Transport Secretary Mark Harper has called on drivers to tell the Government about new laws that should be introduced to help the classic vehicle industry.
A call for evidence was launched earlier this week and asked classic car owners to express their opinions on a range of topics designed to modernise the industry.
As part of the proposals, the Government argued that registering classic vehicles, like James Bond's Aston Martin DB5, after it has been retrofitted with an electric motor could be easier than ever.
Electrifying vehicles with an electric motor is slowly becoming one of the most popular ways of modernising older vehicles, especially as more drivers become environmentally conscious.
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Mark Harper said great work was being done to support the classic car industry
DEPARTMENT FOR TRANSPORT
While the practice remains expensive, drivers can retrofit their vintage cars with electric motors, with several bespoke fitting companies launching across the UK in recent years.
Transport Secretary Mark Harper was in attendance at the Bicester Heritage organisation and praised a number of “fantastic” companies who were moving the dial for the sector.
Harper was even given the opportunity to drive around the historic track while witnessing companies that fix electric powertrains on classic cars.
Speaking to GB News, he said: “Some of the rules at the moment get in the way of people being able to do that [convert their classics into EVs].
“If people want to retrofit their classic cars, which a lot of people do, we want to make sure they can do that more easily, more consistently and the rules make sense.
“That is one of the things that we want people to tell us and the companies here that are involved in that business are absolutely going to tell us what to think.”
Estimates can differ on how much a conversion can cost, it can cost as little as £5,000 or as much as £100,000 for larger projects.
With the conversions, they can also avoid a number of expensive running costs, including repairs, fuel and wear and tear.
The call for evidence outlines how classic cars being converted from internal combustion engines to electric propulsion require the engine and transmission to be removed and modifications to accommodate an electric motor and battery pack.
This would normally require the chassis or monocoque bodyshell (or frame for motorcycles) to be drilled or welded, potentially causing issues.
When such processes are undertaken, the vehicles are required to be re-registered with a "Q" registration number, which is seen as controversial by some in the classic car sector.
As part of the call for evidence, interested industry members are asked whether changes should be made to allow for separate policies to be launched to deal with people converting their vehicles to electric.
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A growing amount of drivers are looking to electrify their classic cars
GETTYThe Transport Secretary also highlighted how the Government was working hard to meet goals set out in the Plan for Drivers, specifically the rollout of new electric vehicle charging stations.
According to the latest data from Zapmap, there are more than 61,000 devices around the UK, with 1,642 new EV chargers added to the database in the last month.
