Who Will Be the Last Holdout against Electric Cars? Not SEMA

Electric vehicles are not new at SEMA, but for the show this year, organizers are expanding Electrified Hall to allow for more EVs and related technologies.Given SEMA’s classic-car focus, multiple vendors offering EV conversion kits will be at the show, including APP EV Systems and Electric GT.The aftermarket is adapting to electric propulsion technology, and SEMA said electric conversions allow classic-car lovers to keep their vehicles on the road even as original parts become harder to get.

Electric vehicles are back at SEMA in a bigger, better way. For 2022, the show has increased its focus on EVs and expanded its Electrified Hall to feature more plug-in vehicles and EV technologies. From a 2500-square-foot display in 2019, SEMA’s EV section has now grown to 21,000 square feet.

Show organizers are embracing the shift to plug-ins, including by showcasing multiple EV conversion solutions this year. SEMA vice president of events, Tom Gattuso, said this year’s Electrified Hall will teach visitors how today’s EV scene for older cars is different. “The EV aftermarket is evolving quickly and continues to change,” he said. “We’re curating a unique collection of the latest products related to electric vehicles and the aftermarket.”

Educating EV Builders, Modifying Great ICE Classics

Some of the EV-centered exhibitors at SEMA this year include the Switch Lab EV Program, which uses a reusable EV Ki to teach students how to build their own electric vehicle, and App EV Systems, which will launch an EV conversion system and EV battery packs at the show.

App EV has an unusual take on classic cars compared to traditional SEMA exhibitors. Instead of bemoaning the lack or expense of old car parts, App EV wants to help car enthusiasts “evolve” their classic cars with an electric powertrain that “extends their useful lives, improves their environmental credibility, and reduces operating and maintenance cost and hassle.”

APP EV Systems

For instance, the company is hard at work on the 1973 Porsche 911SC EV conversion shown here, which will be revealed on the SEMA show stand. The car will retain its five-speed manual transmission and have “comparable performance” to the internal-combustion-engined original, App EV president Jeremy Barras told Car and Driver. He called the 911SC “the most difficult to package, as the smallest! All other applications will be easier.”

1973 Porsche 911SC in process of conversion to EV.

Car and Driver

A similar view is presented by Electric GT, which will be at the show with its own line of EV conversion kits.

Those last two exhibitors fit well with SEMA’s reasons for its growing focus on EV technology. New SEMA market research data found that EV technology could be where the money is. Or, as SEMA said in a press release, it offers “several areas of opportunity for the aftermarket.” Everything from a race car to a barn find classic can be converted from an internal-combustion-engine vehicle to a zero-emission electric car, and SEMA said it is “dedicated to helping its member companies identify [electric powertrain] opportunities and adapt to the growing segment of the industry.”

The 2022 SEMA show will take place at the Las Vegas Convention Center from November 1–4. The Electrified Hall portion of the show will be located in the center’s North Hall.

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