> There’s complications, of course. The federal government is fine with you selling combustion-powered kit cars as long as they have no engine or transmission. That’s easy for me because motorcycle engines almost always have gearboxes attached to them—both can be installed as a single unit. It’s hard for me because, as far as I can tell, the federal government has never defined what portion of an EV’s drivetrain has to be left out for it to be considered a kit. If you’re wondering why there are basically no electric kit cars, well, that’s probably a big part of it.
> Could you sell an EV with an electric motor and a battery, but no inverter? How about just a battery? That has seemingly never been spelled out. I have sent the NHTSA a letter requesting it clarifies this. I’ve also joined SEMA to get more legal advice on this front.
I wonder what the specific wording of the regulation is and if it even would cover EVs.