Letter from the Editor Tim Cachelin

Scroll through the headlines or your social feed, and there’s no shortage of EV noise: slowdowns, shifting policies, and big companies pulling back. But if you’ve been reading EV Builder’s Guide, you know that’s not the whole picture.

Yes, the major players, especially stateside, are recalibrating. But in garages and workshops everywhere, the work hasn’t stopped. People are still figuring out drivetrains, fixing software issues, and making battery setups safer.

That’s exactly what those at Dynam Labs did with the BOLT VCU. Instead of waiting for a plug-and-play controller that was easy to configure and could handle modern EV drivetrains in custom builds, they made one. It’s clean, flexible, and gives builders the kind of control we’ve been waiting for.

None of them began with a factory or a full team. They just saw a need and started building.

AmpREVOLT took a similar path with its modular battery boxes for Tesla modules. It recognized the promise of repurposed packs and the risks and built a system that makes the process safer, more modular, and way easier to use.

Then there are companies like Fellten and QubEV that are thinking beyond the car. Their QubEV charging units repurpose EV batteries into mobile power systems for fleet charging, job sites, and backup storage with no major infrastructure needed.

And let’s not forget Ampere EV. Not everyone wants to engineer a swap from scratch, and Ampere gets that. Its pre-engineered systems, complete with support and documentation, take out the guesswork and open up EV conversions to a whole new audience.

Even the biggest EV names like Tesla, Rimac, and Lucid started small. Tesla’s first Roadster was pieced together in a shared shop. Mate Rimac converted his old BMW in a garage after blowing the gas engine. Lucid got its start assembling battery packs in a rented warehouse long before it became a luxury brand.

None of them began with a factory or a full team. They just saw a need and started building.

I believe that spirit is still alive in this community. Whether you’re in your garage after hours or running a small shop, you’re doing the same thing—solving real problems and helping make EVs more accessible for the next wave of builders.

We’re proud to keep telling your stories.

Got feedback, a cool build, or a question that has been bugging you? I’d love to hear it. Reach out any time:  tcachelin@engaged.media.