Lately, we are seeing an increase not only in new electric vehicles but also of EV conversions.

Now a group in New Zealand went old school by converting a classic 1957 Ford Fairlane to an all-electric powertrain.

The project was started by Mercury, a New Zealand-based energy company.

They found a 1957 Ford Fairlane and gave it to a local shop specialized in electric vehicle conversions.

For the conversion, they removed the vehicle’s giant internal combustion engine and replaced it by a more compact Siemens electric motor, which was originally designed for electric buses.

Here are a few images of the removal of the engine and the fitting of the new electric motor:

They also built a custom battery pack which they also fitted in the engine compartment on top of the electric motor.

Mercury says that the pack consists of 218 rectangular battery cells with a total capacity of about 50 kWh for a range of around 120 km on a single charge.

The battery pack adds about 400 kg (880 lbs) to the already quite heavy vehicle.

They also had to build a custom controller and develop software for the power electronics they finally got it working and even fast-charging.

The car is now called ‘Evie’ and they are taking her on tour of New Zealand to promote electric vehicles and use her in the company’s own promotional material.

Here’s a quick video about making Evie:

If you like EV conversions, here are a few other cool cars that we covered:

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