A completely electric old Beetle? This is now possible thanks to a special kit sold at an affordable price and easy to install yourself. This is compatible with all models produced between 1960 and 1970.
Who does not know the Beetle, frankly? Colossal success of Volkswagen, with more than 21 million copies sold worldwide between 1938 and 2003, the “Cox” is a powerful cultural and industrial symbol. Now, the Chinese site Alibaba offers for purchase a DIY conversion kit for the car to run it with an electric motor. All for $2000.
Converting the Cox to electric: why?
Even if the Volkswagen group has embarked on the electric adventure with models like the ID.Buzz or the ID.4, for the moment, the idea of reviving the mythical Beetle is not relevant. Current consumer expectations are clearly directed elsewhere.
Electric retrofitting is the act of converting an old car so that it can run on an electric motor. It’s pretty common, and there are even companies that specialize in it. The advantage lies above all in simplifying engine maintenance and reducing the overall cost of running the car. This can be heard in the case, for example, of a Porsche Carrera 911 3.2, which was equipped with a flat 6-cylinder engine. A car that consumes a lot of fuel, is expensive to maintain and pollutes.
In the case of the Beetle, one can ask questions as to the interest of such a conversion. The kit builder certainly chose it for its ease of access to the engine block allowing for easier work. Especially since, as you will see, this kit will not transform your Cox into a racing car.
The specifics of the conversion kit
As written above, the kit is not compatible with all models and can only be adapted to those of the 60-70 decade. What exactly does this kit include? A small electrical block that develops… 15 kW of power at most. That’s a little more than 20 horsepower. When you know that the cars of the time were equipped with 4 cylinders for around 40 horsepower, it is difficult to imagine the performance of the Beetle divided by 2.
The engine, on the other hand, is a real featherweight, since it weighs around 48 kilos. Even if the characteristics of the engine torque are not known, one can imagine that it will be higher than that of the thermals of the time. A sufficient argument to buy it? To have. An important thing to note is that the kit is sold without batteries, so it will be up to you to find the suitable equipment.
At first glance, this kit looks rather attractive. An electric retrofit is often extremely expensive for homeowners, and purchasing one may be a viable alternative for some. It will still be necessary to be a little handyman and connoisseur so that the car can be fully driven. Caution should still be exercised when purchasing components from unofficial, non-manufacturer approved suppliers.
Sources: Electrek
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