Jonny Smith Drives The Classic MGB Converted To Run On Electricity

Name: Jonny Smith Drives The Classic MGB Converted To Run On Electricity
Uploaded: 2020-11-17T15:39:30Z
Description: If you’re against the electrification of classic vehicles, then what they’ve done to this MGB may get your riled up.

If you’re against the electrification of classic vehicles, then what they’ve done to this MGB may get your riled up.

Andrei Nedelea

By: Andrei Nedelea

Nov 17, 2020 at 10:39am ET

Comment

We previously showed you the EV-converted MGB by RBW EV Classic Cars from the UK, but you didn’t get to see the car in action. Only 30 will ever be made, so it’s a good thing that Jonny Smith (formerly the Car Pervert, currently of The Late Brake Show) has had a go in one, because you’ll probably never get to see one in real life.

What is it? Well, it’s essentially the 1963 - 1968 MGB that has had its internal combustion engine ripped out and replaced by an electric motor. It’s not especially powerful or quick (94 horsepower and nought to sixty in 9 seconds), but it does have a decent claimed range for the base battery pack of 160 miles (260 km) or 200 miles (322 km) for the upgraded battery pack.

But those are all numbers; what is it actually like to drive this converted classic? Have its makers ruined an iconic classic British roadster, or have they made a decades-old vehicle relevant in the modern context. Well, if you watch Jonny's video, it's pretty clear that it's actually a great effort, at least for a certain type of buyer, and its main problems are the high acquisition cost and the fact that fast charging is not supported.