A JOLT of Inspiration
EV West brings new life to classic vehicles & castaway EV parts.
By Mike Madriaga
EV West is far from your typical aftermarket shop, and if you missed our original feature on it years ago, here’s the quick charge: This San Marcos-based builder has been converting classic cars into electric vehicles (EVs) for more than 15 years. Think Volkswagen buses and Bugs, old-school BMWs, Volvos, UTVs and more—vehicles once powered by gas, now buzzing with electric life.
And don’t let the “Radio Shack-project” vibe fool you—these EVs aren’t just for cruising farmers markets. EV West earned its street cred by tearing up the uphill roadway at the 2012 Pikes Peak International Hill Climb in Colorado, proving its builds could perform at high altitudes and higher speeds by taking the trophy home for its class.
Around the same time, the conversion company’s (evwest.com) EV-powered buggy made waves at a Baja Mexico dune event—both accomplishments that were way ahead of their time.
Since those early days, founder Michael Bream and his crew have been removing internal combustion engines (ICE), replacing them with electric motors and, in the process, designing custom brackets and adapters that bolt onto the car’s stock motor mount locations and transmissions.
But, here’s the twist: they’re doing it all with reversibility in mind.
“We want all of these conversions to be 100% reversible,” says Bream. “Ideally, you should be able to remove the EV setup, reinstall a gas engine and stock suspension, and take it to a car show where even a hardcore concours judge wouldn’t suspect it was ever EV converted.”
A recent 1962 Corvette build for skateboarder Tony Hawk shows real interest in EV conversions. (Photo courtesy EV West)
Mike Madriaga is an award-winning multimedia journalist who has created content for a variety of media outlets. From 2000-06, he owned and managed Team Prototype, a world-renowned auto fabrication shop in San Diego that built dozens of car show winners, magazine cover vehicles and SEMA projects.
Founder Michael Bream says EV West is invested in 100% reversible conversions that bring new life to old cars. (Photo by Mike Madriaga)
THE SKATEBOARD CONNECTION
Bream—once an engineer, car racer, surfer and skateboard manufacturer—now channels his rebel spirit into volts and torque.
One of the latest projects rolling through his shop? A 1953 Ford pickup owned by legendary vert skateboarder Mike McGill.
“So, what we have in front of us today is a 400-volt Tesla battery pack,” Bream says in a 2025 interview, pointing to a large module on a wooden bench, surrounded by project cars in his 15,000-square-foot shop. “This originally goes in the Tesla Model S, and what we do is repurpose it.”
When asked if the battery will go in the bed of the truck, Bream smiles.
“It goes underneath the car, just like in the Tesla. We try to mimic the behavior of the manufacturers. They’re putting hundreds of millions of dollars into design and engineering, and it doesn’t take a genius to know that when you keep the heavy stuff down low, you get really good weight balance.”
Bream’s right. I’ve covered a lot of Tesla crashes and collisions throughout San Diego County for a weekly magazine, and I have yet to see a Tesla rolled over in my reports.
Turns out McGill, his son and a buddy are building the truck together.
“We handle the technical stuff, like the battery system, and then deliver it to him for installation,” says Bream. “Once it’s running, he’ll bring it by the shop and probably do some burnouts.”
McGill is credited with inventing the iconic “McTwist,” a 540-degree inverted aerial that helped define vert skating in the 1980s. He rose to fame as a member of the Bones Brigade alongside skateboarding royalty that included Tony Hawk, and today their bond continues in a new arena: custom EV car culture. At the time, McGill’s truck project sat on a table just a few feet away from Hawk’s black 1962 Corvette with a convertible top and red interior.
“We’re doing a full EV conversion for Tony, and it should be done in the next month,” Bream noted at the time. “Tony’s car is running, and we’re finalizing the instrumentation.”
Bream adds that Hawk isn’t just a celebrity name on the EV build sheet.
“He’s a very energetic EV guy. He’s had a Foundation Series (Cybertruck) and one of the first Lucids when they started shipping; he’s always been ahead of the curve. Some people do this because it’s cool, but Tony genuinely enjoys EVs.”
An EVs & Coffee event shows that electric vehicle fans are cool car enthusiasts at heart. (Photo courtesy EV West/evwest.com)
EV CONVERSION PARTS
Building a custom EV is more than just pulling a gas motor and slapping in a battery—it’s precision engineering. Surrounding its seven bays at EV West, Bream and his team use high-end 3D metrology tools and SolidWorks software.
“Most of the work you see out here is done first in an office with a computer,” he explains. “We’ve got highly specialized equipment that picks up points in 3D space. That lets us accurately build a model in SolidWorks and design brackets that bolt right into the factory mounts of the original combustion engine.”
