Upgrade of a beautiful Porsche 914 conversion

In 2011, the owner brought this converted electric car to SHIFT EV asking for an upgrade to over 100-mile range. He also asked for impressive acceleration.

The car had previously been beautifully restored by its owner from Central Oregon and meticulously converted to electric with sealed lead-acid (SLA) batteries by my friend, Richard Rau. After their work, the car was featured in an article called "Plug and Play: Electric 914 " in the October 2008 issue of Excellence Magazine. 

Next, SHIFT EV converted it from SLA to a LiFePO4 battery pack and added a Battery Management System (BMS), J1772 inlet for public charging, and updated all affected systems. On the first hard launch, the torque destroyed a CV joint. With adapters and VW bus CV and axle replacements, it held up well. We took our first long test drive including highway, city, and country hills with a mix of conservative and aggressive acceleration. That test went on for 133 miles. Not bad for that time and the budget we were given. With a 320V pack and a Zilla 2000 Amp motor controller, this car has more power than traction.