DeLorean DMC-12 goes back to the future with EV conversion

Electrogenic, a British-based firm specializing in EV conversions for classic vehicles, has launched a ‘plug-and-play’ EV conversion kit for the DeLorean DMC-12, made famous for its appearances in the ‘Back to the Future’ movie trilogy. The futuristic-looking car’s disappointing PRV V6 gets replaced by an electric motor that offers nearly double the performance.

While the DeLorean DMC-12 certainly looked the part, thanks to its gullwing doors and its stainless steel body, the creator’s shady business practices, and the production car’s disappointing technical side meant that only around 8,975 examples were produced before the company went bust in 1982, three years before the model became popular again thanks to the ‘Back to the Future’ movie trilogy.

Out goes the V6, in goes the electric motor

Most of the disappointment came from the DMC-12’s underwhelming ‘PRV’ (Peugeot-Renault-Volvo) V6 engine, which produced just 130 hp. Even in the eighties, that wasn’t enough for a sports car. Now, the British experts at Electrogenic have developed a powertrain that delivers better performance and matches the car’s futuristic look.

It is an electric powertrain that, according to Electrogenic, is ‘plug-and-play’ for both manual and automatic DMC-12 models. It features a 160 kW (218 hp) electric motor, nearly doubling the power and cutting the 0-60 mph acceleration time from around nine to less than five seconds.

A 42 kWh battery sits in place of the fuel tank, meaning there’s no compromise on luggage space, while the range is claimed to be around 150 miles (241 km). The kit only adds around 30 kg to the car’s total weight, so the dynamics are not compromised, and no adjustments to the suspension or brakes are needed.

Not cheap

The conversion is also completely reversible, so the vehicles can be restored to their original state if needed. The only question that remains is the cost of this conversion. No price tag is mentioned, but a previous conversion kit by Electrogenic for the classic Mini was priced at around £15,000 (€17,700), and it featured a less powerful motor (60 hp) and a much smaller battery (20 kWh).

Considering a DeLorean DMC-12 can be found for between €50,000 and €100,000 in Europe, this conversion may not be worth the cost. But then again, an entirely rational mind wouldn’t buy a DeLorean anyway…