The 2021 edition of the SEMA automotive aftermarket show was a refreshing sight to see.
Not only was it great for the show to be back in person in Las Vegas after being canceled last year due to the pandemic, but the event’s heavy focus on electric vehicles offered a look at a cleaner future for the automotive industry.
Green technology abounded in the “SEMA Electrified” area and throughout the display floor at the Las Vegas Convention Center. With several major carmakers announcing plans to invest heavily in electric or hybrid vehicles by 2025 (see inset), the $44.6 billion aftermarket parts industry has taken notice and is manufacturing an array of innovative products.
2025 goals
What automakers hope to accomplish with electric vehicles between now and 2025:
• Audi: Produce 30 different EV models
• BMW: Generate 15-25% of global sales from hybrid and electric vehicles
• Ford: Invest $29 billion in EVs globally
• Jaguar: Transition to 100% production of EVs
• GM: Produce 30 different EV models
• Hyundai: Produce 23 different EV models
• Toyota: Sell 5.5 million EVs annually
• Volkswagen: Market 1.5 million EVs across its brands
• Volvo: Sell 1 million hybrid or electric vehicles and generate 50% of global sales from those vehicles
Those manufacturers include carmakers themselves, such as Ford with its remarkable Eluminator engine. This so-called “crate” motor, which derives from the powertrain in one of Ford’s all-electric vehicles, is designed to replace the internal combustion engines in older cars and transform them into zero-emission cars.
At SEMA, Ford displayed the engine in its F-100 concept vehicle, a retrofitted version of a 1978 F-100 pickup. It was a vehicle a hot rodder could love, with the Eluminator powertrain giving it an impressive 480 horsepower. That’s about three times the power of the biggest standard engine offered on the original vehicle.
The Eluminator technology is affordable too, with a base cost of $3,900 minus retrofitting.
Other products included:
• Electric vehicle (EV) drive systems produced by Utah-based Hypercraft for boats, off-road vehicles and racing vehicles. The technology was displayed in a 1,600-horsepower desert race truck.
• A preview unit of the GMG Hummer EV, an electric version of the civilian version of the military vehicle that will debut in the 2022 model year.
• A 1957 Chevrolet Bel Air with its V-8 engine swapped out for a Chevrolet concept electric powertrain.
While many of the products at SEMA were designed for classic-car enthusiasts and niche buyers, one purpose of the show is to inspire innovations that can apply more broadly. Don’t be surprised if products soon become available to convert more and more types of vehicles to electric power and improve existing EVs and hybrids.
Combined with the growing number of electric vehicles rolling off of assembly lines, this bodes well for the future.
This year, the unwritten intent of SEMA’s focus on green vehicles was to combat skepticism of EV technology in an industry born and raised on fossil fuels. Comedian and car collector Jay Leno spoke to this point when he appeared at the event to tout the Eluminator engine.
“People are surprised that I like electric cars since I’m a car guy, but it’s just another phase of a hobby,” Leno told Forbes. “The old guys can kinda just stick with the traditional stuff. That’s the way it’s always been. But I think you need new blood. I see a whole lot of manufacturers coming out with electric things (like) accessories and drives that would not be here normally, and that’s a good thing.”
Leno likened SEMA’s embrace of EV technology to providing a “Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval” for car enthusiasts. That was an important message to the approximately 100,000 attendees.
The move toward green technology in the auto industry can’t occur quickly enough. Transportation is the biggest contributor to greenhouse gases in the U.S., according to the Environmental Protection Agency, with light-duty vehicles — passenger cars and trucks — contributed 58% of all emissions in the transportation sector. Globally, it’s estimated that transportation accounts for 15-20% of CO2 pollutants.
The urgency of the need to reduce these gases can be seen all around us — in the wildfires, droughts and storms that are disrupting food supplies, displacing populations, killing untold numbers of people and posing an escalating risk to global security.
The innovations displayed at SEMA were a breath of fresh air. We look forward to seeing more focus on EVs during SEMA 2022.