There are plenty of people who hate the idea of EV-swapping classic cars, but that still hasn’t stopped EV swaps from taking off. It’s entirely possible to figure out your own conversion, but for those of us who would rather not risk electrocution, there are plenty of companies that provide conversion kits that you can buy. One of the newest is something near and dear to many of our hearts — a conversion kit for the NA Miata from a company called Electrogenic.
One of the downsides of some other electric conversions is that in order to make everything fit, you have to make some significant modifications to the vehicle. Electrogenic, on the other hand, sells what it calls drop-in kits that are both reversible and can be installed without any of that pesky cutting or drilling. Instead, they’re designed to slot right into where the engine and fuel tank used to be. You probably won’t be able to swap the powertrain in a single day, but the process promises to be far easier and more straightforward than it could have been. Electrogenic says a mechanic should be able to complete the job in just a couple of days.
In the end, you get an NA Miata with a new 42-kWh battery pack that offers about 150 miles of range and a motor that sends 160 horsepower and 229 pound-feet of torque to the rear wheels via a single-speed gearbox. Both the horsepower and torque figures are significantly higher than what you get in a stock NA Miata, and Electrogenic claims that even with the extra weight of the batteries, its car is quicker than a gas-powered NA and will still hit 60 mph in about six seconds. Oh, and you don’t lose any trunk space, either. Not bad. Not bad at all.
Considering the Miata is a lightweight roadster meant for carving corners, more power isn’t going to mean much if the conversion turns the car into an overweight pig that handles an old muscle car. According to Electrogenic, the electric powertrain only adds about 220 pounds and was designed to keep the center of gravity as low as possible. We would have to drive one to tell you how it actually handles, but we’d be willing to bet it’s still pretty darn fun to toss into a corner even if it’s slightly heavier than the original.
One important factor that wasn’t included in the press release is the actual price of the kit. Electrogenic calls it “cost-effective,” but that could really mean anything at this point. You have to assume it’ll probably cost at least a couple of NA Miatas by the time you’re done, so if your plan is to save money by avoiding the gas pump, you’re probably out of luck. On the other hand, if you’ve got the cash and want to keep your old Miata on the road as long as possible, something like this might be the way to go.
