Who needs one of those newfangled Teslas when you can get this electric Beetle? It has the classic look and is a lot cheaper! I’m not a big electric car fan, but I could get behind this one. I’ve seen a few of these conversions driving around and it does seem like a good use for a late seventies bug. This one is handsome and should make a fun and economical driver for someone. I’ll let the seller, Chris D, tell it in his words though. Keep reading to learn more about this high-voltage Volkswagen:
image: http://barnfinds.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/Plug-Er-In-630x394.jpgThis car started out as a rust-free California car and then I installed an electric conversion kit purchased from e-volks. It’s kit #3, which means it’s 120 volt. Power is supplied by 10 deep cycle marine batteries, with another battery to power the accessories. There are two on-board chargers – one for the main pack and one for the accessory battery. The main charger is programmable, but I’ve never tried doing anything with it. The other charger is just a standard trickle charger. Both charge from the same plug, so you just plug it in to a regular household outlet and it’ll charge all the batteries overnight.
After I did the conversion, I had the car painted in a two-tone scheme that matches the convertible top, which was also new from the previous owner. I then put in a matching two-tone interior with new carpet.
The car feels quicker than it did with a gas engine up until about 40mph. No shifting is needed – you can start out in second gear and that will take it up to 40 or so. Top speed is probably around 60, but it really runs out of power by 50. I would not call it highway capable, but it’s great around town where it has no problem keeping up with traffic. I try to only drain the batteries down to 50% or less to keep them in top shape and that gives you around 25 miles of range. The current batteries have only about 100 miles on them, so I’m still being careful to use them gently until they’re broken in. The original pack died prematurely, probably because I ran them down to zero charge multiple times.
I’ve driven the Beetle around 7,000 miles with absolutely no issues. Keep in mind that I, a liberal arts major, built this myself in my garage so it’s not a professionally designed and engineered conversion. For instance, if you floor it for too long you can draw so many amps that a battery cable bracket might melt. I don’t know what to do about that, but I’ve never tried to figure it out because it’s rarely an issue for me.
That being said, it works great and it’s really fun to drive. Everyone from college kids to old homeless guys love this car! I’d like to sell this to an electric-car enthusiast who will understand its quirks and love it like I have. I’m only selling it because I spent the last year working out of State, and will be leaving again this fall. I dont want the Beetle to just sit in my garage. I realize there’s a million questions buyers might have, so feel free. I want whomever buys this to be fully aware of everything about it.
If you’re interested you can contact Chris here via email. The car is located in Boulder, Colorado and he would like to get $5,000. He has spent a lot more than that to build this car, so it might be a bargain for someone considering a similar conversion.
Thanks for listing your VW us Chris! We hope it goes to a good home where someone will keep it… charged up! If any of you have an unique classic that you would like to sell, please think about getting it featured here on Barn Finds!
Source: barnfinds.com
