Plug-and-play - gasoline engine out, electric motor in?
10/18/2019
Computer scientists, i.e. computer specialists, like to talk about "plug-and-play" technology, by which they mean devices or components that can be connected with standard connectors and then simply work without any further action.
Similar considerations now seem to be taking place in the automotive sector and the replacement of gasoline engines with electric motors.
A young American company called ElectricGT is in the process of developing a so-called "crate engine", which has the same dimensions as a V8 petrol engine and can simply be installed in its place. The Americans have been doing something similar for a long time in the field of gasoline engines, where you can simply replace a weaker or older V8 with a more modern and more powerful drive unit. Now the same thing is happening electrically.
Of course, it's not quite that simple. Although it may be possible to install the electric drive technology in a housing with the shape and dimensions of the previous eight-cylinder engine, the power supply still has to be solved. It's probably not quite "plug-and-play", but at least a normal mechanic should be able to manage the conversion, including the installation of the batteries.
The approach is certainly interesting for people who can live with electric alternatives to their V8 or later R4. According to our last survey, however, not too many classic car owners in this country would be , and we don't yet know what the licensing authorities in our part of the world have to say about it.
