A brand new occasion referred to as Autopia 2099 debuted in Los Angeles this weekend, celebrating the way forward for automotive electrification. As customers face an more and more crossover-focused slate of EV debuts with every passing mannequin 12 months, Autopia 2099 hopes to draw internal-combustion and EV lovers alike to spark a brand new pleasure for the groundbreaking adjustments already seen on streets and highways in the present day.
“The goal of our event is to be optimistic,” mentioned co-founder Bradley Brownell. “To throwback to a World’s Fair-slash-Motorama kind of event, where everything is focused on the future and focused on being optimistic about what’s coming, in a jet-age kind of way.”
Brownell additionally co-founded the social media darling Radwood, a sequence of occasions that meld enjoyable automobiles and retro fashion from the Eighties and 90s. But the place Radwood is likely to be seen as a refutation of in the present day’s bland commuter automobiles, Autopia 2099 debuted with a extra welcoming spirit, inviting every little thing from brand-new luxurious EVs to early hybrids, hydrogen automobiles and even a handful of home-built electric-swapped classics.
Here are some highlights that stood out from the group at Autopia 2099.
Chevrolet Corvair EV Conversion
Most EV lovers keep in mind GM’s ill-fated EV1 however fewer ever knew in regards to the Electrovair idea, a fully-electrified prototype General Motors constructed out of a Corvair four-door sedan approach again in 1966. Current GM engineer Gregory Courter does, although, so he constructed himself a contemporary model of the Electrovair, which provided a formidable 80 miles of vary over a half-century in the past.
Courter’s 1962 Corvair misplaced its unique flat-six in favor of 5 Tesla Model S battery modules and a single NetGain Hyper 9 motor mounted between the rear wheels—in basic Unsafe at Any Speed fashion.
A Model S employs 15 modules, so this contemporary Electrovair’s batteries now complete 26 kilowatt-hours and may drive round 100 miles on a cost. The unique four-speed guide nonetheless routes a steady 173 pound-feet of torque by way of the rear axles however Courter mentioned he drives principally in third gear, solely shifting as much as fourth at freeway speeds.
GM supplied no assist for the undertaking, which Courter views as his gateway drug to electrification after a lifetime of ardour for inside combustion. His spouse now drives a Volt and he plans to get one of many earliest GMC Hummer EVs utilizing his firm contacts.
Rivian R1T & Honda CR125 EV Conversion
Rivian based mostly a lot of the brand new R1T pickup truck’s advertising on an off-roading aesthetic. Whether many shoppers will really take their electrical pickups four-wheeling is an open query, although builds just like the one which confirmed up at Autopia 2099 full with roof tents, coolers and built-in kitchens definitely appear enjoyable. In our Rivian R1T first-drive, Forbes Wheels additionally discovered the truck to be greater than a match, performance-wise, for different off-roading pickups.
This R1T sports activities chassis quantity 34 and belongs to Rivian’s Senior Manager of Vehicle Testing Matt Trainham, who has logged over 3,000 miles for the reason that truck rolled off the manufacturing line on October 15.
He additionally makes use of his R1T to haul a battery-converted Honda CR125 (the knobby tire seen above) that he spent three years constructing with a 30-kWh everlasting magnet powertrain. Best of all, the grime bike can cost plugged into the R1T’s AC shops, utilizing 1000 of the truck’s 1,500-watt capability—no Jerry cans essential.
Volkswagen Bus EV Conversion
Jehu Garcia, as soon as dubbed “YouTube’s Battery King,” introduced his EV-swapped 1967 Volkswagen Bus to Autopia 2099. He acquired the Bus as a shell after it spent 30 years rusting in a discipline, then started a frenzied eight-week construct course of to swap in a pair of Smart Fortwo battery packs, which have been really made by Tesla. The batteries complete 600 kilos and 48 kWh, although the Bus’ circa-1949 aerodynamics imply it may solely handle about 150 miles of vary.
Garcia, who runs battery provide firm Jag35.com, estimates {the electrical} parts value about $20,000—together with an AC 50 motor with regenerative braking—however he had already used the batteries on a earlier construct. Now, he’s hoping to spotlight the potential for utilizing electrical scooter packs to energy related tasks, since an enormous glut of the favored Bird scooters now sit in warehouses stripped of their batteries.
Tesla’s battery packs are solely getting dearer, however Garcia mentioned a 50 kWh setup utilizing scooter batteries would solely value about $5,000 in the present day. He plans to construct a fleet of electrical Volkswagens and hire them to vacationers in Hawaii, which can require determining methods to effectively add air con.
Honda S2000 EV Conversion
The wheels on this Honda S2000 conversion look good for an occasion referred to as Autopia 2099, although proprietor and builder Ryan Basseri initially designed them to indicate off the brakes beneath. His EV-converted S2000 employs two Chevrolet Volt battery packs totaling 38 kWh, with a Tesla drive unit housed in a closely modified S2000 subframe.
Hawthorne, California-based AEM EV produces lots of the parts used to successfully warmth and funky the battery, extra predictably modulate torque supply, and forestall unintentional electrocution attributable to built-up vitality. The entire automotive now weighs about 200 kilos greater than a inventory S2000 however Basseri defined that it’s simply so enjoyable to drive that he can’t get rather more than 110 miles of vary.
Alex Earle’s Custom ‘E Mulholland’ LiveWire ONE
Art Center College of Design teacher Alex Earle constructed this practice electrical motorbike in partnership with LiveWire, now its personal semi-spinoff model below Harley-Davidson. Earle started with a LiveWire One, aiming to remodel it from an upright commuter into an journey bike. Along the way in which, he realized that the instantaneously accessible electrical torque makes for supreme canyon carving, so the undertaking tacked in direction of designing and fabricating an ideal construct for enjoyable within the Malibu Hills.
