Land Rover Defender EV Conversion - The Beginning of a Saga

I always liked the old Land Rover’s so I was very interested when the owner pinged me about this project. Be sure to subscribe so you can see more coverage on this as it develops.
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Background Music by www.bensound.com
Thanks to Mike for including me in this project
Equipment Used:
Video - Nikon D5600
Audio - Shure MV7
Video Editing Software - Adobe Premiere CC
Who am I?
I’ve been an IT guy for the last 15 years with a serious passion for tech and all things automotive. From motherboards to combustion engines, I find happiness in anything that powers on or throws you back in your seat with the fierceness of a Greek god.

[@Builtbypete]

Looking forward to follow up

[@g65_]

Nice video... whether we like it or not, EV's are the future... this is sort of like people back in the day who refused the combustion engine and still wanted horses.

[@Altek1]

I'm not the biggest fan of EV's but a DIY project like this piques my interest. Especially seeing the components individually and understand how the moving pieces come together and the challenges faced along the way. People might think he bastardized the car but it had no engine when he got it, so I see it as him saving it. Glad you enjoyed it and thanks for always checking out my content buddy.

[@THESLlCK]

@G6565 What an incredibly stupid comment. ICE vehicles succeeded because they actually worked and people wanted them, not because the government of many nations literally forced their citizens to buy EVs. The utter density is incredible.

[@Altek1]

@@THESLlCK there are so many other ways to get your point across without belittling someone.

[@THESLlCK]

@@Altek1 I'm 100% aware of that

[@gavin6538]

Does this build have its own page with more info on its progress?

[@michaeldangelo]

Altek is possibly making another video. In the meantime... kzbin.info/www/bejne/nl6ueH-ibpKirdU

[@torreyinnewyorkcity334]

Glad you’re still making contact. I have to find you on Instagram in order to send you a picture of my buddies defender. It took him three years and someone else built it.

[@natemathewson5200]

How did I miss this vid 😳

[@Altek1]

You saw it eventually, and that's what matters, Nate. Now I just need about 1.3 million people more to not miss it 😳 Thanks for stopping by!

[@shawnshan9817]

Boys, this is going to blow up !

[@Altek1]

Haha, I really do hope he doesn't zap himself into the future.

[@michaeldangelo]

@@Altek1 For the record, I did zap myself once. 164vdc from my right hand to my right shoulder. It scared the f*ck out of me. By the way, I got my old gauges working - temp and gas gauges will show accurate levels. :) It's registered and insured. I hope to get it officially inspected next week. Hope the baby is doing well!

[@peterbradley4916]

Hi. Any updates on this Defender?

[@Altek1]

I had a baby a few months ago and haven't had time to follow up on anything KZbin since. I'll be checking in with the owner before the summer to see if I can get an update video done with him. Thanks for your interest.

[@michaeldangelo]

Altek is possibly making another video. In the meantime... kzbin.info/www/bejne/nl6ueH-ibpKirdU

[@davidcoton2925]

Hi, Any Updates on this???

[@Altek1]

I had a baby so all KZbin things took a back seat but I'm going to try to link up with him this spring and do an update video with him. Sorry for the delay in posting!

[@michaeldangelo]

Altek is possibly making another video. In the meantime... kzbin.info/www/bejne/nl6ueH-ibpKirdU

[@dv2045]

how.much is the cost of the conversion?

[@michaeldangelo]

Hi there - I'm the idiot :). The (engineless) donor vehicle was $20k and I've spent about $32k on parts so far. This includes restoration parts and EV parts. I have another $7 - $10k in batteries and maybe another $10k - $15k in parts/labor yet to be identified (LR parts are not cheap). At the moment, the chassis has been repaired, rust-proofed (POR-15) and painted, drivetrain is in, suspension and wheels are back on and body is being prepped for painting. If you started with a good donor vehicle, you could probably do it for as little as $25k if you only needed 50-100 miles of range, already have all the tools and have lots of time.

[@dv2045]

@@michaeldangelo hello! excellent information! seems the batteries are the most expensive thing, right?

[@michaeldangelo]

@@dv2045 If you want more range, yes, they can get expensive. I opted for the high density tesla batteries which go for about $1500 each. I'm going to do some testing with 5 of them and then decide how many I want to the range I want - 200 miles.

[@4literv6]

@@michaeldangelo mike maybe you can contact the guys over at electric classic cars? They have ev swapped several land rover models using tesla parts and batteries. 🤔

[@allterrainrandy2587]

Any updates?

[@Altek1]

I'm hoping to follow up with him soon on the progress, I know he's done a good amount of the body work. With a kid on the way, I haven't had time to focus on the channel but hopefully soon. Thanks for watching!

[@allterrainrandy2587]

@@Altek1 I have 8 kids. I understand completely!

[@Altek1]

Woah! I'm overwhelmed by the thought of one, you're a brave man.

[@allterrainrandy2587]

@@Altek1 haha, it's scary at first! I was afraid of marriage at first also. There's no better feeling than having a new baby. Of course, I have 4 teenagers at the moment, so I'm suffering the consequences! Haha

[@michaeldangelo]

Altek is possibly making another video. In the meantime... kzbin.info/www/bejne/nl6ueH-ibpKirdU

[@michaeldangelo]

Hi all - I'm the idiot. Altek will probably make another video when we get to the EV part of the project. In the meantime, I posted a quick clip of the current state here... kzbin.info/www/bejne/kHK1nZKjqKmHY5Y

[@rinat5322]

Discovery EV 👍