Volkswagen Will Now Convert Classic Beetles To Electric Power

[mahatmakanejeeves]

Volkswagen Will Now Convert Classic Beetles To Electric Power Which Is Maybe Even Better Than A New EV Beetle

Jason Torchinsky
Today 12:05pm

I knew that even though Volkswagen ended Beetle (including Beetle-dressed Golfs) production in July, they wouldn’t ever really be able to not build some sort of Beetle, and I think this announcement proves that to be correct. VW is partnering with German EV conversion company eClassics to do conversions of classic, air-cooled Beetles into EVs with modern electric drivetrains. The first one they’re showing is a 1973 Super Beetle convertible, and it looks fantastic.

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The really interesting part about all of this is how they’re doing the conversions. Unlike other vintage Beetle (and Bus, and Porsche 356, etc.) conversions we’ve seen before from companies like Zelectric that use an electric motor mated to the car’s existing transaxle and batteries placed in existing luggage areas, the VW/eClassic conversion is using the drivetrain from VW’s e-Up! city car.

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[dweller]

1. this has been going on for awhile by individual enthusiasts ...

there's a few in my town, you see them coming down the street and as they approach you expect to hear that classic vw motor .. and it glides by like coasting ... uphill 😳
i've had classic aircooled vws for years, currently a 77 poptop camper,
and if could convert i would ... aircooled parts
are becoming rarer than snake legs and hen's teeth

glad to see vw doing this, will probably sell bigly

✌🏼

[flotsam]

2. Who will be the first

to buy one, chop it down, and drop on the fiberglass body for an EV dune Buggy?

[dweller]

3. cheaper to just convert the original dune buggy

the new model won't be cheap, per article

✌🏼

[flotsam]

4. Money is not the thing...

This model has an entirely new driveline doing away with the old transaxle to the point that the old engine compartment is used as a second trunk...You could feasibly chop the routine 10-14 inches out of the chassis, making it a 2 seater with the related turning abilities of the originals. Further though with the new driveline even more weight and inches (and most importantly weight) could be removed at the rear. Even with no "performance modifications" you would have 80 Bhp which is double that of the first buggies. And I wonder what a good designer/fabricator could do for a fresh buggy body reimagined with much less rear overhang to protect the now non-existent IC motor? I just hope it happens and would love to see the outcome. And oh yeah-depending on location some batteries might be displaced while chopping the chassis-but buggies traditionally have no trunk but did carry the fuel tank in the front trunk-and there many, perhaps even extra, batteries could reside. Now if I hit the mega-millions lottery I would have the first one.

[JohnnyRingo]

5. VW already has

They call their concept the ID Buggy, and is declared "feasible for production". VW will never release this as a production car as it can not pass crash tests in any country, but the platform will be used on coming electric cars and the body can be sold separately, as in the '60s

https://jalopnik.com/vws-electric-dune-buggy-finally-made-it-to-the-beach-1837308653

[flotsam]

6. Thank you!

I hadn't seen that and it's something special if they will sell just the platform. I still think it could lose a couple inches of wheelbase and to me that was the essence of a buggy-you chopped the wheelbase and extended the pittman to shorten steering input. Like I said-if I hit the lottery we could sort this out...