Movie star Ben Affleck was recently spotted driving his son through Los Angeles traffic in a “new” all-electric Ford Bronco. His early Bronco, however, had an interesting conversion from gasoline to all-electric drive. While most of us love the old-style Bronco, with its boxy bodies and round headlights, we know they’re far from efficient. Most of these old Broncos were built before emissions laws came into play, so they have thirsty engines.
Vintage Broncos like Affleck’s are prime targets for conversion to all-electric power by the specialized Gateway Bronco converter.
Gateway Bronco made the conversion of Ben Affleck’s electric Ford Bronco
bronco door Owner Seth Burgett told MotorBiscuit that the Bronco Affleck was seen driving in Los Angeles is, in fact, from his shop. Gateway recently delivered it to Savannah Georgia. A Bronco is a great classic SUV to convert to an EV because it’s tough so you can add several heavy batteries to it without ruining your drive, and it’s lightweight so it’ll be efficient. Affleck’s truck, he said, uses a single Danfoss engine.
Gateway Bronco sells a $265,000 electric bronco just like Ben Affleck’s that you can buy. Gateway calls its conversion LUXE-GT and says the truck has a 300-mile range, a 0-60 mph time of 4.0 seconds, and modern features like Apple CarPlay and heated seats. Interestingly, the Gateway allows you to continue experiencing classic driving by pairing its engine with a five-speed manual transmission. It even has four-wheel drive.
Gateway maintains the vintage look of the old Bronco
Gateway Bronco owner Seth Burgett told MotorBiscuit: “We focused solely on first-generation Broncos. We build 50 to 75 units a year.”
Most electric vehicles have a single speed transmission. However, Burgett said that the manual transmission in its electric conversion Broncos replaces the torque reduction device that is common in most electric vehicles. Electric motors generate 100% of their torque at 0 RPM, so you need a shock absorber as a lowering device to keep from tearing all the rubber off your tires at every stop light. Gateway also keeps the traditional four-wheel drive system, but combines it with a special Atlas transfer case.
For Affleck’s Bronco, the company also added a custom all-electric folding convertible top.
How much does a restored Bronco cost?
Gateway will also sell you a gas-powered Bronco with all the bells and whistles. The company has three resto-mod Broncos models, and each has a 5.0-liter Ford engine. The $150,000 Fuelie edition has Bilstein shocks and a special exhaust. The Coyote offers the 5.0-liter Ford Coyote engine with a tuned active exhaust and 3.5-inch Bilstein shocks. The gas-powered LUXE-GT costs $300,000, however, it has a Roush supercharger mounted to a 5.0-liter Coyote engine. Each one has custom paint, custom leather, and the tech you need. Although expensive, each one is made to order at the Gateway store.