Future Hot-Rod Heaven? Ford and Chevrolet Will Both Offer EV Crate Motors!

In the world of hot-rodding, a fully built performance engine, fresh from the factory and ready to drop into a customized vehicle is called a “crate motor.”  The idea is instead of spending all of your time and energy building a performance engine from bits and pieces, why not have the factory build it on an assembly line?

Well, Ford and Chevrolet are extending the concept to electric vehicles (EVs). Each plan to offer an electric motor (and perhaps eventually battery packs and electronic controllers) through their respective performance parts divisions. The idea is to make it easier for car enthusiasts to embrace electrification by modifying their old internal combustion engine (ICE) classic and performance cars to electric drive.

Chevrolet’s first eCrate motor is from the 200-horsepower Bolt model, although future eCrate offerings will probably include the 300+ horsepower motor that is coming in the GMC Hummer EV.

Ford is calling its crate motor the “Eluminator” and it comes from the Ford Mustang Mach-E. For $3,900, it has the following specifications:

The package includes: 

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But does NOT include:

The power unit weighs 205 pounds (220-pound packaged shipping weight), with packaged dimensions measuring 22x22x32 inches. The Eluminator crate motor can be seen on the Ford Performance website here–part number M-9000-MACHE–with the unit expected to go on sale in the fall of 2021.

Kevin Clemens is a Senior Editor with Battery Technology.