Jaunt Motors, an Australian company specialising in converting classic petrol and diesel cars such as Land Rovers into electric vehicles, has joined forces with UK-based conversion specialist to create what the companies say will be the world’s biggest electric conversion specialist.
Jaunt will be renamed Fellten after the merger with, in effect a takeover by, Bristol-based Zero EV and will boast conversion operations across three continents, including a new factory in the US to tap into what it describes as “exponential” global demand.
Fellten says it will be the world’s biggest electric conversion manufacturer, with expertise in converting classic Porsches, Land Rovers and Minis, and plans to provide kits for other classic models.
“Every vehicle on the road will need to be electric by 2050 for us to achieve net zero emissions and classic car owners will want their vehicle to be electric much sooner,” says Dave Budge, the co-founder and CEO of Jaunt, who will be chief design officer at Fellten.
Jaunt has focused mostly on Land Rovers in Australia – completing three conversion and working on another five – and is about to offer conversion options for the Toyota Landcruiser too. Zero EV had focused on Porsches and Minis, and the two companies plan to expand the offerings to other models.
Budge says the merger was good for Jaunt because it would give the company scale, and access to global markets, and to work with other cars.
“We are delighted to launch Fellten – it’s the culmination of years of work from two teams working on other sides of the world, coming together with the shared ambition in shaping the future of electric vehicles,” said Chris Hazell, the co-founder and CEO of Zero EV, who will be CEO of the new venture.
“The merging of our two companies into … Fellten will provide classic vehicle customers with any level of electrification support, and provide automotive experts, mechanics and electric vehicle converters with the technology, tools and training to be a part of the growing global demand for electrification.”
Fellten – the word is Welsh for lightning – says the new company will have access to international supply chain that allows automotive workshops and vehicle restorers across Australia, North America and Europe to install electric conversion systems designed and developed by its team.
The two companies have already engineered systems for models such as the Porsche 911, Classic Minis, and Land Rover Series and Defenders, and it plans to release solutions for more classic brands and models.
The conversions do not come cheap. It costs around $100,000 for a Land Rover, and around the same price for a Porsche 911, and closer to $50,000 for a classic Mini. The pricing also depends on the size of the battery packs.
Budge says the merger will allow the company to move into a bigger factory and create an assembly line, which will help bring prices down. Curiously, Budge says most of the customers are not traditional classic car owners, but are attracted by the combination of electric and classic lines.
“There’s a lot of people who say I’d like that, but I don’t want to own a petrol car again,” Budge told The Driven. “people do love the classic designs and shapes.
“We will be building hundreds of these systems in coming years.”
The company says there are a growing number of electric vehicle conversion workshops, but says it is the only company in the industry with ISO compliance in quality, environmental and health and safety management (ISO 9001, 14001, 45001).
Fellten says it plans to open its US facility early next year, and also intends to expand its operations in the UK and Australia.
Giles Parkinson is founder and editor of The Driven, and also edits and founded the Renew Economy and One Step Off The Grid web sites. He has been a journalist for nearly 40 years, is a former business and deputy editor of the Australian Financial Review, and owns a Tesla Model 3.