The relentless move towards electric vehicles (EV) in Australia has created an uncertain future for the nation's 20 million petrol and diesel-powered vehicles, but some motoring enthusiasts have electrified their classic cars.
Sleek Porsche 911 sports cars, racy Minis, and even hardcore four-wheel-drives are among the machines that can be converted to run on electric power using Australia's steadily improving EV infrastructure.
Ballarat resident Steve Carter owns a 1948 Singer ute, which was originally converted from a roadster.
A heart transplant — from internal combustion engine to electric motor — means it has since been converted into something else entirely.
"Converting classic cars is a pursuit many people and many companies are doing now," Mr Carter said.
"I think it's a great way of preserving heritage.
"The cars themselves will never last forever, of course, and the cost of rebuilding engines and gearboxes in these old, petrol-driven cars is beginning to become prohibitive and more difficult.
"By converting it to electric, everything becomes very basic. You replace the batteries if they break down.
"And motors themselves are very, very efficient and reliable these days."
The Singer's beating heart was originally a 1074cc powerplant running on standard petrol and producing a comparatively modest 26kW.
It has since been replaced by a 48-volt electric motor that produces 13kW, with a second battery pack in the back of the ute effectively boosting the combined output to 26kW.
"[The conversion] takes a little bit. You have to go through the all the calculations with the weight of the vehicle and the rolling resistance," Mr Carter said.
"We have a very narrow tyres on the Singer so that gives us an advantage, and there's plenty of space for battery storage.
"We kept the manual gearbox because it simplifies things and cuts the cost of conversion.
"But you could have just a pure electric motor-driven vehicle, which would be just like an automatic car. You would just jump in, turn it on and drive.
Mr Carter said it was important to ensure the vehicles were still enjoyable to drive and own after being converted to electric.
"And certainly, the Singer takes the cake. It's a lovely-looking vehicle which draws a lot of attention and she's just pleasant to drive — It's old world."
Cottage industry of EV converters
While car enthusiasts with the right skills convert their own classic cars, there are companies that will do it for those who don't have the knowledge or patience.
Jaunt Motors in Australia has kits to convert Porsche sports cars and classic Minis into electric vehicles.
However, it is rugged Land Rover off-roaders that are a main EV focus for the company.
Jaunt chief executive officer Dave Budge said improvements in electric vehicle infrastructure and an acceptance EVs are practical alternatives to internal combustion engine cars had opened the door for a variety of conversions.
And the most practical conversions just happen to be among the most popular cars on Australian roads.
"We started a few years ago knowing that electric vehicles had started becoming a thing in Australia and Tesla had made them cool," Mr Budge said.
"The big thing was people started seeing the charging infrastructure going in and seeing other people's cars charging at them.
"We've seen brand new brand new EVs going from 0.1 per cent of new car sales up to 6 per cent.
"We work with older Porsche 911s and classic Minis, but also a lot of four-wheel-drives.
"The thing about four-wheel-drives, even ones that are still in production today is they're amazingly simple."
While Australia's uptake of new electric cars lags behind other parts of the world, Mr Budge said Australia was in a uniquely strong position to convert older cars to the new technology.
Turning a relatively recent hatchback, sedan or SUV model that runs on petrol or diesel is not especially practical.
It is simpler and cheaper to buy a modern, electric version of those cars.
The sums improve significantly, though, for the "old-school" four-wheel-drives parked in many Australian driveways.
"There is a real challenge when you have a new hatchback, sedan or a modern SUV, in that they have been designed with precision to fit everything as perfectly as they can in a small package," Mr Budge said.
"There's a lot of curves, there's a ridiculous amount of wiring, multiple computer systems and they weren't designed with room for large batteries.
"When dealing with, say, a 2015 Land Rover or a classic 79 Series [Toyota] Land Cruiser, it's quite straightforward because they're quite boxy.
"They're also simple. Not a lot has changed [design-wise] since those 1940s, 50s or 60s cars.
"Many of our top-selling vehicles are dual-cab utes, whether it's a [Toyota] HiLux, or a [Ford] Ranger, which are actually quite basic, old-fashioned designs.
"We have a real opportunity. We have the worst carbon emissions per capita in the world is because of what we're driving around.
"But those are also the easiest and most feasible cars to convert."
The cost of new electric vehicles continues to become more affordable for many new car buyers. Chinese brand MG and South Korea's Hyundai offer EVs priced under $50,000.
But the cost of electric conversion is also coming down and, with no hard-core four-wheel-drives with electric power in new car showrooms, plus Australia's ongoing love affair with old cars, Mr Budge said he is confident many of those cars currently powered by fossil fuels need not become fossils themselves.
"There's a million reasons people buy second hand cars," he said.
"Is [the number of old cars likely to be converted to electric power] anywhere close to 20 million?
"Not at all, I don't think that's going to be the case. But, in an Australian context, we actually have this opportunity to convert a large number of vehicles."