You don’t have to be a welder, CAD designer or engineer to electrify your ride.
“Not everybody has that skill set, and that’s fine,” Bream says. “Maybe you’re good at sourcing parts from junkyards. We’re here to lower the barrier to entry so anyone can do this.”
California’s EV West handles electric vehicle conversions, components and more at its California headquarters. (Photo courtesy EV West/evwest.com)
EV West designs and manufactures many of the parts for its EV adapter kits in-house. These parts are installed on customers’ conversion projects at its facility, about 20 miles north of San Diego. The parts are also shipped worldwide. The team’s success is due to extensive R&D, including testing every part within its EV-converted vehicles.
One of its popular lines is for the Porsche platform, some of which have appeared at the La Jolla Concours d’Elegance car show. Bream and his team developed EV conversion kits for vintage Porsche models, including the 911, 912, 914 and 356, with prices ranging from $8,734 to $34,000. The higher-end kit incorporates the Tesla Model S engine and accompanying parts.
The shop continues to expand its in-house engineering prowess as well, as a recent online post showcases a workflow that begins with digitally scanning a transmission and flywheel to generate a precise 3D model. That data is used to engineer custom motor adapter plates and motor couplers tailored to specific vehicle applications.
EV West also sells batteries, battery enclosures and accessories, chargers, charging accessories, clothing and logo items, EV tools, controllers, controller accessories, DC converters, drivetrain components, other conversion kits, hoses and fittings, instrumentation, miscellaneous EV parts, motors, motor accessories, motor adapters, services, used components, and wiring and parts.
On the service side, the EV team continues to handle unconventional electric platforms. A recent example involved repairs to a Spira, an all-electric, three-wheeled vehicle that is freeway-legal and capable of reaching 70 mph.
The shop—located at 1788 La Costa Meadows Dr. in San Marcos, California,—is divided into three sections: 30% shop space, 30% warehouse space for storing all its conversion pieces, and 40% office space and a small showroom for visitors, who drop by from all over the world.
THE FUTURE OF EV CONVERSION IS HERE
But Bream isn’t just building EVs—he’s building knowledge. EV West’s educational program—the Electric Vehicle Learning Center (EVLC), a 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to sustainability programs and STEM education—is helping bring the world of EV conversions to a broader audience.
The learning center, located directly across from the shop, offers hands-on training and support for everyone, from DIY enthusiasts to vocational instructors, ensuring that complex EV systems can be understood and applied safely. A recent session involved a hands-on course focused on building and commissioning a Tesla drivetrain.
The center is not just about turning wrenches; it’s about empowering the next generation of builders with real-world skills.
“Some of the specialty shops that will be obsolete when EVs are the majority will be the radiator and muffler shops, as EVs don’t need them,” Bream says.
Some of those who practiced traditional trades are transitioning to EV curricula.
And, while it’s easy to picture this knowledge being passed down to high school kids in a classroom, Bream makes it clear that EV learning has no age limit, as demonstrated by a clean 1953 Baja Bug with a rare oval-shaped rear window sitting at the shop.
EV West’s educational program, the Electric Vehicle Learning Center (EVLC), is helping bring the world of EV conversions to a broader audience. (Photo courtesy EV West/evwest.com)
“My dad and I did this as a father-and-son project when I was 50 years old and my dad was 80,” he says.
A priest named Father James Friar is another example of the shop’s diverse customer base.
“He originally came to us five years ago and converted a classic Mini Cooper himself,” says Bream, noting that, with guidance from the EV West team, Father James completed the entire project, utilizing the compact NetGain HyPer9 144-volt motor—the same one used in Bream and his dad’s VW Bug.
“He did a fantastic job,” Bream adds, taking the car to races and autocross events, even as he tackles a new project—a 1980s BMW, this time with a Tesla powerplant under the hood.
SECOND LIFE
As Bream puts it, EV West is about preserving the soul of old cars and giving them a new lease on life.
“I’m a car guy. Our employees are generational car guys. And so, for us, we’re here to save the cars,” Bream says proudly, then pauses for a bit. “In the electrification push—this push to clean up everything and get on sustainable fuels—cars like these sometimes get left by the wayside. However, we don’t need to manufacture a new car and expend all those resources, because we already have the vehicle. We need to change the parts in it, and those parts we’re repurposing from cars that have been crashed.”
Bream points to a Tesla battery pack resting on a bench.
“That battery came out of a car that was crashed and is no longer viable. The insurance company determined it was not worth fixing. However, there are numerous resources available. We take advantage of those resources and ensure they receive what we call a ‘second life.’ Your overall impact on environmental resources is much less because you’re using existing products. You’re just rearranging them so they can be used together.”
Bream and EV West aren’t just preserving cars; they’re rewriting their future, one volt at a time.
