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It won’t be long until the fully electric Rolls-Royce Spctre arrives, but this Canadian businessman couldn’t wait.
Vincent Yu, a business owner from Richmond, Canada, decided to turn his own Rolls-Royce Wraith into an EV and had to sell his home in the process.
Yu’s daughter, Gloria, inspired him to start the electromod project. She was concerned about the environmental impact of a combustion-engined luxury vehicle and refused to ride as a passenger in her father’s Rolls-Royce Wraith.
Rather than trade in the car for an EV, he decided to take matters into his own hands. He began the lengthy and expensive journey of converting it to a zero-emission vehicle, working together with a small team of mechanics.
Yu spent the past four years of his life converting his luxurious Rolls-Royce into an EV, including many trips to the US, Japan, and Germany for sourcing car parts. He also had to sell his house to help fund the project.
“Many people think I’m nuts, hearing my idea of converting my gasoline car to an electric one,” says Yu. “But I’m so used to people making fun of me. My head is always in the clouds.”
His efforts were a success though, as the vehicle is now fully functional and has an electric range of 500 km, according to Yu.
We don’t know the specs of the newly converted Wraith, but we know the original V12 engine was swapped with a Tesla-sourced electric motor and battery pack.
Using the experience gained from his first build, Yu has now opened a shop called Mars Power.
Keyword: Rolls-Royce Wraith electromod project costs businessman more than money