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Guide to EV Conversion Cost
EV Conversion Cost
What it costs to convert a car to electric, from the EV West price list: kits, batteries, motors, and what installation adds.
Prices checked: October 21, 2026
How much does it cost?
For a light classic car like a VW Beetle, Karmann Ghia or Porsche 911, plan on about $20,000 to $23,500 in parts for a complete kit with batteries. Trucks and SUVs over 3,500 lb run $25,000 to $35,000 or more. Professional installation adds $10,000 to $20,000. If you do the work yourself, the parts are the cost.
These numbers come from our own price list, not an industry average. Below is where the money goes.
Parts cost by build
| Build | Parts cost |
|---|---|
| VW Beetle complete kit, Hyper 9 120V, 26.5 kWh battery included (about 90 miles) | $23,094 |
| Karmann Ghia kit, Hyper 9 120V, 26.5 kWh | $20,645 |
| VW Bus kit (T-1 Samba or T-2 Bay Window) | $23,350 |
| Porsche 911 or 912 kit, AC motor | $20,645 |
| Porsche 914 kit, Tesla Model 3 drive unit | $30,619.94 |
| Porsche 911 or 912 kit, Tesla Large Drive Unit | $33,748.84 |
For a car without a dedicated kit, start from a universal package (Hyper 9 from $6,854; Tesla drive units from $26,222.84) and add batteries, mounts and wiring for your chassis.
Where the money goes
Battery: 40 to 50 percent. This is the biggest line and the one with the most room to move. Used Tesla Model S modules (5.3 kWh each) are $1,380 on sale right now (regular $1,580), which works out to about $260 to $300 per kWh. A 26.5 kWh pack in loose modules is about $6,900 to $7,900 before boxes, BMS and cabling. A fully assembled, bolt-in Beetle pack with all of that is $12,750.
Motor and controller: about a quarter. A Hyper 9 motor and controller kit is $5,980. A Tesla drive unit starter kit is $9,900 to $11,900.
Everything else. Transmission adapter, charger, DC-DC converter, contactors, fusing, cable, gauges and throttle. In a complete kit these are included; in a custom build they add up quickly, which is why kits usually come out cheaper than buying piece by piece.
How much is an electric car battery?
For a conversion, the battery is sized to the car, not taken whole from a Tesla. Our average customer buys about 24 kWh, which in used Tesla modules is roughly $6,000 to $7,500 in cells, plus enclosures and a BMS. That gets a light car 80 to 100 miles.
Replacing the battery in a factory EV is a different question, and those packs are much larger. If you are pricing modules to repair or repurpose a pack, our Tesla modules are sold individually.
How to spend less
- Keep the manual transmission. Our kits bolt the motor to the original gearbox, so you skip the cost of a new drivetrain.
- Buy in stages. We split any kit across several orders at the same pricing.
- Size the battery to how you drive. Every kWh you do not need is about $260 to $300 saved.
- Skip power assists the car never had. A light car without power steering or power brakes does not need them added.
- Start with a good donor. After $15,000 or more in parts, a rusty car you do not love costs more in the end than a clean one.
Do you need a conversion company?
Many builders do the work at home with our kits and email support. Plan on 120 to 250 hours of work for a complete VW Beetle conversion and 100 to 220 hours for a VW Bus. If you would rather have a shop do it, EV West does not install for the public, but we will recommend a qualified shop nearest to you.
Get a number for your car
Send your car, its weight and the range you want. We will price the parts list before you commit.
Email sales@evwest.com →
