There’s no shortage of electric restomods on the market these days. For enough green, companies will happily strip a canon-rich old car or truck of its gasoline engine and complex conventional drivetrain, and in their place fit a far simpler (and greener) EV unit. A few automakers have been offering aftermarket options themselves, fresh off the assembly line for your tinkering pleasure.
This industry has been around for a long time now, but as it blossoms, Icon of Chatsworth, California and Austin, Texas’ Moment Motor Company are taking things to the next level. After thousands of hours of research and development, it’s taken what it's learned over the years and announced a run of 10 EV Ford Broncos at $449,000 a pop.
That’s a princely sum, to say the least. But more importantly, what Icon’s come up with is a beacon that symbolizes the massive potential and appeal behind blending old school grit with the latest EV technology. It’s also a rising tide type of story, which I recently had the chance to sit down with Icon’s Jonathan Ward and Moment’s Marc Davis and piece together.
Why Go Icon
If you aren’t familiar with Icon, it’s a high-end, high-customization outfit that’s made a name for itself in restomodding old American trucks, Toyota Land Cruisers, and even some choice ‘70s European sedans. Ward himself has become an icon in his own right in the car culture space, and while their restomods are expensive, they are widely hailed for their quality.
The EV Bronco isn’t Icon’s first foray into this space. It’s built the occasional one-off EV-powered restomod over the years, but the brand’s never quite been able to reach offering such propulsion as something wholly integrated into its catalog. Simply due to the tech available at the time. It took notes along the way and stuck in a pin in certain aspects, awaiting the day when it could put together a well-thought-out EV drive/powertrain that meets its high standards and philosophy.
“I think there are issues with wanting to be first to market. I’d rather be best to market, because there’s too much on the line,” Ward told me recently. Rather than go big as early as possible, why not take a more thoughtful approach? He also explained that he’d seen some pretty lofty promises in other outfits’ marketing materials.
Once certain tech, like bespoke batteries, became widely available, and other companies proved it was possible, Ward threw his hat in. Hence, the partnership with Davis at Moment, who’s developed quite a name in this area and happens to be a kindred spirit when it comes to no-corners-cut engineering. Within this braintrust, they knew they could come up with something that’d work well and also possess a high level of durability.
“It’s shocking to me how many EV conversion retrofits have a thermal management system with a little clear hose with green coolant in it… that’s only powered by a 12-volt pump,” Ward explained, citing concerns about inadequate thermal management. “Or, regenerative braking. What if you charged overnight, you’re at the top of the mountain, and go downhill for two hours? Where are those charged ions going to go?” Overcharging a battery could pose a major safety risk, so extensive, proper tuning is necessary to avoid it, he said.
He followed up with some key aspects of his EV Bronco strategy. “Safety, full integration, over-the-air updates and monitoring, full system integration, honest thermal management. The peaks and valleys, duty cycles, and needs of the controller versus the battery, versus the motor—these are completely different heat cycles.”
How he learned about all this, with help from Davis, was no easy task. It took a ton of work in design, weight distribution concerns, emulations, prototyping, testing, re-prototyping, and re-testing. And it certainly shows; I had the opportunity to both ride shotgun and drive the very prototype in these photos.
The Build
Before taking the reins of Icon’s EV Bronco, we went for a spin in its gas-powered counterpart. Besides top-notch interior materials, the high level of refinement in its driving experience was quite apparent. Ride quality was impressive, and there weren’t any squeaks or rattles to be found. All inputs were top shelf, too: A firm and reassuring brake pedal, wonderfully mechanical shifter throw, and the perfect amount of grunt thanks to a Ford-sourced 5.0-liter Coyote V8. Its steering, though, was the cherry on top: it’s busy, like an old truck ought to be, but with no uncertainty in how it guided the mighty rig down the road.
To get as close to this as possible, just with electrons pushing and pulling it forth, Icon and Moment took a very forthright approach. “If you look at the architecture of the vehicle, it’s still an Icon chassis, and we’re preserving the classic Bronco experience,” Davis shared. They wanted to blend old school with new school, and do away with any unnecessary components along the way—and they definitely nailed it.
At the EV Bronco’s core is its battery and drive unit. The former is sourced from a top-level OEM supplier in Japan and follows the same standard that Volkswagen uses in its ID lineup, but with full custom specs, including a capacity of 105 kWh. Two-thirds of the battery pack lives where the engine used to sit, whereas the rest is further back under the rear of the car. Much to Icon/Moment’s relief, this helped foster 50:50 weight distribution right off the bat.
