An electric vehicle startup is taking cast off Tesla vehicles and turning them into something very different.
Wisconsin-based Hoffman EV, which started out doing electric conversions of rare autos like DeLorean DMC-12, is in the process of perfecting the Hoffman Badger Recycled Model 3 Off-roady Minivan. It's a new vehicle created from a new chassis, structure and body but using recycled hardware and software from a Tesla Model 3 or Model Y.
The unibody is removed from car and replaced with a modular assembly that can form a pickup, small bus, family van, off roader, cargo van, event cart, EMT van, safari car, farm truck, movie filming car and landscaper van, according to the company.
It's built to be taken off-road and it supports a total payload of 1,000 pounds along with a towing capacity of 3,500 pounds. The company didn't provide an exact range for the battery electric vehicle but it did say it could be higher than the typical range for a Tesla Model 3 or Model Y since it's significantly lighter.
Hoffman now has its first street-legal version of the Badger, and it said the remainder of 2026 will be spent correcting and improving.
"This is primarily aerodynamics to lessen wind noise and improve highway range," the company said on its website. Next year, it will begin making a production prototype with several improvements before opening up reservations and production.
Hoffman said pricing will be finalized early 2027. It's still up in the air since the vehicle is entirely aluminum, a material subject to a lot of market fluctuations.
The company said the target price for the chassis only is $10,000; the chassis and van body kit is $40,000; and the build is $10,000. So if the donor car costs $20,000, customers can expect the total cost of an off-roady minivan to be about $70,000 before taxes.
