Two months ago, we launched our EV Converter Type quiz with a simple question: who are you, really, when it comes to EV conversion? Why are you here, and what are you hoping to build?

The results are already telling a story, and it’s a good one. Here’s what we’ve learned so far.

Who’s In Our Community? The First Data Drop From “Which Type of EV Converter Are You?”

Who Showed Up
Four of our six conversion profiles have made an appearance so far. Leading the pack by a comfortable margin is The Classic Purist, representing just over 41% of respondents. Close behind is The DIY Engineer at 33%. The Visionary Early Adopter accounts for around 17%, and The Practical Daily Driver rounds out the sample at roughly 8%.

The Cars People Want to Convert

The vehicle choices align almost perfectly with the profiles. 47% of respondents are eyeing a classic muscle car, vintage 911, or iconic truck, the kind of machine people have emotional relationships with. Another 31% are chasing something exotic, rare, or totally unexpected. Vintage classics like Beetles and early roadsters represent about 15%, and lightweight hackable builds (kit cars and simple classics) make up the remainder.

 

Surprisingly, only a very small percentage of people are interested in converting 1980s hatchbacks, and nobody here seems interested in converting a 2019 Camry.

This community definitely knows what it wants, but we still have some questions about the sample and need to collect more data on the topic.

What People Actually Want From Their Build

Here’s where it gets interesting. When we asked what matters most in the final result, 40% said the satisfaction of building it themselves. Performance and reliability come after. The act of building something comes first. That’s a remarkable signal about who’s in this community right now. In reality, that’s a remarkable signal about who’s completing the online survey!

While standing out came in at 18%, reliability and preservation, performance, and low running costs each pulled in around 14% of responses.

The Hands-On Split

Nearly equal numbers of respondents want to be hands-on in different ways: 45% want to be involved in the design but want world-class execution on the technical side, and 45% want to do the whole thing themselves. Only around 10% said they’d rather hand it to a professional entirely.

This is one of the most revealing findings in the dataset so far. The EV conversion community is split between people who want to be part of the build in different ways. Almost everyone wants their hands on something. Almost no one wants to be completely passive. In reality, in the last 12 months, our clients are 53% DIYers and 47% Premiums!

The Budget Reality

Half of the respondents describe their budget as practical. In other words, the conversion needs to make financial sense over time. A quarter say it’s tight, with cost savings as the core motivation. About 17% are taking a reasonable approach and are willing to spend what it takes to preserve the car properly. And 8% are going premium, no compromises.

This is a community that takes financial decisions seriously. The romance of the build is real, but so is the spreadsheet.

Sustainability: Part of the Picture, Not the Whole Thing

We asked how important sustainability was to the decision. The honest answer from our community: it matters, but it’s rarely the lead reason. Around 42% said it’s somewhat important, but vehicle preservation matters more. A third said they’re into clean energy tech and it’s part of the appeal. Very few said it was the primary driver.

This is actually one of the most important findings for anyone who builds messaging around EV conversion. Sustainability is a supporting argument, not a headline one, at least for this audience. Lead with the car, the craft, and the performance. Let the green credentials speak for themselves.

The Timeline: Nobody Is In a Hurry

The majority of respondents said they have no rush. They want it done right, even if it takes a while. A third are working on it in their spare time with no fixed deadline. Under 10%  of respondents had a hard target date: an event they want to bring it to. And the rest said: when it’s perfect, not a day before.

If you’re reading this as a builder or a kit supplier, take note. This audience is thinking and researching. They have time and want to trust the people they work with before they commit. That’s the #1 reason why fuel2electric exists.

www.fuel2electric.com