Ford Electric Crate Motor Is Coming, Will Be Called ‘Eluminator’

• Ford teased its upcoming Eluminator electric-vehicle crate motor ahead of its official debut at this year’s SEMA show.
• This follows Chevrolet’s electric crate motor conversion that debuted in 2018 and could see vendors this year.
• These crate-motor solutions should be less invasive to classic cars than more involved EV conversions.

For fans of vintage American iron, the looming transition to electric motivation might strike fear into your heart: your nostalgia express might be rendered inoperable. Well, there’s some good news for those that are interested in modifying your classic: EV crate conversions. While this technology is still in its relative infancy, it does seem to be gaining some traction. Ford is teasing an electric crate powertrain solution that is slated for a debut at the SEMA show, scheduled to take place in early November.

Now, this isn’t the first time we’ve seen something like this. Chevrolet introduced a similar system back in 2018. That system has since evolved into the eCrate system, which Chevrolet said would be hitting the market sometime this year. Some solutions aren’t exactly bolt-in, which have been becoming more popular, and powerful, as these electric technologies have advanced.

Ford jumped to Twitter to tease its upcoming Eluminator powertrain. This name is an obvious play on its Aluminator crate engine, and it will likely start a whole series of electric powertrain solutions for project cars. Details are still light on Ford’s plan for EV crate powertrains, but we’re sure that the company looked at its crosstown rival’s bolt-in-friendly approach and considered the problems of replacing an internal-combustion engine with an electric motor.

Ford also neglected to mention the battery options, thermal management solutions, or battery controllers in this teaser tweet. We imagine all of this information and more will be revealed at this year’s SEMA show. We’re expecting the specs to be at least on par with Chevrolet’s Connect and Cruise system, which features a 200-hp electric motor and a 60.0-kWh battery. The kit also includes inverters, converters, and a wiring harness to make it all work.

We doubt that anyone will knock on your door and demand you yank out the aging Ford Y-block under the hood of your ’61 F-100, but this could be a good solution for folks who want to enjoy their classic cars if fuel becomes too costly, or if regulations put a clamp on internal-combustion enjoyment.