Tyler Brooks

Auto mechanic since age 16 who converted his first gas car to electric in his parents' garage at 22 using salvaged Nissan Leaf batteries and YouTube tutorials. Now runs a shop in Portland that specializes in EV conversions — has done over 60 vehicles from classic VW Beetles to a 1972 Ford Bronco that got featured in Jalopnik. Writes about the EV transition from the perspective of someone who actually works on these cars with his hands, not a tech journalist who's never changed a tire. Covers the real costs of EV ownership, why right-to-repair is an existential issue, battery chemistry explained without a chemistry degree, and why the best EV might be the gas car you already own with a new drivetrain. Self-taught electrical engineer. Has grease under his fingernails in every photo because it's permanent at this point.