Ready For An UEV? Pebble Beach's Classic Car Extravaganza Steers Toward An Electric Future

Preparing for the unexpected is now expected.

The Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, the highlight of Monterey Car Week for most, gets underway in California August 17-20. And while the event is a celebration of classic cars that I have attended a few times over the years, “Pebble” also is about the future, having become a showcase for concept cars and new models from car marques. Acura, for example, is showing its new ZDF electric SUV expected next year. Mercedes-Benz debuts a sporty, limited edition AMG convertible called Big Sur. And you can even buy a “new” classic car from Jaguar which is resurrecting its C and D-type models from decades ago rebuilt as as a part of the British brand’s Continuation program. Aston Martin, Maserati, and Lamborghini are making expensive splashes as well. Pebble isn’t a low-budget affair: millions of dollars will change hands during the course of classic car auctions there. Casual observers like me made sure our hands didn’t move at an inopportune moment.

There’s no doubt that the future of cars is electric but with few exceptions, EVs pretty much look like their internal combustion engine (ICE) predecessors. That’s a shame because the design opportunities afforded by the absence of a massive engine are considerable. And design is what will get people excited about EVs as performance stats—the old measure of status—pretty much even out across the EV field. At Pebble, a new EV concept car from Italy’s Automobili Pininfarini, one of the most famous design houses in the world, is certainly eye-catching. Dubbed Pura Vision, the front end is aggressively styled while the rear backs up the idea with enormous haunches. The proportions throw out the old ICE design manual. With gull-wing style windows and rear-hinged doors that open wide, the car sings “king of the road” like an Italian opera singer. The interior is pretty wild too with front seats suspended from the center console so they appear to float. Inside, there’s very little tech on exhibition—most of the car’s operational information appears on a heads-up display. The central touchscreen can be dropped down out of sight for a truly minimalist look. A wine cooler between the rear seats adds a touch of luxury.

Alternatively, you may soon be able to drive your ICE machine into an electric future by converting it into an EV. Everrati, with operations in the UK and California, does exactly that in what promises to be a growth industry of the future. Attending Pebble for the first time, Everrati is a leader in developing what’s being called upcycled electric vehicles (UEVs). Most of today’s conversions are of pricier vehicles like Porsches and the price of conversion is often close to the original sticker price of the car. Call it a guilt-free expression of luxury but its fits into the notion of sustainable luxury that is becoming a trend across the board. For UEVs, there are some sacrifices, however. Range, for example, is considerably lower than a new EV. But there are signs that UEV options may become available soon for lower-priced vehicles, pushed along by tax credit initiatives. Toyota recently showcased two Corollas from the 1980s powered by electric power and compressed hydrogen. Then CEO Akio Toyoda cryptically noted: “It is important to provide options for beloved cars that are already owned.”

Encouraging the vast fleets of ICE cars to go green is good for the environment, of course. “Taking a vehicle that had its carbon sunk many years ago and redefining it with a zero-emission, e-powertrain is far better for our planet—and there are millions of cars that are perfect candidates for this process,” Justin Lundy, founder and CEO of Everrati, told me. You can do a deep dive into the burgeoning UEV scene in an article I wrote for the Spring/Summer issue (Charge of the ICE Brigade, pages 80-81) of Luxury Magazine (www.luxurycard.com/magazine).

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