Our whole team love classic motoring and classic cars. Between us, we own a diverse range of classics - Jaguars, Beetles, Fiats, Volvos and classic motorbikes.
From electrical engineering to fabrication, we come from a host of different backgrounds. Our shared passion for classic cars and embracing electric vehicles is what’s brought us all together. Sharing that common interest pushed us to start the company back in 2019 - and the rest as they say is history.
What motivates us
From the beginning, the challenge we set ourselves was to keep the great parts of classic motoring but bring in modern technology to enhance the performance.
Can you keep the feeling of nostalgia and the iconic looks, but have an effortless, reliable and greener driving experience? That question and the challenge in delivering this is what motivates us to convert classic cars into EV.
We love the interaction with a customer – from finding out about the backstory of each vehicle, to taking the time to understand their requirements. Whether that’s to make it a Concours winning example or to simply make it start reliably when the sun finally comes out.
We’re a small team, so every member gets involved in each build and we get to share the satisfaction of bringing an initial concept to life.
Is it culturally important to keep cars on the road?
We’ve been asked this question a few times recently, so we thought it apt to touch on this here.
The truth is no one knows what the future looks like for internal combustion vehicles - classics included. Will the government make it harder to keep them on the road, or will other legislation come into play?
We certainly take the view that enabling classic cars to be used rather than being kept in storage is a benefit. And that’s for everyone! The number of smiles and thumbs-ups we get on a drive would indicate we all get some benefit from these cars being kept on the road.
The process of keeping a car relevant means fewer cars face being scrapped. This is great for the environment too. Keeping cars on the road and maintaining older cars prevents the manufacturing of new vehicles, not to mention EVs have zero tailpipe emissions.
Why do people want to get an Electric Classic?
There are plenty of reasons and no two people will be the same. There are some commonalities though, often for one of the following reasons:
Great looking characterful cars that are electric. Fantastic-looking cars with real character just aren't being made anymore. If you buy a modern EV you are getting an amazing piece of engineering, but it won’t look or feel the same. We’d argue that a Tesla or Nissan Leaf are not that inspiring to look at!
Zero tailpipe emissions and avoiding further CO2 emissions from manufacturing. Unlike many countries, we perform pretty well for renewable energy generation, so you can have a genuine green car. You’re also maintaining an existing car on the road – giving it a second life. This ‘upcycling’ means a new car doesn't have to be built, which is a huge environmental win. Did you know around 40% of the total greenhouse emissions in the lifecycle of a car come just from manufacturing it?
Reliability and low maintenance. Lots of people love the look and feel of a classic car but are put off by the reality of owning one. They want to turn the key and the car just to work. Instead, they may have experienced early morning issues, oil leaks and running problems. They don't want to miss out on going somewhere or doing something because the car is unreliable. Modern electric systems can greatly simplify the car, making it so much easier to live with.
What's next for us?
We have lots of very exciting projects for 2024 and will be documenting these on our site and social media. We’re pushing the envelope of EV technology and have some fantastic new builds that will be ready very soon.
However, despite these new initiatives, the core of what got us into this space hasn’t changed. We love working on classic electric cars and working with our fantastic customers.
If you’d like to find out more about how Retroelectric could help you bring new life to your classic car, you can get in touch with us here.