The drive unit is a re-geared, completely re-serviced, and fully upgraded Tesla motor sporting a different controller, circuit boards, inverter, and more. It had the power density that Icon needed, and despite Ward’s preference of going with no re-purposed parts, ultimately they took this route because, in his words, “No one can touch that motor.” From there, output goes through a more conventional ICE drivetrain.
The motor sits in the middle of the custom-made Art Morrison chassis with a limited slip differential, splitting torque between a solid front axle with a locking Dana 60 high-pinion differential, and a solid rear with a Dana 44 limited-slip out back. When you want to retain a Bronco chassis with straight axles, you can’t put a motor on each pumpkin, as it takes away from the conventional principles of straight-axle off-roading, such as massive suspension travel, axle articulation, and other purpose-built off-roader traits.
Under the hood, there’s a massive radiator with two separate cooling circuits—one for the batteries, one for the motor. Then, all the wiring is high-quality, beautifully run, possesses weatherproof connectors, and there’s an emphasis on easy serviceability down the line. It’s an electrical engineer's dream.
The specs are quite contemporary. It’s got a 400V architecture, 440 horsepower and 500 pound-feet of torque, a 175-200 mile range (this thing weighs 5,420 pounds, after all), 6.6kW Level 2 charging and CCS DC fast-charging at unspecified speeds.
To keep an eye on things and offer software updates in the future, all models will feature over-the-air updates, plus remote system monitoring that should also make servicing easier down the road for qualified shops. Ward was especially proud to include OTA updates in our chat, as Icon will happily pass along any tweaked and refined drive modes to ensure the best experience behind the wheel.
Driving It
Hopping into Icon’s EV Bronco was largely like its gasoline-powered sibling, though with one subtle difference: In addition to its analogue gauge displaying speed, various EV-specific information like percentage charge, motor and battery temperature, and kilowatts being delivered were displayed beautifully.
Turning it on was a matter of inserting a key into an honest-to-goodness lock cylinder and turning it, though the spring-back was simply there as a novelty. Then, commanding the electric motor to propel the mighty Bronco forwards or backwards meant pulling down on a good ol’ fashioned PRNDL (otherwise known as a column shifter, immortalized as the real star of ‘80s cop movie car chases), which had some light resistance to it as it moved up and down.
Once underway, the driving experience was largely… normal. Like the V8 Bronco, there wasn’t a squeak or rattle to be found, and the ride quality was comfortable yet connected. The steering, though, was the best part: Icon utilizes an electric power steering pump to push hydraulic fluid through a conventional steering box, and it felt excellent. Busy yet confident, and again, just like the ICE model.
Output, though, was very EV—even in its thriftiest mode, it hauled ass. Ward and Davis explained that pedal and motor mapping took a lot of work, and this nearly-production iteration felt great: Progressive power delivery, but not enough oomph to overwhelm its engaging steering and short, just-over-90-inch wheelbase.
Then, when Ward got behind the wheel and put it in its most powerful mode, the limited-slip differential out back certainly gave us a piece of its mind as we shot off down the road like a rocket, straight and true.
Ward also added that, in its 2,300 miles traveled so far, the EV Bronco’s been taken off-roading all over nearly SoCal OHV trails (some of the best in the country, I might add) and driven through all weather conditions. It features regenerative braking, too, though it won't do so when the battery is nearly topped up.
Why It Matters
Icon and Moment have come up with something that brilliantly blends conventional off-road truck design with the latest EV technology. It proves that enthusiasts can still have engagement, as well as articulation and suspension travel, and in a package that’s been designed to put up with high heat and extreme duty cycles across a variety of environments. Heck, the batteries are encased in material meeting the IP67 Waterproof Standard, which means it can withstand being submerged in one-meter-deep water for up to 30 minutes.
Between this fascinating marriage of engineering, plus the fact that a lot of the inputs we all savor in such fare are preserved, the future is bright for creating engaging EV experiences. As Icon and Moment are regarded as top names in its industry, there’s a good chance that more shops will dig into the custom EV-powered off-roader space, creating well-thought-out builds that check every box and satisfy our love of driving.
Not only that, but in turn, it may increase the amount of motor, battery, wiring, and other component manufacturers offering products to bolt and solder it all together, creating a renaissance in the electrified space. Throughout my time with Ward and Davis, I kept asking about their suppliers and what it was like working with them. Generally speaking, it sounded like Icon was a small fish in the grand scheme of things—but that could change in the coming years, and I really dig the idea of bolstering American small businesses that enter this space.
Icon has proven that everything that makes it great isn’t reserved for paved roads or internal combustion, and that the best is yet to come.
Peter Nelson is a contributing writer for Motor1 and InsideEVs. His work has appeared on The Drive, Winding Road, Car Bibles, HotCars and more.
Gallery: Icon Ford Bronco EV
