I moved to Midcoast Maine in 2010, and since then there are plenty of local landmarks that I’ve grown accustomed to. Blueberry stands along the road in the summer, endless lobster boats, and angry Connecticut drivers are all part of life here and no one bats an eyelid. There’s not much to see here in the automotive world, but I recently stumbled upon a little shop of wonders tucked away on the coast a short distance from my house. Nomad Motors, run by Keith Martin, repurposes classic vehicles using electric drivetrain components to make them modern, usable, and reliable.
Martin invited me to his shop a few weeks ago to give me a tour and show me his creations, including a fully converted 1976 BMW 2002. Although Nomad is a stunning Land Rover Defender in progress, we focused on the BMW and Martin’s path to starting a business around his passion. He said he and his wife currently have four classic cars and wanted to spend more time driving the car than fixing it. He leaned on industry veterans EV West and Electric GT to help get started, and Nomad was born.
Martin already had the BMW when the itch to electrify struck. While a typical Nomad conversion takes about three months, depending on spec, Martin’s 2002 took nearly a year due to the full restoration he did before installing the electric drivetrain.
In place of the car’s standard 2.0-liter engine, Martin installed a Netgain Hyper 9HV motor rated at 121 horsepower and 162 pound-feet of torque — a significant improvement over the car’s factory powertrain, which produced 98 horsepower and 106 pound-feet of torque. The conversion resulted in a 2-second improvement in the car’s 0-60 mph time, with it now taking just 8.5 seconds to reach the mark.
Impressively, the 2002 retained its four-speed manual transmission. Yes, you read that right. A true four-speed transmission in an EV. While most new EVs have a single-speed transmission that transfers power from the electric motor directly to the wheels, the four-speed transmission is a novelty. It also gives the 2002 two more gears than the Porsche Taycanone of the fastest electric vehicles on the market.
Martin mounted the electric motor to the car’s original four-speed transmission using an aluminum adapter plate. He noted that the manual transmission provides a more engaging driving experience and produces a pleasant gear shifting sound rather than the humming engine noises that the 2002 came with. The car doesn’t need the clutch in stop-and-go traffic because the electric motor can’t stall. Looking inside the setup, you can’t see any indication of what’s going on underneath, other than a small digital display. battery display next to the shifter.
The engine is powered by six liquid-cooled Tesla 18650 batteries connected in series. It has a total battery voltage of 144 volts and a capacity of 32 kWh. Power flows from the batteries through a sealed HV junction box. Martin noted that the box contains all the switches, fuses and service disconnects to keep everything safe. He also installed a battery management system that monitors voltage, temperatures, amps and state of charge. If the system detects a problem, it will shut the vehicle down to prevent damage.
When removing a gasoline engine, several parts necessary to run the engine are also removed, including the alternator, coolant and multiplicity vacuumTherefore, the car needs a DC-DC voltage converter to power low-voltage systems, and the car relies on a small vacuum pump for brake pressure. There is also an electric heating element to warm the cabin and defrost the windows.
The 2002 is known as a light, well-balanced car, so there were a lot of ways to go wrong if you tried to stuff a heavy electric powertrain into it. Martin added a crossmember to the subframe to support the extra torque of the engine, and he lowered the front end 1.5 inches using shorter coil springs. He said the conversion shaved about 150 pounds off the front end.
Martin placed the battery pack in the trunk, adding 350 pounds behind the rear seat. Since weight was removed from the front, it would be interesting to see how the handling would be. Nevertheless, the 2002 came from the factory with heavy-duty springs, requiring Martin to install larger anti-roll bars and wider tires. The car’s stance is beautiful, and there’s no sign of the level of work and modifications that have gone into it when you see it driving down the road.
If you’re wondering how much something like a BMW 2002 EV would cost, it’s probably not as much as you might expect. Martin said the parts to perform the conversion could range between $20,000 and $40,000, while the complete car could cost between $40,000 and $60,000, depending on the customer’s desired range, power, and options. That could be a great way to breathe new life into a non-running 2002, if it’s sturdy enough underneath.
While we spent less time talking about Nomad’s in-progress Land Rover Defender, Martin shared some interesting details about the SUV’s design. The nearly customer-ready vehicle features a Tesla Model 3 rear-wheel drive which he said would improve the dynamics of the original vehicle in every way.
Keith Martin and his 2002
I fully realize that there is a large and vocal group of enthusiasts who consider converting classic gasoline cars to electric cars blasphemous. However, I think that those who make such grandiose statements are missing a few nuances. There is a substantial argument to be made that the feel, smell and sound of combustion engines are what makes them unique and what gives vintage cars their appeal, but on the other hand, there are plenty of classic car owners who simply want to drive and enjoy their vehicles without having to tinker with them every few weeks.
It’s also worth delving into the attitude with which Nomad approaches its conversions. The appeal of many vehicles like the old-school Land Rover Defender is in their looks, and here in New England they’re popular as summer coastal cars, where the clogged roads don’t allow for much hot-rodding. While the conversions I saw undoubtedly improved performance over old gas engines, they didn’t make me feel like a crime had been committed. Martin was looking at how he and his wife drove the BMW before they swapped the engine, and their desire to enjoy the car with some degree of reliability. The customer Landrover will be used for touring around the harbor for a few months each year, making it the perfect candidate for a conversion. In other words, he’s not ripping out a heritage drivetrain and replacing it with something that doesn’t match the charm of the original vehicle.
Nomad is still in its infancy and operates out of a small space on the coast, but Martin has acquired land to build a home base for the company to build, service and store customer vehicles. The company offers conversions for a variety of vehicle types, including the Porsche 356 and 912, BMW 2002, VW Beetle and Bus, and Land Rover Defenders from before 1980.
While Martin’s company and work are still in their early stages, the conversions will likely become more popular as time goes on and parts for classic cars become rarer and more expensive. The work takes time and money, but once it’s done, owning and driving the cars will become a lot easier. That’s not exactly the future many enthusiasts want, but it could be one of the best ways to keep old vehicles on the road, where they belong.