Nov 1

Nov 1 Chevrolet Performance Previews eCrate EV Conversion Package at SEMA360

Chevrolet Performance is using this year’s virtual SEMA show to showcase an electric “crate engine” package it is developing for sale next year. For those unfamiliar with the term crate engine, in gas cars it signifies a new engine or engine/transmission combo that can be bought fully assembled and ready to drop in to a project car. Thus saving lots of time and energy versus rebuilding and hot ridding a vehicles existing engine. In the case of the Chevrolet Performance eCrate Package, what you get is the 200 horsepower electric motor out of a Chevrolet Bolt (like mine), bolted to a four speed GM transmission, that is ready to drop in to all manner of ICE cars and trucks. For SEMA360 they chose a Chevrolet Blazer K5 from 1977. Along with the motor out of my car, the Blazer has a full Bolt EV battery pack where the rear seats used to be. For the show car, they wer purposely leaving the battery pack exposed, but it could easily be worked into a vehicle with decimating it’s storage capacity as they have done here. Personally, I’d build it into a GMC Syclone or Typhoon tribute. The idea of an of the shelf “Vintage Voltage” style package has aroused the interest of many media outlets, so I am peppering links to some of their ideas as well, enjoy!