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As electric cars become more mainstream, converting ICE-powered vehicles to electric drive has become more practical and thus more popular too. VIncent Yu decided to go down that path with his 2015 Rolls-Royce Ghost, with the project morphing into a new business pursuit, as reported by Richmond News.‘
The Canadian resident told the local news outlet of his long project, which took a full four years to complete. Converting the Rolls-Royce was a labor of love, taking place in Yu’s garage, as well as apparently requiring many flights overseas to purchase parts for the build.
Completing the build was no mean feat, with Yu selling his house to finance the build. He reports that taking this measure proved a bridge too far for his wife, who left him in frustration over the project. “Only my neighbour understands what I have been through over the past four years because I forced them to take a look at my work as it progressed daily,” said Yu.
In its new all-electric form, Yu’s luxury barge can reportedly run for up to 500 kilometers (310 miles) on a full charge. It’s an impressive figure, putting it on par with cars like the Kia EV6 and Hyundai Ionic 5. The car features a Tesla drive unit in place of the original 6.6-liter turbo V12 engine.
No other word on performance is available, and plenty of space in the trunk and under the hood is taken up with batteries. Regardless, it’s clearly a rolling, working, electric vehicle. Early pictures show the vehicle with a strangely-high ride height at the rear, though this appears to be corrected in later photos.
The idea for the build came from Yu’s daughter, who told her father “You shouldn’t act like a wealthy douchebag by driving a stinky car around town and polluting the air,” according to the businessman. Completed with the help of a small team of mechanics and machinists, several have now joined Yu at his new venture by the name of Mars Power Technology, Inc. The company aims to offer conversions to electric drive for everything from commercial vehicles like trucks and buses to personal luxury and classic cars.
When Richmond News asked Yu if he felt the project was worth the sacrifice, he replied “I am happy as long as my story could make one person on earth laugh while starting to think about climate change.” Framed in those terms, it looks like he’s succeeded.
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