McMillian was a local celebrity in his college town as he was known to ride around in a street-legal electric car built on a VW chassis. His interest in e-mobility continued into college as he converted and built a variety of EVs. He went on to research and convert an NSU Prinz into an EV in high school. The first was a go-cart that he converted into an EV with a top speed of 30 mph. What sets him apart from others is McMillian’s expertise has always been in electric vehicles.įrom age 12, he has been electrifying anything he could get his hands on.

With more than 50 years of experience under his belt in the car industry, McMillian has seen the rise of EVs firsthand. and joint head of Electric Car Conversions, shares this vision of greener transportation from start to finish. John McMillian, founder and designer of Shockwave Motors, Inc. Who is pushing for vintage electric vehicles? The combination of avoiding heavy manufacturing emissions and going electric could be a great pathway to greener transportation for the average consumer. Vintage cars have the luxury of already being produced or, if newly made, often require little manufacturing.

Lowering manufacturing emissions for cars was not a high priority. In 2020, McKinsey & Company did an analysis of the auto industry’s priorities. This can be an alarming stat for those looking to lower their carbon footprint, but an even more alarming truth is that the industry is not addressing this issue. A Massachusetts Institute of Technology Energy Initiative study found that the battery and fuel production for an EV generates higher emissions than the manufacturing of a standard automobile. Why Choose a Vintage Electric Car Over a Modern Electric Car?Įlectric cars are greener than gasoline-powered cars, but manufacturing is a different story.

Some are looking back to the golden age of automobiles for inspiration with the creation of vintage electric vehicles. However, not everyone is looking to the designs of the 2020s for the future of transportation. With minimalistic aesthetics and tablets replacing traditional dashboards, today’s EVs look a lot like spaceships out of a sci-fi novel. Learning from the success of Tesla, manufacturers like Audi, Porsche and Mercedes-Benz are some of the many rolling out EVs. Auto manufacturers do not want to be left behind in this electric revolution. According to the Edison Electric Institute, it is expected that 18 million EVs will be on the road by 2025.

Smart roadster electric conversion