NFL Vet Jason Kelce Enlists High Schoolers to EV-Swap his Chevy K10

Retired Philadelphia Eagles center Jason Kelce has owned his square-body ’86 Chevy K10 for a few years now, and admits that the engine’s been giving him problems. After talking with his brother Travis, Jason decided on a creative solution—an EV swap orchestrated by Operation Breakthrough, a not-for-profit organization helping communities in Kansas City since 1971. “They are giving these kids from under-resourced communities a chance to learn real-world skills like welding, engineering, you name it,” said Kelce. And, after seeing how Operation Breakthrough transformed a 1969 Chevelle into an EV, Kelce was excited to see what they could do with his truck.

There’s ample evidence that Kelce’s K10 has already been engine swapped at least once, as there are clips of a big-block Chevy being pulled from the engine bay, an engine that was not offered in a Chevy half-ton 4×4 in 1986. In its place, students and staff at Operation Breakthrough will add battery packs from a Tesla Model 3 and supply electric power to both axles, although we’ll have to wait to see how they package the motor/motors.

Operation Breakthrough students Lola Hoyt and Emmanuel Gonzales, both high school seniors, presented Kelce with plans for the truck’s EV conversion. Options included a mild build that offers a Tesla Model S powertrain and a 200-mile range, and an all-out, show-stopping version that would add range and completely revamp the interior. It didn’t look like it took much convincing to get Kelce on board for the more ambitious project.

We’ll be checking back with Kelce’s YouTube channel to see the rig’s transformation, and are looking forward to seeing how the powertrain is packaged into the 4×4.