t started more than a decade ago with the economy taking a hit many of us hadn’t experienced in our lifetime. Then came the long “climb” back and we were most assuredly on the right track. Then three years ago we were smacked upside the head once again; dare I say none of us has experienced—a pandemic, inflation of staggering proportions, and a myriad of other social and political miscues.

Yet as I look around it appears to me that our industry is doing well … ask SEMA, look to Detroit, or better yet check in with your local rod shop. All are telling stories of skyrocketing business but dampened with stories of labor shortages and escalating prices. Yet the overall assumption is that for all the “issues” we are experiencing a positive outlook.

So, what’s on the horizon with regard to new builds? Well, there will be plenty of what we know and enjoy but the nature of hot rodding is to explore and expand; there’s something electrifying happening right now. Over the past five years or more, electric-powered hot rods began showing up. My first experience with seeing one was about 25 years ago at the dry lakes here in SoCal. Driving around the pits, I believe it was an electric Model A roadster. You couldn’t hear it come up behind you, which proved to be the point. It was a novel idea but one rodders weren’t taking seriously … at that time.

If you don’t think EVs are here to stay, think again. If you don’t agree with my statement look at Detroit (then worldwide). Still don’t believe? Have you attended the SEMA show within the past two years? Are you going to attend this year? There will be a section dedicated to the electrification of today’s hot rod that will stagger the imagination. Still not convinced? Well, you don’t have to be. But it’s coming first to our daily life and then it will be showing up in our future projects. Well, maybe the future has arrived.

Still, for the diehard hot rodder there will be decades to come where the roar of a big-block or the scream of a high-winding small-block will be plentiful. You and I may resist what’s happening, but it is still happening. That’s a fact. You and I don’t have to like it or even participate but plenty will and therein lies the future.

In my home state of California, Senate Bill 301, co-sponsored by SEMA, is geared to offer up to $2,000 toward converting your gasoline (or diesel) fueled car (classic or hot rod) to a Zero-Emission Aftermarket Conversion Project (ZACP). I have a working knowledge of what it takes to make such a conversion and I am here to tell you that the $2,000 won’t even begin to cover much of the conversion. The $2,000 most likely will barely cover the technical training, which is required before you can purchase Chevrolet Performance’s latest offering. The program is called the “Chevrolet Performance Authorized ESVM” (electric specialty vehicle modifier) and you need to pass the technical training before continuing. Well, you or your installer.

Chevrolet Performance is pioneering the eCrate Connect & Cruise concept. For those who have shown a past interest you may remember the eCOPO and the e10 that later morphed into the K5 Blazer-E. The first-ever Chevrolet Performance Ultium eCrate package is said to be available by mid 2023. So, as you read this editorial, it will be just around the proverbial corner. It should also be mentioned that the package will be available in limited quantities and only sold through Chevrolet Performance–approved installers.

It will take a stout car or truck to effectively house one of these packages as the battery pack itself weighs in at 947 pounds. Compare an all-iron blown Chrysler Hemi that probably comes in at 800-plus pounds to one of these packages that will most likely top 1,000 pounds. The eCrate is best suited for an oversized hot rod like a ’50s or ’60s station wagon or a wide range of classic pickups.

So, while most of us will stick with our favorite V-8, remember there is change out there for the brave of heart and wallet who want to give it a go.