He's going to say that being biased, after all his livelyhood depends on it.
And doesn't have a clue how an engine works, i would say the same about the electric option
I am thinking its heading towards £100,000
E~FENDER
Active Member
Cards on the table you are not far off. It can be done for less, and there are more and more garages starting to offer the service. There are kits for circa £25k, but you'd need to add the labour and etc to that unless you DIY ... but I think that is asking for trouble based on the growth of the conversion industry and the likely regulations. ECC seem to be ahead of the pack on that front from the research I have done* (*doesn't mean I'm right).
In all honesty, I've looked at this for a long time and considered a number of options. On the face of it, YES, that is a lot of money and it has given me sweaty palms on plenty of occasions. But, I've worked overseas for a fair while to pull it together, and you only live once right!
In my logic - and this may or may not make sense - if I compare that to the (assumed) cost of a future Defender EV, I imagine it would likely be a cost comparable ... but with the appeal of it being my old 110 and not a new bland SUV. There will be a saving in tax and fuel, but we'll see how that is offset vs insurance. The conversion is not a full nut and bolt, but it does mean this is going to give a 34yr old vehicle another 20+ years, and I will be able to swap the batteries after there c.200,000 miles for something else at that point. Hell, lets be honest, people spend a lot more on their Defenders than this for non-EV.
This thread is not me pitching this as a sales technique for ECC. It is merely me sharing our experience for those that are interested and maybe even those considering it.
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E~FENDER
Active Member
January 2024
It’s been a fair while since the last post, and I’m happy to announce that the conversion is complete and importantly the MOT has been passed!
That was back just before Christmas, and I was hoping that I would be driving it back up the M6 in time to enjoy it over the festive period. However, the DVLA registration change takes a wee longer than I had thought and critically, but wholly related, I’ve not cracked my insurance nut just yet. So as I write this, I’m waiting on the DVLA’s 4wk turnaround before I pick up the phone again with the insurers I’ve been speaking to … so it’s looking like a late January collection - fingers crossed.
Hoping to get some vids uploaded at some point.
It’s been a fair while since the last post, and I’m happy to announce that the conversion is complete and importantly the MOT has been passed!
That was back just before Christmas, and I was hoping that I would be driving it back up the M6 in time to enjoy it over the festive period. However, the DVLA registration change takes a wee longer than I had thought and critically, but wholly related, I’ve not cracked my insurance nut just yet. So as I write this, I’m waiting on the DVLA’s 4wk turnaround before I pick up the phone again with the insurers I’ve been speaking to … so it’s looking like a late January collection - fingers crossed.
Hoping to get some vids uploaded at some point.
Attachments
Alibro
Well-Known Member
I just read this thread for the first time and very interested to hear how it goes for you.
I know insurance is an issue but Adrian Flux were very good for me. I tried another company but as soon as I mentioned Landrover they said no. They had no problem insuring a converted car but not a LR.
As for the DVLA they are messing me about as I know they want me to take the car back for a second inspection but have yet to contact me formally. I received a call from the examiner asking when I wanted to bring it in and he was surprised that I hadn't heard from the main office yet.
I'm not concerned about the inspection as I have followed the same idea as ECC and have not cut or drilled any part of the chassis however I'm not sure how they will be able to tell as it is so hard to see how I did the work.
E~FENDER
Active Member
I’ll expand on my earlier insurance post when I nail one down, but it seems to be a combination of: Classic Car + Higher valuation = requirement for a secure garage.
But living in a city (even a small one) doesn’t make that particular easy to find. However, I think I’ve found a way to placate them and not impact our use … fingers crossed.
E~FENDER
Active Member
Brief update on the E-Landy conversion, and that is that I am a proud owner of a successful MOT certificate for 'Fendi' ... without the need for an inspection, which helped tremendously! Plus, after a lot of trial, error and disappointment, I've finally managed to secure insurance with a specialist insurer (ERS). With both of those steps successfully navigated, the collection date has been set and ECC are completing the final systems testing.
Well that is a good result. Out of interest what is the insurance quote like compared to before conversion?
Well it will be interesting when you get to report the first test drive.
Out of interest have they/you changed the v5 to reflect the change?
J
Alibro
Well-Known Member
Cars built before March 2001 can have their V5 changed and will be zero tax. Any car built after this will not have the V5 changed.
Alibro
Well-Known Member
The inspection is only an issue if the chassis has been modified so in a 'fender this shouldn't be an problem. It wasn't for me either as I just got my confirmation that they are happy with the car today after two inspections.
E~FENDER
Active Member
Indeed it was! Insurance wise, night and day, unfortunately. All insurers classified the vehicle as a 'classic' with which come certain stipulations. The key one that affected us is to insure a classic car, you have to have a second car (presumably to make it seem like this isn't your daily driver). This didn't suit us, as we don't need / want a second car for reasons I think I've alluded to before, so due to this + the increase in value + the electric conversion, the vast majority decided not to quote. In fact ERS are the only ones I've found that would quote, so for 2024 I've gone with them.
The price is significantly higher than when it was a petrol vehicle ... and strangely they had no issues with that being our only car then ... but I hope some of that is simply the crazyness surrounding all Land Rovers right now. It isn't £30k mind you, but more like the insurance of a 17yr old who just past their test. Fingers crossed there is more risk data/profiles and the market calms down by the time we reinsure in 2025!
E~FENDER
Active Member
Sorry, yes should have added that. The DVLA have updated this with no inspection needed. I submitted the V70 document along with the update to the V5C document and this was processed relatively quickly over the festive period. So it is now listed as fully electric. However, it doesn't seem to be recognised when I add the number plate into insurance comparison sites or ZapMap - but it never had before.
E~FENDER
Active Member
Congrats!
Hicap phill
Well-Known Member
Nice updates. Well done for sticking it out and finishing the project.
E~FENDER
Active Member
Like all projects, there have been a few moments when I had second thoughts … and I’m not the one working on it! Hats of to the self-converters. Looking forward to year one now!
