Jason Momoa Ditches Massive 7.7-Liter Engine To Turn His Rolls-Royce Into an EV

The Hollywood star converted his 1929 Rolls-Royce Phantom II into an EV. Gone is the gigantic 7.7-liter. of his 1929 Rolls-Royce Phantom II. A 201-horsepower motor puts the vintage luxury car in motion instead.

Being a petrolhead and an environmentalist just don't go hand in hand. And Jason Momoa has made his choice. He handed over his almost one-century-old Rolls-Royce to Electrogenic. And they took on what they call the most ambitious and complex EV conversion ever undertaken.

It is, though, entirely reversible, so Jason Momoa can switch back to the original massive 7.7-liter pushrod-OHV straight-six, mated to a four-speed non-synchromesh manual transmission, transferring 40/50 horsepower (not a typo, but the actual measurement) to the rear wheels. That was enough for a top speed of "well over 80 mph," according to the carmaker.

It took 18 months and thousands of man-hours to perform the conversion on the car belonging to the Aquaman star. The vehicle still wears the original coachwork by HJ Mulliner & Co. Jason Momoa supervised every single step of the conversion.

Now, an electric motor, mounted between the chassis rails and linked to a custom single-speed direct drive transmission, generates 201 horsepower (204 horsepower) and 229 pound-feet (310 Newton meters) of torque, steered toward a fixed reduction gear, which in turn provides 738 pound-feet (1,000 Newton meters) to the prop shaft.

A 93-kWh battery pack, placed under the hand-riveted aluminum cowling, stores enough energy to allow the Rolls-Royce to drive as far as 150 miles before it needs to be plugged in again. Electrogenic claims that this is the powertrain that Charles Rolls and Sir Henry Royce would have chosen for their cars if the technology had been available to them. Well, we beg to differ.

However, Jason Momoa claims that his partnership with the conversion firm was the perfect fit, as they managed to keep the vehicle's character unaltered while performing a "heart" transplant on it. The company also had to rework the braking system and, with all the mechanical mods and updated software, the interior also needed a makeover.

Electrogenic did not touch the leather and wood trim but turned the amp meter into a power gauge that shows the rate-of-ower draw under acceleration, while the oil temperature gauge became a charger temperature. Furthermore, the water temperature gauge has been turned into a dial that shows the temperature of the electric motor.

Momoa will be able to choose one of the driving modes available: Drive, Eco, and Sport. A high-end multi-speaker HiFi system with an integrated subwoofer and Bluetooth connectivity found room on board.

Both Jason Momoa and his electric Rolls-Royce will star in the documentary series "On The Roam," which is available to watch on HBO Max and Discovery+. The documentary follows the actor as he travels the world to see extraordinary places and unique individuals.

The Game of Thrones star is obviously a classic car enthusiast. He also owns a Bentley Blower, which is reportedly a replica of the iconic car from the 1950s. The actor has a gazillion motorcycles, though, and also a pink Cadillac from 1955 that he lovingly calls Bernadette.