Swindon electric ‘crate’ motor gets a price, now ready for your EV conversion

If you’re the type of forward-thinking individual who wants to drop an electric motor into something that didn’t have one before, allow us to direct your attention to Swindon. We wrote about the company’s electric “crate” motor previously, but it didn’t have a price then. Today, the UK-based company has remedied that mystery. For £6,400 (plus any import taxes that would be due), you can buy yourself the Swindon High Density EV system. Current exchange rates peg the price at about $7,830 for U.S. buyers.

And yes, you will be able to buy and ship one of these to the United States. Swindon says it can ship directly to U.S. customers — you’ll be able to choose whether you want the 60-kg package (the powertrain itself weighs 49 kg) to come to you by air or by sea. For that price, you get the electric motor, single-speed transmission and differential. The electric motor is rated for 107 horsepower and 100 pound-feet of torque. You can also add a coolant pump ($171), inverters (144V for $2,367 or 400V for $4,113), output shafts ($267) and a limited-slip differential ($732) as optional extras.

Swindon says that August production is already completely allocated, so new buyers will be getting their motors shipped sometime in September. The motor is marketed as being available for use by OEMs, electric car conversion companies and the home mechanic. We’re most interested in the latter, because this kit is about as turnkey as it gets for building an electric-something in your garage. You will need to source a battery pack, though, which could end up being an even bigger hassle than this running gear. 

From a packaging standpoint, the standard system measures 17.4 inches long, 15.1 inches wide and 9 inches tall. Swindon says it’s received a variety of inquiries from classic car owners, recreational vehicle owners and even from low-volume manufacturers and OEMs — one unnamed OEM has committed to a hybrid e-axle application for a future vehicle, according to the company. Depending on your battery voltage, there are two inverter types available from Swindon, and there are also two different gear ratio options to choose from. 

The company says that it originally planned to ship the system a month earlier, but coronavirus shut those plans down. Still, a one month delay isn’t that bad, and you can place an order for one of these electric “crate” motors today.

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