Conversion

Winters are long in Siberia.

Italian outfit Ares Design wants to give it a far more luxurious interior.

We can't say we're surprised.

The Tesla conversions are coming fast and furious.

Bidding has so far fallen well short of conversion costs.

A design-forward conversion of a design-forward electric car.

And that's not even the 600-horsepower upgrade.

Echo Automotive is adding General Motors vans to its offerings of converted plug-in hybrid vehicles and will bring its EchoDrive PHEV system to GM 2500 and 3500 vans. That will include model year 2010-2014 Chevrolet Express and GMC Savana, but don't go trying to get these vehicles converted quite yet.

"She may not look like much, but she's got it where it counts, kid." That classic line from Star Wars, entered the popular culture lexicon just about the same time as this quirky electric car we recently found on eBay. Based on a 1977-ish Endura (possibly) this one may have been originally converted by the Globe-Union company as a showcase for the their automotive replacement batteries. According to a Hemmings article on the Endura EV, you might know Globe-Union as the company as the manufacture

Anyone thinking that the era of converting gas-engined cars to electric power is over should pay attention. Gary Krysztopik has been working on converting ICEs to EVs for years recently told Plug In Cars that, when people ask about conversions now, "I tell people to go out and buy a Leaf."

Imagine, if you will, that you began living under a rock from January 13, 2013 on, and only emerged long enough to purchase a sixth-generation Chevrolet Corvette. You had no knowledge of the heavily redesigned, seventh-generation Corvette - it's shapely new body and enthusiast-infuriating rear taillights were as foreign as the Bhagavad Gita recited in Klingon. On one of your rare outings from your rocky dwelling and behind the wheel of your C6 Vette, though, you stumbled upon one of Chevy's new

Homeowners up and down the East Coast have bought a lot of hybrid converters, devices that turn their Toyota Prius into an emergency generator. In fact, ConVerdant Vehicles, LLC, which offers so-called Plug-Out Kits, sold out after Hurricane Sandy caused blackouts in upper Northeast, said owner Randy Bryan.

MindDrive is asking for crowdfunding to get a film produced about at-risk youth driving a converted electric car coast to coast. MindDrive, a nonprofit organization based in Kansas City, MO, works with at-risk high school students in an experiential hands-on way – through building an electric car, for example.

Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel and Smith Electric Vehicles are working together to create an electric vehicle manufacturing facility in Chicago. Smith Electric Vehicles was drawn to the city by the mayor's voucher system designed to accelerate conversion from diesel to zero-emission electric vehicles, a large number of fleets that are interested in going electric and development incentives offered to Smith. Smith is saying it will create "hundreds of direct and indirect jobs" there.

Why is it that you can get a $7,500 federal tax credit on your electric vehicle manufactured by a major automaker, but not on your converted EV or plug-in hybrid? EV conversion activists are wondering the same thing, and are looking for supporters to add their names to a petition that asks to make this incentive available. According to the "Equal Incentives for Conversions" petition on the White House website:

Earlier this summer, Amp Motors delivered an electric delivery truck to FedEx, but that's not the only large vehicle that the Cincinnati-based conversion company has been working on. Today, Amp said it has delivered its first heavy-duty step van to Navistar, as part of a previously announced development deal between the two companies.

Hey, it certainly looks cooler than a Mitsubishi i.

Let's just say this one's for both the environmentally conscious and the nostalgic.

If you want a drop-top electric two seater and you have $100,000 burning a hole in your very high quality wallet, you can stop at on your local Tesla dealer to find satisfaction (if you hurry). However, finding an inexpensive convertible EV can be an issue – unless your plans include a Nissan Leaf and a chainsaw. Luckily, this very issue is something that EV Works' electric Miata conversion kit is here to address.