Clean Conversion: B.C. company fighting to make ICE to EV conversion a viable option

Vancouver, British Columbia — Dean Kneider does a unique kind of alchemy at his shop in East Vancouver where he takes gas-powered cars, retro Porsches and modern buses alike, and turns them into emissions-free electric vehicles.

As president and CEO of Riise EV, one of the EV conversions Kneider is most proud of is his 1976 Porsche 912, which he says never fails to draw people’s attention.

“People come up and say, ‘Wow, is that electric?’” Kneider told Global News.

The clean-converted retro Porsche is typically Kneider’s daily driver, but it received some time in the spotlight as a pace car for the Vancouver Sun Run, which wrapped up April 24.

“This has way more appeal, I’ve done something right, I’ve kept an old classic on the road, I’m greener, cleaner, no emissions, and it just makes logical sense,” he said.

For those who may be thinking that he effectively neutered his sports car, Kneider’s modifications actually give the Porsche a bit of an extra boost, as he noted that the 912’s stock 87-horsepower engine was replaced with a 130-horsepower electric motor that he jokingly calls a “60-pound turkey.”

As it stands, the cost of conversion services offered by Riise EV range from $50,000 to $100,000.

“The cars are cool and we’ll always do them to keep the classics on the road. And people are willing to pay the price to get into them, to have them fully electric,” Kneider said.

“A lady called me with a ’76 Volkswagen bug, a guy came in with an old Rolls Royce, I’ve had guys come in here with tractors and RVs.”

The company also advertises commercial fleet and bus conversion.

“Buses are a massive opportunity for us,” he said.

“We’re trying to do a platform with buses that we can do a massive amount of buses at half the price, so we could give back $100,000 to schools for sports equipment and $100,000 for music equipment and still have an electric bus.”

The company says it works within the guidelines of government-funded green subsidy programs, ensuring owners qualify for credits and refunds for the conversions.

“Not everyone can afford a Tesla, not everyone can afford an electric car, but somebody could afford $30,000 and convert their existing car if we get to that kind of scale.”