Owners convert classic cars to electric power despite major hurdles

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  Hans Latz, a 55-year-old survey engineer from Wachtberg near Bonn, converted his 1976 Porsche 912E into an electric car after four years of work in his garage.

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  The car has a 51-kilowatt electric motor and battery blocks fitted under the hood and in the trunk, but it has no fast-charging function and its interior heater no longer works.

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  The article says converting combustion-engine cars to electric power could reduce emissions, citing a Fraunhofer ISI calculation that converting 2.4 million Volkswagen Golf 7 cars could save 2.76 million tonnes of CO₂ each year.

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  Noertech, a start-up in Kassel led by Claudius Wilhelms and Nico Kroll, restored a 1994 electric Golf, whose owners have driven it 20,000 kilometres.

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  Wilhelms says the business of converting petrol and diesel cars is held back by demanding approval procedures, high costs and inconsistent decisions by vehicle inspection services.

Who

Hans Latz and the Noertech start-up, led by Claudius Wilhelms and Nico Kroll

What

The conversion of older cars to electric power and the regulatory obstacles facing such projects

When

The article was published on 10 October 2026; Latz worked on his conversion for four years.

Where

Wachtberg near Bonn and Kassel, Germany

Why

The conversions can give older cars electric power and may reduce emissions, but approval requirements make the work difficult to scale.

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