Two friends found a Tennessee barn full of EVs and had to master volts to save them
Published on Jun 06, 2025 at 8:17 PM (UTC+4)
by Amelia Jean Hershman-Jones
Last updated on Jun 06, 2025 at 9:23 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Emma Matthews
A duo of electric car enthusiasts and content creators discovered a large Tennessee barn-find collection of rare ’90s and early ’00s EVs.
Visiting a friend’s property, they found Rav4 EVs, electric S10s, vans, and other unique EVs with plans to salvage and restore them hidden inside.
While it was an epic find, many of the vehicles needed serious battery work.
But was the restoration project even going to be possible?
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EV fans, Kyle and Alex from Out of Spec Renew, went through some of their friend Bonnie’s old EV collection in a Tennessee barn to see what they could get up and running, as well as what they would need to make them work.
The team performed preventative maintenance on Bonnie’s Tesla P100D to avoid coolant leaks in the large drive unit.
Next up, they examined a dual-motor electric golf cart converted to lithium-iron phosphate batteries. But they encountered communication faults on one motor controller.

The team also investigated a Ford Transit Connect EV with battery and heater problems, and tried charging to revive it.
They noted rare and nostalgic cars, such as a Dodge Epic Van, and discussed their top-tier preservation.
Using OBD2 tools, they found and cleared battery diagnostic trouble codes. However, they were faced with critical faults like interlock errors blocking startup.
Many cars had been repowered with salvaged cells, and the team acknowledged restoration would be a multi-year effort due to battery and system issues.
The project was extensive and is ongoing. As such, the team encouraged viewers who might be interested in the vehicles, especially Rav4 EVs, to get in touch.
Want more car nostalgia? All the rarest supercars of the ’90s had one thing in common that made them an elite super group of amazing and innovative cars.
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All Supercar Blondie contributors undergo editorial review and fact-checking to ensure accuracy and authority in automotive journalism. After gaining her BA Hons in French and English at the University of Nottingham, Amelia embarked on a vocational diploma from the National Council for the Training of Journalists (NCTJ). This led to numerous opportunities, from interning at Vogue to being on the small team that launched Women’s Health magazine in the UK, which was named the PPA Consumer magazine of the year for three years running. As Health, Beauty and Fitness editor, Amelia personally received a Johnson & Johnson Award and was shortlisted for both PPA and BSME titles. Since then, Amelia has created content for numerous titles and brands, including the Telegraph, 111 Skin, Waitrose, Red magazine, Stylist, and Elle, as well as being Head of Content at Vitality and Editor in Chief at INLondon magazine. “My superpower is translating technical jargon about the mechanical workings of a supercar into a relatable story you’ll want to share with your friends after you’ve read it.” After joining the SB Media family as a senior journalist in September of 2023, Amelia’s role has evolved to see her heading up the SEO output of the editorial team. From researching the most ‘Google-able’ key terms to producing evergreen content - it’s been a time of hard work, growth, and success for the editorial team and the Supercar Blondie website. “I like to think of myself as a ‘method journalist’. In other words: I live and breathe whatever I am writing about. When writing about fitness, I trained as a personal trainer, and as a beauty editor, I completed an ‘expert’ in scent diploma with the Fragrance Foundation. “During my tenure at Supercar Blondie, however, I did something I never thought possible: I passed my driving test at the age of 36. One day I’d love to train as a mechanic to better understand what happens under the hood, too. “My sweet spot is providing readers with a ‘takeaway’ (read: something new they didn’t know before) after reading every one of my stories. While I don’t claim to be an expert in the automotive world, I know the experts and bodies in the field to rely on to provide our readers with an informative and thought-provoking story every time they visit the site.”