“Even though we’ve made it electric - it’s really important for us to keep the character of the classic car intact,” says Richard ‘Moggy’ Morgan, the mechanic behind hit TV show Vintage Voltage.

The programme, which returned this week for its second series, follows Moggy and his team of electric car experts as they convert and restore classic cars into electric power.

Filmed at Electric Classic Cars in Newtown, Vintage Voltage shows the process of equipping well-known classic automobiles with 21st century power and technology. With some of the cars more than 50 years old, there are plenty of obstacles for the team to overcome, not least trying to keep the looks and appeal of the original - a challenge Moggy is keenly aware of.

“After we’ve worked on a car, when you sit in it and drive it - it still needs to feel like a classic car,” he explains. “No touchscreen displays on the dashboard or anything flashy like that - you want the beautiful chrome dials with the bezels.

“In some cars we even keep the gearbox so you can still change gear, but we’ve just replaced the engine with an electric one.”

Moggy has a 15-strong team in his workshop, comprising of office staff, mechanics, fabricators and electric vehicle technicians. In each episode of the brand new series, the team oversees the dramatic transformation of a classic car, from the last petrol-powered rev to the first key turn of the high-tech, electric motor.

The car owners want more power, more performance but with less cost to their pocket and to the planet - so the solution is electric. 

“We will subtly slip in the 21st century technology to address some of the aspects of owning and driving a classic car,” says Moggy. “These aspects can often take away from the enjoyment of owning a classic car.

“Reliability for example. Imagine trying to start an MG Midget, which I’m driving around at the moment, on a winter’s morning, it can be a nightmare.

“By installing an electric drivetrain we take away these issues - but never to the detriment of the character of the car because it will still feel like a classic car. Importantly, it will drive smoother, make a little bit less noice and smell a bit less too! You’ll end up with a classic car that starts every time and is even more enjoyable than in was before.”

Classic cars are in Moggy’s DNA. He has owned, restored and raced various classics since the age of 17. He also comes for a rallying background, having competed in the British Historic Rallying Championship for over seven years. But working in the energy efficiency industry for the past 20 years, helping some of the world’s largest organisations reduce their carbon emissions, his ambition is to now make classic cars more reliable and more ecological to drive than ever.

Moggy is a self-proclaimed ‘ex petrolhead’, having made the switch to electric six years ago.

He was both mechanic and driver as he spent his weekends with his mates building, tuning and racing rally cars .

He explains: “My background is race engines, rallying and basically making cars go faster.

“I realised how many thousands of man-hours you put into building an engine, and then how many hundreds of hours you spend throughout the gear just keeping it alive. Oil changes, filter changes, tune ups, changing the belt - there’s so much maintenance to keep classic or high performance car engines alive and running correctly. Even then you’ll be driving along and hear a rattling sound or vibration - which is stressful.

“One of the reasons I went to electric was essentially because I drove an electric car, a Tesla, for the first time in Belgium many year ago. I put my foot down and couldn’t believe that this big executive saloon car was quicker that most 911s I’d driven.

“I quickly realised that these things have better acceleration than any petrol car. They have instant torque and at the same time there’s no gear changes to worry about.

“To any petrolheads who are into V8s and fast cars - drive an electric and you will be blown away by the performance.”

The new season of Vintage Voltage features classic cars including a Porsche 911, DeLorean, Mini, Land Rover and VW Camper Van. Every project is unique, so the team will face tricky restoration problems and complex design and engineering challenges while having to deliver a stunning motor, on budget, for the client.

“There are challenges in every single build we do,” explains Moggy. ““If you take the Mini for instance, the challenge there was with packaging. Where on earth are you going to fit a motor, let alone batteries, on such a tiny car?

“Then there’s the Delorean, an iconic car, but with a pretty poor engine and drivetrain. We were able to address that problem by installing a modern drivetrain.

“Engineers love challenges. Engineers love to moan about problems but where would we be without problems to fix? The team have come up with brilliantly innovative solution to problems we’ve faced.”

When asked about his personal favourite car from the series, Moggy opted for the Porsche 911, which is the focus of the first episode.

“We had the opportunity to almost recreate the iconic 1973 Porsche 911 RS - which for me was one of the first supercars,” he says.

“To have the opportunity to recreate it and essentially improve on aspects, was a big responsibly but a privilege at the same time.

“How can you improve on perfection? Well the weight of a 911 is on the back so let’s balance the weight distribution with some batteries in the front, which willimprove the handling. The 2.7 litre engine is a beautiful engine, but not powerful by modern standards, so let’s put a Tesla motor in to bump the power margin up.

“Every car that we’ve built in season two has its own story - all 10 of them are very special cars with a personal attachment.”

Electric vehicles enjoyed a record year of sales in 2021. According to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), carmakers sold 190,000 battery electric cars across the UK last year, accounting for 11.6per cent of total sales.

Despite yet more disruption to global supply chains, sales has risen from 108,000 in 2020, when battery-powered cars accounted for just 6.6per cent of new cars bought in in the country.

Moggy believes that the tide has turned and more people are now considering electric when buying a new car.

He says: “In any industry there’s always skepticism and doubt over a new technology that comes in.

“With electric vehicles you had the early adopters who took the plunge and realised it makes sense. They realised that electric vehicles require very little maintenance and cost less to run - the cost of electricity against petrol and diesel is huge.

“The average man on the street than began to notice that more people were buying electric and loving it.

“The reservations they had, either from reading half an article, or from the bloke down the pub who thought he was an expert, were beginning to go away. Because they were talking to people who actually owned an electric car. It’s then a domino effect.

In 2020, as part of the country’s green transport future and net-zero goal, the UK government announced plans to ban the sale of new petrol and diesel cars by 2030, albeit with some hybrid cars given a stay of execution until 2035.

“Importantly, the big car manufacturers are producing electric cars,” says Moggy. “A few years ago there was this quirky company called Tesla making them”

“Now the Vauxhalls, Fords and Hondas of the world are all making electric cars. This makes people feel more confident about purchasing electric and they’re more likely to go for a test drive from a manufacturer that they are more familiar with.

“People are realising that this isn’t the government pushing electric cars on people - this is actually better technology.”

The new season of Vintage Voltage premiered on Quest on Thursday, January 27 and is available to stream on discovery+