Converting an old car into an electric vehicle is relatively simple and inexpensive if you have some mechanical knowledge, so you do it yourself and source used parts that are just about good enough for the job. At the other end of the scale, there are entirely re-engineered classics done by teams of professionals that can end up costing well into the six figures, and that’s precisely where this EV-converted classic Toyota Land Cruiser falls.
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There are many six-figure EV conversions available
While you can get an old combustion car to run on electrons for a few thousand bucks, having one completely restored and done up professionally can bump the cost into the six-figure range.
UK-based Inverted, which already offers a line of electrified classic Range Rovers, has introduced electric power to the Land Cruiser 40 Series (the J40). It can turn all the model variants (J40 short-wheelbase, J43 mid-wheelbase, and J45 long-wheelbase) into EVs through what the company calls “an engineering first approach.”
Whichever chassis length you want converted, the vehicle will be equipped with a 53-kilowatt-hour battery pack that should provide a range of about 150 miles on a full charge. Unlike many other EV conversions, this one, by Inverted, adds DC fast charging at up to 75 kilowatts, enough for a 20% to 80% charge in under half an hour.
Gallery: Toyota Land Cruiser FJ-40 EV Conversion by Inverted
Like most classic EV conversions, this one retains the original transmission, replacing the combustion engine with an electric motor. It should be a lot punchier than the original, with 215 horsepower and more than 250 pound-feet of torque.
By keeping the original drivetrain, you can still shift gears manually, and the vehicle can set off in any of the gears. For most of these conversions, you leave it in third gear for daily driving, and you drop to a lower gear if you need extra low-speed torque for crawling over obstacles off-road. The vehicle still allows you to switch between two- and four-wheel drive and comes with an electronically controlled locking differential.
Inverted will even fit the vehicle with a 320-hp Tesla motor, whose 310 lb-ft of torque will turn the Land Cruiser into a bit of an electric hot rod. Having this upgraded motor installed entails the removal of the original transmission, and the vehicle loses the selectable two- or four-wheel drive. However, it should still be as good at going off-road.
All vehicles that roll out of the Inverted shop are fully restored and feature completely revised interiors. Fine leather is used throughout and vehicles get a premium sound system, Apple CarPlay, a reversing camera and air conditioning. They can also customize the vehicle and its interior in many ways, but this will increase the starting price for one of these restoration programs and EV conversions, which is $240,000 plus VAT, which brings the total cost to $292,000, including the cost of the vehicle.