The {custom} seat now rides about three inches larger and Earle additionally dropped the handlebars three inches decrease. Vertical lights flank the primary headlight for higher visibility whereas turning, whereas lots of the exterior ribs and aero particulars really carry out necessary cooling capabilities to assist the battery, motor, and ECU carry out extra reliably in the long term. Earle loved constructing a {custom} bike with out having to fret about liquid gasoline and sees this sort of undertaking as the way forward for motorbike hot-rodding.
Jaguar MkV EV Conversion
Matt Brown purchased this 1950 Jaguar Mark V in a salvage yard for $10,000. He’s now partway by way of putting in many of the mechanical parts from a Tesla Model 3, together with the battery, motor, wheels and brake booster. All in, the Tesla elements totaled round $11,000 and he hopes to finish the construct for nearer to $30,000.
Fitting the batteries into the outdated Jaguar body required critical creativity, together with elevating the physique by three-quarters of an inch. Brown additionally eliminated each outdated British Standard Whitworth fastener, then put in all new wiring and sound insulation. He sees this Jaguar as a testbed for utilizing Model 3 parts, which fewer builders know methods to safely and successfully set up. Even with the 1,000-pound battery, the Jag now weighs lower than it did new as a result of the Tesla motors weighs far lower than the unique cast-iron “XK” inline-six.
Rare Factory Original Toyota RAV4
Long earlier than the RAV4 Prime, Toyota constructed a fleet of all-electric lease automobiles based mostly on the internal-combustion RAV4 from 1997 to 2001, earlier than deciding to promote 339 examples to the general public for 2002 and 2003. This manufacturing unit unique RAV4 EV nonetheless used as an “almost” day by day driver could possibly be certainly one of solely 50 remaining on the street in the present day and nonetheless manages round 80 miles of vary because of 24 Prismatic nickel-metal hydride batteries with 10 cells every.
The battery pack weighs 1,100 kilos by itself—which helps clarify why Toyota speed-limited the first-gen RAV4 EV to solely 80 miles per hour, regardless of having loads of torque to go a lot quicker. Other particulars that distinguished the RAV4 EV from its ICE siblings embrace ceramic-aluminum brake rotors, light-weight physique panels and a high-voltage heated entrance windshield that may defrost nearly instantaneously.
40,000-Mile Mitsubishi i-MiEV
Owner Tina Robinson drove her 2012 Mitsubishi i-MiEV to Autopia 2099 very rigorously, to ensure she will get residence with out working out of cost. This early commuter electrical by no means prioritized efficiency, vary, or styling however Robinson and her husband purchased it out of Chicago in 2014 with solely 2,616 miles on the odometer.
Since then, they’ve logged over 40,000 miles whereas solely charging at residence on their 110-volt outlet, which takes 21 hours to completely cost. The i-MiEV represented an early exploration of inexpensive electrification however was repeatedly delayed, first showing in 2008 however not occurring sale till 2012, by which period there have been bigger and longer-range options available on the market just like the Nissan Leaf. The i-MiEV was based mostly on a gas-powered Japanese microcar, however with a tiny EV powertrain swapped in.
When Robinson’s battery blew a cell two and a half years in the past, Mitsubishi faithfully changed your entire pack below guarantee, although they needed to ship the brand new unit in from Japan. The automotive reliably returns about 60 to 65 miles of vary.
Volkswagen ID.4 NORRA Mexican 1000 Racer
Anyone who follows off-road or rally racing will acknowledge the Volkswagen ID.4 that Rhys Millen Racing and Tanner Foust modified for Foust to drive within the NORRA Mexican 1000 this 12 months. While retaining a inventory powertrain to show that the electrical equal of 201 horsepower will serve most commuters handily, this ID.4 1st Edition did obtain important work together with rally coil-over shocks, tubular decrease management arms and boxed decrease rear finish hyperlinks to permit for a two-inch carry total.
Skid plates, 18-inch wheels and a raised radiator all helped the ID.4 full the 1,141-mile torture take a look at, of which 893 miles have been off-tarmac, whereas solely sustaining minor beauty harm to the rear bumper. This 12 months’s race was made up of loop-style levels attributable to Covid-19, which meant the Volkswagen crew might largely use moveable biofuel mills to cost the ID.4—along with sometimes towing it to the following stage with regen activated.
Nissan Formula E
Nissan joined Formula E for the 2018-19 season and joined Autopia 2099 as title sponsor for this 12 months’s inaugural occasion. Coming straight from the world debut of the brand new Ariya crossover EV on the LA Auto Show, Nissan additionally introduced a 2019 Formula E racecar’s physique to assist draw consideration to the model’s show at Autopia 2099.
Nissan’s new automotive for season six of Formula E ratchets up efficiency considerably with 250 kWh value of batteries, a 0-60 time below 2.8 seconds and a prime pace of 173 miles per hour.
The Ariya, in the meantime, debuted with as much as 300 miles of vary and an all-wheel-drive variant. And Nissan additionally introduced alongside “plantrepreneur” Nick Cutsumpas, often called Farmer Nick, to debate sustainability and his Leaf EV, which he makes use of to ship vegetation to purchasers. But the Leaf additionally serves as a approach for Cutsumpas to nudge these purchasers in direction of greater than accountable foliage consumption. “If you care about plants, that’s great,” he mentioned, “But it’s a stepping stone to other eco-conscious behavior.”