Want a compact electric truck on the cheap? How about stabbing an EV powertrain into an old 1980 Subaru Brat? Remember Brats? There are plenty of them still around, and converting them to electric power makes them far cheaper than a new Ford F-150 Lightning. Especially if you want a project, you can save even more by doing it yourself. Here’s how one shop run by two brothers did it.

Why start with a Subaru Brat?

The project started out as a wasted Texas truck sitting in the sun for too long. The two brothers of Flash Drive Motors saw it as an opportunity to convert the dry, rust-free pickup into a fun little EV hauler. The engine was junk, which was part of the reason it was chosen. No great loss with only 63 hp when new. 

But Flash Drive kept the transmission to mount the NetGain HyPer9 electric motor. This retains its four-wheel drive capabilities. It also makes the conversion much easier because it eliminated having to create an entirely new suspension. 

What kind of batteries does the Brat use?

The brothers’ shop deals in repairing and rebuilding Subaru boxer motors and all-wheel drive systems. So they’re plenty familiar with Subarus in general, and AWD in particular. Their website says that a Brat is only a Brat if it has AWD and the two jump seats in the bed they came with when new. 

First, they chose five Tesla Model S battery packs that fit neatly under the bed. That is one advantage any truck has over a sedan or SUV. There is plenty of rear estate under the bed for batteries once the gas tank is out. 

What kind of motor does the Brat have?

An Orion Battery Management System Model 2 controls the electric setup. Charging it is an ElCon 3.3 kW CCS unit. In all, the electric system is good for 100 miles of range. 

With the hood open, the NetGain electric motor looks like it was put there by Subaru. New motor mounts and an adapter plate to bolt the motor to the transaxle needed fabrication. Once the motor and batteries are in, it is just a matter of mounting the batteries and wiring them all up to the Orion controller.  

Where do you find a Subaru Brat for sale?

With the tall 4.09 gear ratio in the back, this is no high-speed truck. The brothers say they’ve had the Brat up to 88 mph, but seldom have an opportunity or need for that much speed. 

There are plenty of EV conversion kits available today. The same goes for wrecked EVs with useable batteries. But where can you find a Subaru Brat? At Bratforsale of course. The site offers up lots of Brats located throughout the U.S. for sale.

You can watch the conversion on YouTube

So you can pick the condition and even color with the number of trucks posted for sale. Or if something a little larger is what you’re after, the same conversion can be accomplished with an older Ford Ranger, Dodge Dakota, or Chevrolet S-10. 

Because of its condition, the Brat was virtually free. But its restoration added to the cost. The jumpseats were missing, which took time to find via sites like eBay and word-of-mouth. They chose to make it look new by adding the original graphics, and even the 4×4 mudflaps and original white 13-inch wheels. 

And just to make it a bit easier to pull off, Flash Drive has a series of YouTube videos that show each step in the process. So now you have a primer, and some inspiration, too.