The front motor bay of the Sonett Electric holds 18 lithium battery cells on either side of the AC50 electric motor. The large aluminium plate helps cool the motor controller; a fan is mounted underneath.

The electric conversion of the 1969 Saab Sonett required a completely new 12-volt system and instrumentation that could accurately measure system parameters: cumulative amp-hour use, battery pack voltage, controller temperature, RPM captured by a magnetic sensor, and other new-to-the-automotive-world data. The original black fiberglass dashboard was retained, but re-purposed as illustrated below.

Reinventing the 1969 Saab Sonett as a 21st century electric car has a back-to-the-future feel to it. We created a special Owners Manual to accompany our new EV, a blend of the original manual and changes that reflect its state-of-the-art lithium battery pack, alternating current motor, and regenerative braking capability. The 64-page 9x7" paperback is available from Lulu.com.

Our electric conversion of the 1969 Saab Sonett retains the OEM transmission, but the new electric motor does not use a separate starter, so the ring gear around the circumference of the flywheel that originally meshed with the starter gear is now redundant. To save weight, we removed the ring gear.

In a gas-powered car, the tachometer typically uses the electric impulses from the distributor to measure engine speed in rotations per minute (RPM).  The digital replacement tachometer in the Sonett EV can be "spoofed" to display RPM by placing two opposing magnets on the outer edge of the flywheel. These magnets are read by an inductive proximity sensor that produces a small voltage spike when its head passes within a few millimeters of the magnet. With two magnets 180 degrees apart, the sensor will register two pulses per rotation. The digital tachometer can be programmed to properly display RPM based on this pulse pattern.

How do you tell the difference between ICE (internal combustion engine) and electric vehicles? Well, one sure distinction is a gas cap/filler tube versus an electric plug. Prior to conversion, the beautiful 1969 Saab Sonett sported a classic filler tube near the passenger side rear window.

We then retrofitted our custom Marinco plug billet aluminium plate over the hole in the fiberglass body after removing the original tube and holding rubber gasket. The attractive result retains the Sonett's vintage character, but with a distinctly 21st century touch. This plate is exclusively sold by our friends at EVTV.