?
Heating yes, air condition no. Thanks for watching.
Heat heck yeah i can do without air... Dang i would love to have one. I work 5.3 miles from work that car would be awesome!
What about heating on cold days?
Andrew Doubtfire I think it uses the cap and gloves heating system. Cheers.
Why didn"t you fit the motor direct (or with a gear or belt pulley) to the differential and save a ton of weight aka more batteries.
Ultra capacitors would also help on acceleration and regen which you would get from the rear.
Why do people think ultracapacitor are the answer or even a possible answer. I'd like to know where this comes from as someone that has actually played with them they are so far away from being a battery money-wise and Weight Wise. Kind of like saying why don't you use diamonds instead of Ice Cube's you could freeze them in the freezer and use them over and over.
Apart from modern safety, how about fitting air-conditioning to it? That's pretty well an essential here and in many other cities.
@pmailkeey That would have been an extra when this was built. From memory heaters were not standard even on Wolseley's, at the top of the BMC range, until the late 50s.
I have just done a quick check on another upmarket BMC car of the period - a Riley RME. That says that a recirculating heater was normally optional but was fitted as standard in territories where necessary.
@pmailkeey I would not want to swear to it, but my recollection is that the VW did have a heater of sorts from the beginning. It collected hot air from around the engine and blew it into the car.
@pmailkeey If it does, then you're pretty sleepy after even a short journey. That's the heater I was thinking of, VWs did not reach the market here until '52 or '53 and as far as I can remember all had that heater. I don't know of earlier ones.
I wonder what the registration fee is?
Loved the E minor comment ,,,,,,,give yirsel a coconut ,,,love humour like that
Beats dropping a piano on it like the "Top Gear" guys used to do.
that was the morris marina
Yes people this is a car to travel not like modern luxury to go bankrupt with new cars.
Most important no oil leaks
Why would there be? I had a 1951 Morris Minor in the mid 1970s and it did not have any oil leaks. It was a lovely car to drive, but slow at 55 mph flat out. I never did figure out the mileage. I just put 1 gallon in and it would last about 3 weeks. It was 803cc.
In the few Morrises I've been a passenger in, one thing they had in common was lousy a heater. Guess converting one to electric does not make it worse. From my memory a Morris minor got 84 miles / UK gallon driven carefully.
no just acid leaks
With all the talk of costs you’d think you’d say the cost of buying the car. Nothing on their website
£6,000 for the car and £12,000 to convert. With batteries being the highest cost factor. Whilst a lot cheaper than a Tesla, it still is costly. Hopefully price on batteries keeps going down, while performance goes up. Thanks for watching and commenting.
@@SilentDMotorShow Thanks for the pricing. Think the cheapest Tesla is £30,000 so it beats that. I really like that you're renewing the old, giving old cars a new lease on life. I will seriously consider. Ideally I'd like greater km's per charge.