Electrify Your Classic Car or Motorcycle
Beachman Conversions
Electrify Your Classic Car or Motorcycle
Motorcycle Conversion
Price = $10,000 +
When Inquiring Please Include:
- Motorcycle Make, Model and Year
- Your Anticipated Range and Top Speed
- Your Dream Timeline
- Full Name, Email and Phone Number
Car Conversion
Price = $30,000 +
When Inquiring Please Include:
- Vehicle Make, Model and Year
- Transmission
- Drive Train
- Your Anticipated Range and Top Speed
- Your Dream Timeline
- Full Name, Email and Phone Number
Beachman Conversion Portfolio
Chevy Apache 1958
Retro Electro — A custom commercial build for our good friends (and fine beer folks) at Steam Whistle. This electric classic features an upcycled motor and 24kWh battery from a 2017 Nissan Leaf, managed by a Resolve EV controller. Outfitted with a Tesla iBooster brake conversion and Prius power steering, it’s smooth, responsive, and built for city cruising. Top speed: 150 km/h.
Kawasaki 1979 KZ200
Bike Zero — The original prototype that inspired the Beachman bikes, past and future. With a top speed of 120 km/h and a 100 km range, this 1979 Kawasaki KZ200 conversion is where our electric journey began.
1974 VW Beetle
The Dune Buggy — Powered by a permanent magnet AC motor with an integrated CV transaxle and a 144V Kelly controller. It features a 12kWh battery, delivers a top speed of 100 km/h, and offers a range of 100 km. Entirely electrified, and built for nothing but fun.
VW Squareback
The Squareback — Don’t let its patina fool you, this classic has serious get-up-and-go — and it’s entirely electric. Powered by a Gen One Nissan Leaf driveline with a custom subframe and CV axles for direct drive to the rear wheels. With a 24kWh battery pack and Thunderstruck VCU, it’s a straight motor conversion that preserves the original drivetrain. Top speed: 140 km/h. Range: 150 km.
VW Thing 1974
The VW Thing — Our first customer car conversion. This old-school DC motor build is coupled directly to the original transmission and runs on upcycled Nissan Leaf cells with a 20kWh battery.
Kawasaki KZ400 1979
The Hornet — Our first-ever customer custom conversion at Beachman. Powered by a 5kW hub motor, it hits a top speed of 110 km/h with a 9kWh battery and an impressive 180 km range. A milestone in our journey of tailored electric builds.
Head of Engineering ~ Steve Payne
Co-Founder of Beachman, Steve Payne, has been converting cars and motorcycles from gas to electric for over two decades; converting his 1971 VW Beetle in 2005. His early conversion projects were the inspiration behind the ‘64 E-Bike, our flagship model. Steve leads all Beachman Skunk Works Projects, approaching each build as a new and exciting challenge.
We hand-build every ‘64 E-Bike in our Toronto, Canada warehouse, and it’s in this same space that we’ll transform your vintage classic into a reliable electric cruiser.
This was our dream, now we want to bring your dream ride to life. Our experienced team of electric conversion specialists is ready to take on your project, and we can’t wait to get started.
Do you own a vintage car or motorcycle that you are interested in converting to electric? You're a candidate.
Running Condition: Your vehicle doesn’t need to be running. However, we prioritize conversions for vehicles that are in relatively tidy condition.
Engine: A functional engine isn’t required. That said, having some history or documentation about your vehicle is helpful in planning the conversion.
Transmission (if being reused): If you’re keeping the original manual transmission, it’s ideal if it’s still in good working order. This simplifies the installation of the electric motor.
Overall Vehicle Condition: A clean, rust-free frame makes the conversion smoother and more cost-effective.
Size & Battery Space: Smaller vehicles have less room for batteries, which limits how much range they can offer after conversion.
Weight: Heavier cars require more energy to move, which significantly reduces range and increases the cost of the conversion.
Drivetrain Type (e.g., 4x4): All-wheel or four-wheel-drive vehicles are more complex to convert and will increase the overall cost.
Range: Your vehicle’s range is entirely determined by the kilowatt-hour (kWh) capacity of the battery pack. The more batteries we can install in your conversion, the greater the potential range, but this also increases the overall cost of the project.
Note: Not every classic vehicle has the space to accommodate a large number of batteries. This is an important consideration when thinking about how much range you're expecting from your conversion.
Top Speed: The faster you drive, the more energy your vehicle consumes, so increased top speed typically comes at the cost of reduced range. Our conversions are designed to be highway-safe, but it's important to note that you shouldn't expect sports car performance. These vehicles are built for smooth, reliable cruising, not high-speed racing.
We feel honoured to be trusted with converting classic vehicles, whether it’s your motorcycle or your car.
It’s important to note that we don’t offer restorations, but rather conversions. This means we focus on transforming your vehicle’s powertrain, typically replacing the gas engine with a fully electric system, while maintaining its original charm and character. Our work is about bringing new life and simple electric functionality to your classic ride, not returning it to its exact original condition.
Yes! Here’s a list of motorcycles and cars on our dream conversion list.
If you're thinking about finding a vehicle to convert, you might want to consider one of these:
Cars: (No OBD2 - Classic Cars are better)
1. Land Rover
2. Toyota Land Cruiser
3. Ford Bronco
4. Porsche
5. Jeep
Motorcycles: We are open to anything cool and vintage but remember we aren't doing restorations we are doing conversions :)
Absolutely! Send us an email inquiry and we will organize a time for you and Steve to discuss your conversion.
