The 1990s Honda Civic hatchback is one of those cars where you either had one, knew someone who had one, or wanted one. Cheap to own and endlessly modifiable, the Civic EG hatch was a favorite among tuners.
I remember high school classmates rolling up in Civics with neon underglow, painted interior bits, and the ever-present “fart can” exhaust. This was an era of questionable taste and boundless creativity. Keep in mind, this was only a few years after the original Fast and the Furious movie came out.
Fast forward to 2024, and the Civic is still a staple in the tuning world, but the game has changed. At the 2024 SEMA Show in Las Vegas, the Toyo Tires Treadpass area featured a remarkable build that represents just how far this 30+ year-old platform can be pushed. Enter RyWire Motorsports’ fully electric 1993 Honda Civic EG hatchback, which combines JDM style with cutting-edge EV tech.
The car was built by Ryan Basseri of RyWire Motorsports of Santa Ana, California. Basseri is no stranger to high-end vehicle builds and custom wiring. He previously did a full EV conversion on a Honda S2000, which is documented on the RyWire YouTube channel. But this Civic? It’s next-level.
Gone is the original gas-powered Honda engine, replaced with a Tesla-sourced electric powertrain. He salvaged a Tesla motor, inverter, and charge controller and adapted them to fit the EG chassis.
Under the hood, the exceptionally clean installation shows off Basseri’s attention to detail. The electric motor delivers an estimated 300 horsepower, which is triple the car’s original 90 horsepower. In the trunk is a 16 kWh battery pack, which was salvaged from a Chrysler Pacifica hybrid. The pack runs through an AEM battery management system and offers roughly 70 miles of range, which is more than enough for short trips around the neighborhood or silently rolling up to the local cars and coffee.
And yes, it even has air conditioning! A stock Tesla compressor has been adapted to work in this setup, ensuring the essential passenger comfort of cooled air on a Southern California day.
Braking has also received a high-tech overhaul. The factory vacuum-assisted system has been swapped for a Bosch iBooster unit from a Honda CR-V, complete with a custom reservoir. The fully electric iBooster provides consistent and reliable brake pressure, which is essential when dealing with instant torque.
Inside, the car is just as impressive. Instead of the rattle-can-painted dash, the RyWire EG features Recaro DC2 JDM Type-R front seats, with the rear seat reupholstered to match in black suede with red stitching. The cockpit is rounded out with a fully digital AEM dash and a Spoon steering wheel.
The stance is proper, sitting on custom Nitron springs and a set of 15-inch Volk Racing TE37 wheels in dark silver. These one-piece forged wheels are a favorite among JDM enthusiasts and lend a timeless motorsport look to the modernized hatch.
The RyWire Civic wasn’t alone at SEMA this year. Sharing the spotlight was a second Civic in the CSF Radiators booth. That car was a red 1999 EK hatch with a dual-motor, all-wheel-drive swap and a larger 85 kWh battery pack built into a custom-fabricated floor. But while that car was technically more impressive, the 1993 EG in the Toyo Tires pavilion was the one that caught my eye for its super clean setup.
This build is more than just a show car, it is pushing the boundaries of the Honda tuning scene into the EV era. While many see electric conversions as soulless, RyWire has shown that with craftsmanship, creativity, and respect for the platform, even the humble Civic hatch can be reborn as something truly electrifying.
For more, follow @rywire_motorsport on Instagram.
