Electric Vehicle EV Projects - 1984 TVR Wedge EV Conversion

This is a project record of my TVR 280i EV conversion. This conversion was completed during the fall and winter of 2022 into the spring of 2023.

This method of conversion, which is more of a body swap than a full conversion, was chosen because I felt it was the easiest and most practical for me to do an EV conversion which was something I had been interested in for a long time. I was not concerned with speed or long range but with easy of conversion and comfort.

This conversion is based on a 2012 Mitsubishi i-MiEV. I chose this vehicle because of information and photos I discovered online which indicated that the entire body could be removed leaving a complete drivable low-profile chassis with a centralized rear motor, control and charging system.

For the conversion vehicle I was very interested in finding a 1970’s-1980’s wedge style vehicle and I happened upon the 1984 TVR 280i for sale nearby. After researching this vehicle, I found it to be a perfect candidate for this method of EV conversion because of the fiberglass body on tubular frame construction. This allowed the entire body to be removed independent of any mechanical components, and the wheelbase and track width were fairly close to that of the i-MiEV.

Custom designed formed aluminum channels were bolted to either side of the chassis to cradle the body, with additional bracketry around the front and rear suspension areas was added to provide a firm connection between the fiberglass body and the chassis and suspension.
The Wheelbase of the TVR and i-MiEV were very close but for the i-MiEV rear wheels to be centered in the TVR wheel wells I needed to extend the TVR’s fibeglass body by 6” which required for the body of the TVR to be cut in half.

The two halves of the body were then rejoined with a custom designed, formed steel skin with ribs aircraft style bulkhead that was welded and bolted in place. All these areas were then backfilled with expandable foam and fiberglass was applied for additional strength and to seal the exterior gaps.

My end result was a very comfortable, quiet, easy to drive, 1984 TVR wedge with all of the modern comfort and technological features of the 2012 i-MiEV. With the current battery the vehicle has a range of about 80km which is plenty for weekend drives and the conversion retains the ability for CHAdeMO fast charging. A 93ah battery conversion is taking place this summer of 2024 with the addition of cruise control as well.