EV-matic

Circa 1912 – A woman uses a hand-operated charger to charge the batteries of a Columbia Mark 68 Victoria car. Pope Manufacturing Company produced this model in 1906 https://www.muzeuldefotografie.ro/2015/07/1880-1920-primele-masini-electrice/ | 1880-1920: The First Electric Cars Museum of Photography https://www.muzeuldefotografie.ro/2015/07/1880-1920-primele-masini-electrice/

Pushed myself in 2025 and I'm finally now in a position where I don't have to work for the rest of the WHOLE YEAR! 😄 In other news, I spoke to my mate Bob the Builder and we'll be getting back in the workshop soon to upgrade this sexy slice of sensuous '70s seduction (did that with a straight face) to run off that bright ball in the sky. 🌞 Got all the batteries from China, just need to put them together in a pack, wire it up, and we can have the car finally running on full power. No more fuses blowing while running it off an extension cord... After that, we'll wire up the BMS, get the speedo working, refresh the brakes, and then it's certification time. Work's been flat out for months and it's been ages since things happened on the Allegro project but that is about to change and 2026 should be a big one. Have a sweet summer break, folks. Or a winter one if you're in the wrong hemisphere. 🏖️

Unfortunately, this utter nonsense remains my greatest contribution to the internet. 😅

Final super fun fact: This car was so popular in the 1970s that it has actually sold more units than the original Tesla Roadster from the 2000s!

Holy spuds, my EV conversion batteries just arrived! I wasn't expecting them to just show up! I thought I'd have days of delays and paperwork and Customs fees but the supplier just did everything for me. I didn't lift a finger. I guess huge thanks are in order to Betty at LYTH Battery in China for making the transaction and shipping an absolute piece of cake. As for the specs, I've now got 96 CALB NMC cells, totaling around 21 kWh. Total cost for the batteries, busbars & shipping was $6500 NZD ($3715 USD). Interestingly though, the total weight for the batteries is only around 90 kg (198 lbs). This means we might just get this Austin Allegro converted to electric very close to its internal combustion weight! Should make the inspection easier and it means this old girl will go like stink! 😁 Next step: time to organise a tow car and a trailer and then get the car & batteries to Bob the Builder and we can start making a battery box! Although I might just make a stop at Electricarna in Taupo (Apr 5) on the way if anyone wants to see it in person?

YEEESSSSSSSSS! SUCCESS!!!!! The wheels spin! Better yet, the car can actually move on the ground, running off a household outlet! Video of this latest episode is will be uploaded ASAP but will take a while as it's a big video (but worth the wait). YEEEESSSSS!!!

Many older men like to believe they are rational thinkers first and foremost; not slaves to emotional outbursts. But all you gotta do to disprove that theory is chuck a pic like this on their social media feed. 🤣

Ohhhhh baby, we're getting close to firing this motor up! All the wires are identified and labeled. But as usual, I've run out of time. Got another crazy work week ahead and I've gotta start prepping for more videos to produce.

Sweet! The VCM has arrived for my electric car conversion. This little gadget tricks the Nissan Leaf motor, inverter & charger into thinking it's still sitting there happily in a Leaf and everything's just fine. It also has cool outputs, like running the old fuel gauge as a battery meter.

AWESOME NEWS! Thanks to a donation from my employer Ecotricity NZ, I've just splashed out on a vehicle control module (VCM) to turn on the Nissan Leaf motor! It should arrive in a few days and then I can begin wiring it up to see if this Leaf motor in the Allegro actually works! 😅

P.S. The components needed in the production of electric cars are actually NOT as expensive as legacy automakers and their dealers try to tell everyone...! Traditional car manufacturers artificially keep the prices of electric cars high in order to save their investments in diesel production and please oil dealers. The only way to solve this problem is real competition in the electric car market and the complete bankruptcy of the old companies...

Allegro's sitting there all alone & neglected. Still waiting on parts to arrive to continue the EV conversion, plus nothing much will happen for a bit because I'll be paying off my new air conditioner for weeks. Sorry folks. Get comfy 'cause it's gonna take a while. ⏰

Another day of slow progress. Modified the new electric shifter mechanism to fit and I just need to weld the original gear stick onto it. The original shroud fits nicely so it will still look like a combustion-powered Austin Allegro inside.

My new drive shafts should arrive soon so I can spin the wheels. Still unsure if that Nissan Leaf motor actually works! 😅

The perfect cartoon for anti-science, combustion lovers. It'd be funny if it wasn't so sad.

Making progress on the next electric car conversion video already. 😀

I'll never get sick of looking at the before and after progress. But tomorrow I pick up a trailer and a towing car. Watch this space...