This Electric Mazda Miata Will Anger Purists

As a former ND owner, I genuinely can’t think of a reason why someone would convert a Miata for electric duty. However, someday, somewhere, someone will put the last drop of fuel into a car’s tank. Then what? Unless synthetic fuels gain traction, which at this moment seems highly unlikely, we’ll all drive EVs. British company Electrogenic thinks it’s many steps ahead by offering electric conversions for different types of cars.

This MX-5 joins the 911, Defender, E-Type, Delorean, Phantom, and even the humble 1993 Kia Pride on a list of old cars that have had their gas engines yanked off by Electrogenic. If you subsequently decide the EV setup isn’t as fun as the experience delivered by the naturally aspirated engine, the process is entirely reversible. The original body remains intact, without any drilling or cutting involved.

Let’s discuss the technical specifications. Electrogenic mentions that the weight penalty is limited to only 220 pounds (100 kilograms). This NA weighs about 2,425 pounds (1,100 kg), roughly as much as a Miata RF. The weight distribution remains unchanged, while the power-to-weight ratio increases by 21%.

Electrogenic put a 42-kWh battery pack in the former engine bay where the naturally aspirated inline-four 1.8-liter mill used to call home. Without hampering the already limited cargo capacity, there are also batteries installed at the back, where you’d typically find the fuel tank. Electrogenic says it 3D scanned a first-gen Miata to maximize packaging to develop a plug-and-play setup that would fit perfectly.

The electric motor produces 160 horsepower and 229 pound-feet (310 Newton meters) of torque, sent to the rear wheels via a single-speed transmission. Some of Electrogenic’s projects have involved retaining the manual gearbox, but that’s sadly not the case here. The ICE-to-EV conversion can be done to both manual and automatic NAs.

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Electrogenic

This first-gen Miata takes about six seconds to hit 60 mph (96 km/h), which isn’t half bad. It tops out at only 115 mph (185 km/h), but top speed has never been the MX-5’s strong point nor a selling point. The range is quoted at over 150 miles (241 kilometers), with a full charge taking about an hour. If you want to squeeze more range, there’s an Eco mode, but why would you use that in a Miata? The dedicated Sport mode makes more sense as it maximizes performance and improves throttle response.

While everything looks good on paper, the Miata has never been about numbers. The NA comes from a time when sports cars were all about a deep mechanical involvement and a raw experience. Heck, even today’s ND hasn’t lost the MX-5 mojo. Taking the high-revving engine and the stick shift out of the equation for an electric restomod kills the appeal. ICE to EV conversions do make sense in plenty of cars, but not in a Miata.

Should the day come when we’ll all be forced to drive electric vehicles, keeping the MX-5 alive by turning it into an EV will be a logical step to make. However, today is not that day.