It may not be cheap, but it is getting easier to replace the internal combustion engine in a car with an electric engine.

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This article is part of our series on the future of transportation, which explores the innovations and challenges that affect the way we travel in the world.

At the Special Equipment Market Association Automobile Innovation Exhibition held in Las Vegas last month, more than 1,000 cars attracted people’s attention. A classic Ford 100 pickup truck attracted people’s attention. Many attendees of the exhibition are going to be old. The buzz is not because of stylish aesthetics or historical significance, but the contrast between the retro look of the truck and its very modern electric motor.

Anyone can buy a motor called Eluminator e-Crate for US$3,900, but the pickup is a one-off. It is custom-made to show enthusiasts that they can also turn older fuel-guzzling machines into efficient machines.

Ford's global director of high-performance motorsports, Mark Rushbrook (Mark Rushbrook) said that customers can buy it "in any car they want to build." "Classic Mustang or Galaxy or F series trucks-they can buy the motor and install it."

Ford is not the only company envisioning that in the future people will replace internal combustion engines in automobiles with electric vehicles. In 2019, General Motors stuffed a 450-horsepower motor and other components from the Bolt EV into the 1962 C-10 pickup; in 2020, General Motors changed the e-crate it was developing into a K in 1977. -5 Blazer.

In London, drivers of old gasoline-powered cars need to pay extra to drive in certain areas of the city. Custom modification specialist London Electric Cars has been busy modifying cars that are 20 years or older and equipped with electric motors purchased from scrap yards.

"Last year we completed an old-fashioned Mini. We installed the Nissan Leaf, which has incredible performance and far exceeds that of a petroleum engine," said Barry Stephenson, a technician at the company. Although the modification is not cheap-it costs between 25,000 and 50,000 pounds (about 34,200 to 68,500 US dollars), but Mr. Stephenson said that some customers are willing to invest, the motivation is to hope not to increase the production of a new car.

"It is possible to make a well-maintained second-hand car so that it no longer consumes energy and causes pollution," Mr. Stephenson said. "It is really important for us to reuse and maintain them and enjoy them."

Pat McCue’s company, MLe Racecars, worked with Ford to modify the F-100 truck. He said that electric cars have no emissions and are mostly maintenance-free. They are also fun to drive, fast acceleration and smooth handling. Switching to an electric car can also extend the life of the car, because many gas engine components are no longer needed and there is no need for a lot of related maintenance.

"If you have a semi-open mind and you drive around in these cars, you will get out of the car with a smile," he said. "People will get used to the idea of ​​an electric car grinning."

It is important for Ford to cause a sensation for electric vehicles, especially among the hardcore fans of internal combustion engines. Ford has set a target of 40% of electric vehicle sales by 2030.

With this in mind, according to Phoebe Wall Howard, an automotive reporter for the Detroit Free Press, upgrading the F-100 is a teaser and a way to inspire enthusiasm. It may work very well. After the F-100 debut, Ford CEO Jim Farley (Jim Farley) tweets flooded with tweets, begging him to turn the vehicle into a consumer product.

"It changed the level of passion, using F-100," Ms. Howard said. "Ford shows that if you buy an electric motor, you can go back to the future with the things you liked in your childhood."

Putting electric motors where people don’t want to find them is not limited to old cars. In motorsports, innovations such as disc brakes, air-enhanced bodies, seat belts and roll cages have been tested before entering the general consumer market, and manufacturers are demonstrating electric racing cars.

Formula E is known for its international television series, but electric racing cars also appear in resistance bands and endurance competitions. In 2022, the American Hot Rod Association will host the first all-electric car series. According to "Sports Business Magazine", even NASCAR is considering holding a series of electric car exhibitions.

"A lot of times, when motorsport adopts something, it expands its adoption," said Russ O'Blenes, GM's director of performance and racing propulsion. With the expertise of Mr. McCue’s electric motor racing, General Motors created the Chevrolet eCOPO Camaro and put it on the track in 2018. It can provide 700 horsepower and a quarter mile in 9 seconds. Even so, Mr. Oblens said that at the time, some spectators were not ready to participate in electric racing. "Now, more and more people are interested in it."

When GM’s e-crate is released, it will be part of a complete implementation package including battery and computer management systems. According to Mr. O'Blenes, the company believes this is the best way to ensure safe completion of the modification. The e-crate released by Ford earlier this month is for engines only; buyers must purchase, design and install auxiliary components.

Auto journalist Boz Tatarevich said that this will not discourage customers.

"Most of this is done by enthusiasts," he said, so for those who want to easily go to the dealer to buy the motor and put it in the car, the electronic crate is a kind of "quick pass" .

Ford said it will closely monitor the use of electronic boxes by monitoring social media and other online forums; user feedback may affect future iterations of motors and related products. John McDonald, a former manager of General Motors and now who runs Caeli Communication, said this is because even though the DIY modifiers are only a small part of the automaker’s customer base, they are likely to be the company’s most tech-savvy customers. Leadership consulting company.

"They have a deep understanding of how you make a product and why it is designed this way," he said. "They will provide you with specific and actionable feedback very quickly, and this is exactly the feedback you want."

The speed of the combination of battery technology and social media has made crowdsourcing an effective way to find innovators in this field. Mr. McCue is also a high school teacher in Bothell, Washington, which is why both General Motors and Ford Motors rely on them for their dazzling electric vehicles.

Mr. McCue's first electric modification came from his car class at Bothell High School. The two-year effort has attracted the attention of Foundry10, which is a charity research project located in Seattle, researching learning methods.

With funding from Foundry10, Mr. McCue’s next class project is an 800-volt electric race car called Shock and Awe. The project maintained the speed record of a door car at a speed of 166 miles per hour until Ford’s electric Mustang. Cobra 1400 beat it in 2020.

"In an electrified world, everything is new and there are no mature experts," Mr. Rushbrook said, explaining how Ford decided to include Mr. McCull, his brother Peter, and racer Jeff Lane in the F-100. change.

For a large car manufacturer, working with a high school teacher who runs a small company may be an unusual move, but for Mike Geylin, the editor-in-chief of EVReport.com, when technology develops rapidly, expertise will be noticed .

"One thing the industry is slowly learning is'not invented here,' which is a very fast way to close down," Mr. Galin said.

At the beginning of the automobile era more than a century ago, most cars were powered by lead-iron batteries or steam instead of gasoline. Leslie Kendall, a historian and curator at the Peterson Automobile Museum in Los Angeles, said: “As gasoline cars become more reliable and less irritable, when gasoline cars become more convenient to drive, they It took over." "Now the situation is reversed."