As we head into 2025, we’re excited to bring even more vintage Broncos back to life. Our EV program is up and running and production of our gas-powered Heritage and Trail Edition Broncos is firing on all cylinders. This is set to be our biggest year yet, and since our lineup has expanded over the last year, we decided to catch up with some Kindred team members to iron out the details and answer some of your most burning questions about the Bronco program.

Read on to learn what makes each Kindred Bronco model special, how to choose which one is right for you, what goes into an EV resto-mod, when to expect limited edition models, and more.

If we didn’t answer your question here, drop us a line and we’d be happy to chop it up with you.

"What are the Kindred Bronco models currently offered?"

Answered by: Joe Fernandez, Director of Design

We currently have three Bronco models: the EV Bronco and our two gas-powered models, the Heritage and Trail Editions.

The bones of each model are very similar — they all start as Broncos made initially between 1966 and 1975. However, each has its own personality, style, and use case.

The gas-powered Broncos are equipped with the same engine, a powerful 460hp Coyote V8 that holds its own both on and off the road. Our EV utilizes a Dual Motor AWD drivetrain that puts down 402hp and 492 lb/ft of torque. No matter which Kindred Bronco you buy, you’ve got the power and capability you need, whether you’re cruising downtown on a Sunday morning or heading off-road for a bit of fun.

When it comes to aesthetics, our Heritage and EV Broncos offer classic styling that the original Broncos were known for, while the Trail Edition Bronco takes on a more rugged, modern look thanks to black accents, off-road-ready bumpers, winch, and tire carrier.

All in all, each Bronco gets the “Kindred Treatment,” integrating modern conveniences while maintaining the classic aesthetic of 60s and 70s Broncos, so whatever your preference or style, we’ll have a Bronco suited for you.

"Can Kindred turn my vintage car into an EV as a one-off?"

Answered by: Seth Friesen, Director of Research & Development

We currently do not plan to offer EV swaps for customer’s cars. This is for a few reasons but it all comes down to cost, performance, and reliability.

Each model that we produce as an EV is the product of significant investment of time and resources — thousands of hours of research, development, and engineering — that can’t simply be applied to any model. Between the engineering that goes into creating each system for each model — from suspension and steering to the drivetrain itself — the hours of testing time that we have spent on every car is quite significant. It wouldn't really make sense for us to put that kind of time and effort into just one car. Our production model allows us to produce vintage EV models at a much higher quality, over and over, with increasing efficiency (which helps bring down cost to our customers).

If someone brought in their old MG and wanted it turned electric, you could just kind of slap something into it, but the resulting EV wouldn't have the refinement, the performance, and reliability that we're striving for here at Kindred.

"What’s the difference between a Kindred EV Bronco and a standard EV swap?"

Answered by: Seth Friesen, Director of Research & Development

We've carefully engineered our EV systems to work optimally for the Bronco for superior performance, reliability and predictability as compared to a standard EV-swapped vintage model.

Our team has spent thousands of hours integrating our EV drivetrain into the Bronco, addressing each system and every detail in the process. Everything from weight distribution, to tuning of our suspension and dual motor drivetrain has been developed for this particular model — unlike a standard EV swap that is usually more of a one-size-fits-all approach.

Our approach translates into better overall performance, yes, but since we need to be able to replicate the process over and over, our design and process ensures quality with each EV Bronco that goes through production at Kindred.

When someone is doing a one-off EV swap, there are a lot of safety features that you don't get when the goal is to just make it drive the right way. I mean, just putting a ton of horsepower in a car doesn't make it good. It can actually make it quite unpredictable and can make it really unpleasant to drive. So there's a sweet spot of usable performance. That’s really what we're trying to engineer into the cars: usable performance and predictability.

"In terms of driving characteristics and experience, what are the differences between Kindred’s gas and EV Bronco models?"

Answered by: Skyler Brand, Technical Manager

I can’t say that one is better than the other, but I can explain some of the nuance between the two driving experiences.

Driving the gas Bronco, you get a vehicle that has a lot of ground clearance and you notice that the center of gravity is a little bit higher. The feel is very taut and more like a traditional old school SUV or truck driving experience. The gas Bronco’s solid front axle and heavy duty suspension are excellent for tackling larger bumps and steeper grades, which is ideal for off-road driving.

The gas Bronco driving experience, with its five liter V8, 10-speed automatic transmission is also quite visceral. You get a really lovely noise from the engine, and having the 10-speed means you hear the vehicle shift gears a bit. The exhaust note is also wonderful.

The EV Bronco is a totally different experience because it's a single speed. You don't shift gears as you apply the throttle, the power builds effortlessly from the beginning, and it's a very linear feel. So you can control the vehicle speed very precisely with the throttle.

In the EV Bronco, you have a vehicle that's better suited for the road, and by that, I mean your ride is a little bit softer, more plush, it's a bit quieter, and the steering is a little bit more direct. With the rack and pinion, you kind of have a better sense of the road and how the road feels. It corners a little bit better. You have really good road handling characteristics, a little bit smoother, a little bit quieter for everyday driving use.

"How is Kindred prepared to produce both gas and EV Broncos?"

Answered by: John McGinn, Director of Production

As we ramp up production of our second model — the EV Bronco — we’ve set ourselves up with a head start by building upon learnings from setting up production for our gas Broncos while leveraging our existing production team, resources, and experience.

Each of our Broncos, whether it's an EV or gas, begins its life as a donor frame. The fab shop is where the differentiation begins. We have a separate process for our restoration of the frame that will be an EV versus one that'll be a gas vehicle.

From there, it will proceed forward into either the EV or gas assembly area. The reason for the separate assembly areas is because these are different assemblies, different powertrains, and different requirements for tooling, and personnel in each area.

Once the builds are done, the post-production checklists are essentially the same. We're checking for the same quality items. We're checking for the same level of performance. The vehicle gets driven approximately 150 miles before it's given a final check off to send to the customer, and we make sure that that vehicle is what we say it's going to be — a high-quality, drivable, enjoyable experience.

In the end, the processes are similar enough that we can build just as many EV Broncos as we can gas Broncos with the same quality, while reducing our production ramp for our second model.

"How often is Kindred going to launch limited edition models?"

Answered by: Joe Fernandez, Director of Design

While our limited edition program is still in its early stages, we can say with some certainty: in the short term, we won’t exceed more than a few limited edition releases per year.

We launched our first limited edition Bronco with Black ICE — an all-black rendition of our Trail Edition Bronco — late in 2024 as our first exclusive run of a Kindred model. Black ICE was an opportunity for our Design and Production teams to flex their creative muscles and build a Bronco that we’ve been wanting to see since we set out to modernize this classic model.

Going forward, our approach to a limited edition series will be a slow build. Our priority is to preserve the continuity and quality we’ve achieved through a standardized production model. However, when we find a concept that we just can’t resist, we’ll find a way to work a limited run into our production calendar.

So when our team does rally behind a design concept for a limited edition model, you’ll know it’s something special.

Want to know more? Give us a shout. We’re always down to talk shop.