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Owning an electric vehicle is an environmentally conscious choice, especially when fears of one’s eco-footprint being too large are at the forefront of some people’s minds. For AmpereEV, the question of how one could convert a CRX into an electric vehicle came when three friends were sitting in a garage in late 2020, during which time they asked, “Why doesn’t it just plug in and work?”
This question would lead them to create AmpereEV, an engineering design and development company whose goal is to offer well-engineered electric powertrain systems for the conversion of internal combustion vehicles. According to their website, the primary applications for AmpereEV systems are for “existing vehicles on the road where there is a need or desire to replace them with electric variants.”
AmpereEV’s goal is to help people convert their internal combustion vehicles into something new with electric vehicle technology. Specifically, this comes from their Atom Drive Control System, which they say is a “fully integrated electric vehicle drivetrain” that can be configured with a 42 kWh or an 84 kWh battery pack, multiple motor options at various power outputs, and motor packaging options of inline or transaxle arrangements. The Atom Drive Control System also includes an entire suite of features, such as a touchscreen display, the use of DC fast charging, cabin heat and AC compressors, and battery heating.
AmpereEV’s other components include the Vehicle Control Unit (VCU), which was designed in-house as the central component of the Atom Drive Control System. The VCU manages the vehicle functions and communications between all components and driver-vehicle interactions. The advanced control system includes a high-voltage junction box, a charging controller, a CCS junction box, and a modular battery pack, which is specifically designed to fit an electric drivetrain into an existing chassis. Along with this, the highly customizable graphic user interface for the electric vehicle applications that AmpereEV provides includes displays for information about high-performance hardware and the quad-core processor. The high-resolution capacitive touchscreen also features GPS, as well as 4G cellular connectivity.
The market AmpereEV targets are the complete electric drivetrain market, in which they perform services that are more aligned with an engineering company than a parts company. Their target audience is people who wish to convert their vehicles and need complete turnkey systems. With their parts and software, you don’t need to worry about obtaining an operating system such as Raspberry Pi, nor will you need a program written for it to work. Instead, all you need to do is ensure that the components can be installed and that they work just as they are intended to.
Looking ahead, AmpereEV intends to expand its features to include new motors, touchscreen and physical control capability, and analog gauges through partnerships such as Dakota Digital and others. They also want to ensure that there are onboard diagnostics that installers can use to make sure that the products work properly.
In a world of electric vehicles, AmpereEV is a leading force in the art of converting non-electric vehicles into ones with electric capabilities. With their advanced tools, they can transform your car into something extraordinary.
