Army soldier’s Phenix City business transforms Tesla motors into classic cars. See inside

Eston Smith experienced a turning point in his journey of finding purpose about three months ago.

Smith has one year left before his U.S. Army contract finishes. He is a lieutenant atFort Benning, where he is scheduled to be promoted to captain in May. He is working as a robotics liaison at the Maneuver Innovation Lab, a job which fills him with a sense of purpose. On the side, he is developing his own company, Rovium, based in Phenix City. He takes classic cars and converts them into electric vehicles (EVs).

“The aspect I love the most about serving is a sense of purpose,” Smith said. “My biggest fear getting out of the Army, and working for the defense industry or some desk job as an engineer is that I know for a fact that I would lack that purpose, and I wouldn’t be happy.”

He said his epiphany happened in the most unlikely of places. It was a nice, sunny day in the middle of winter, and he parked his converted Chevy 1951 electric prototype in a Lowe’s parking lot, running in to get a few last-minute materials. When he came back out to his car, a crowd formed around his truck.

“There must have been a crowd of like 20 or 30 people from all different walks of life, all different social statuses,” Smith said. “I was blown away that they all just had a smile on their face, and it’s because of a cool classic vehicle with all the fun curves, features and everything.”

Smith bought his first vintage truck, a 1951 Chevy for $5,000, in 2023 while living in Washington state. He always knew that he wanted to refurbish the truck, using his knowledge from his degree in mechanical engineering but didn’t want to go the usual route of putting in a modern engine.

“People would put modern V8s in these trucks, and it’s cool, but it’s essentially a really expensive LEGO kit,” Smith said. “There’s no innovation involved. You buy all the parts online, and assemble it based on an instruction manual. I wanted to do something new that I’ve never seen anyone do before.”

After doing research, he decided he wanted to make his truck electric. Smith said he worked closely with an owner of an electric vehicles parts company, Michael Bream of EV West, to bring his vision to life.

“I’ve had an appetite for innovation since I was a kid,” Smith said. “It’s just cool to put things together in ways that other people haven’t before.”

Rovium technology

Rovium cars start from scratch with most elements of the vehicles being fabricated and fitted by Smith himself.

Smith exclusively uses Tesla Model S motors in Rovium vehicles, ranging from a small motor with 264 horsepower and their large drive unit with 495 horsepower. Smith says with these motors he’s able to communicate with them using an iPad to adjust their power. Although Tesla is in a contentious place in United States politics, Smith says he’s not worried about having access to their technology.

“In terms of Tesla’s recent stage on the political scene, I’m not worried that Tesla is going to go out of business,” Smith said. “That’s effectively the only way I wouldn’t get the motors. They are actually salvaged out of wrecked Teslas.”

Smith also custom makes the frame, or chassis, for Rovium vehicles. His vision for Rovium is to transition making production-style vehicles, which is a mass-production of similarly structured vehicles for everyday use.

“I’m able to have my entireframe and then make it up with all brand new parts to where I’m not restoring vehicles,” Smith said. “I’m making new vehicles that look like they’re 1950s trucks..”

Production-style vehicles can be very expensive to make, though. Smith said he invested an additional $10,000 to build the custom frame and front suspension of his vehicle.

Smith also has a growing YouTube channel, documenting transformation of his next vehicle, a Chevy 3100 truck, into an electric vehicle. He said the channel is a way to educate others about how to do the same conversions he has.

“Everything I learned about building and making things has been from a lot of open-source stuff like YouTube and good mentors along the way,” Smith said. “My moral compass tells me to pay it forward, and part of that is sharing YouTube videos so that others can learn.”

Environmental impact

Making these vintage vehicles was a strategic choice for Smith — not only because these engines can produce fast cars but also because of the environmental impact. Smith’s view is pragmatic.

“Any fuel that is not renewable is going to run out at some point, regardless of anyone’s political opinion. That fact remains true,” Smith said. “The question becomes, ‘How long will it take for it to run out?’”

Smith said electric vehicles are the efficient answer. He explained that natural energy sources like solar and wind are the most efficient ways to generate electricity. So electric vehicles are the simple answer, he said.

“The most constant energy source on Earth is the Sun,” Smith said. “The easiest way to use that energy to get around is to go directly from the Sun to a solar panel to a vehicle.”

And Smith is happy with his truck, sayingelectric vehicles are “a lot of fun.”

“The only overlap that doesn’t exist is that EVs don’t make the grumble noise, and a lot of people love it, which I understand. I love it too,” Smith said. “But, small sacrifices. I’m able to drive the truck of my dreams while also saving money on transportation and maintenance while also not putting carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. It’s a win-win.”

Rovium’s future

Smith hopes to continue building his business into a full-time venture. After he is finished with his Chevy 3100 project, he hopes to convert a 1970s Porsche.

Smith is expanding his business to include custom conversions. Orders can be made through the Rovium EV website. Conversions can cost from a low of $58,726 for a vehicle with 295Hp and 100Mi to a high of $76,894 for a vehicle with 495Hp and 280Mi of range.

This story was originally published April 8, 2025 at 5:00 AM.