The Relectric Car Team was a university electric car conversation club that I founded in 2019 at the University of Calgary and branched out to the University of Central Florida and Queens university. Our first conversion was lovingly called the E-Volvo:
Relectric’s 1966 Volvo P220, also called the Volvo Amazon Estate, is a beauty that is highly respected in the classic car community. Being Relectric’s first build, a lot of research and development has gone into the now “E-Volvo” before any physical alterations were made.
Keeping the Volvo’s classic, curvy lines was essential to this project. In the end, we want even the keenest motorhead to assume that the P220 still has its original inline-four beating heart! That is until they look inside!
While the car may be vintage, we planned on the driving experience being anything but. Inside the E-Volvo would be a large, digital touch display where many key functions can be accessed. Modern-day creature comforts such as navigation, rear cameras, sensors, and more can all be accessed and controlled from the E-Volvo’s centre console touch screen.
This is no small project. Luckily though at Relectric we had a dedicated team of UCalgary students working tirelessly on the business, mechanical, electrical, software, and geomatics teams. Relectric’s software team developed the car’s user interface through the use of Python and Raspberry Pi’s! The electrical and mechanical teams have all of the internal combustion components swapped for electric. Our geomatics team focussed on testing and designing the layout of sensors and cameras that will fill our beautiful station wagon.
The end goal of the E-Volvo was to stand as a symbol for what is possible. We believed that the blend between modern tech and a vintage aesthetic perfectly reflects what Relectric is all about. Acknowledging the past by improving it for the future. We hoped to show off the E-Volvo at car shows and events to promote both electric vehicles as a means to sustainability as well as the team itself!