Electric VW Beetle - Bolt-in kit

In this episode we run through our bolt-in electric conversion kit for the VW Beetle. Whether it's an early oval with swingaxle rear suspension or a late 1303s with McPherson struts at the front and IRS at the back we have a way of converting that old Volkswagen Beetle to electric.
On the IRS models we use a Tesla small rear drive unit, whereas on the swingaxle versions we use a Netgain Hyper 9 motor.

[@Crewsy]

The Beetle is a perfect choice for an EV conversion. Having a bolt in system is amazing.

[@boyracer3477]

I think it would be cool in an original Fiat 500 or even an original Mini also.

[@krusher74]

As many people drive them to car shows in the summer 150 miles isnt going to get you to many and if you are parked in the show you armt going to be charging for the return journey

[@robertwolf9380]

Ferdinand Porsche would have loved this, he had a passion for electric tanks and vehicles so this would be a very sympathetic evolution .

[@ElectricClassicCars]

Yep. The first car he built was electric. 😁👍

[@jaehaerys48]

@@wadewilson6628 Electric motors are mechanically far more simple than combustion engines.

[@usertakenagain]

@@wadewilson6628 but an ice has way more moving parts… definitely opposite of … simple. The tank failed because of the weight causing crossing issues and logistic issues, but having the advantage of being quite and getting into enemy territory quietly. I don’t think weight would be an issue with a Beetle, considering the battery is small. The body is light.

[@santanu1097]

The VK 45.01(P) Porsche Tiger

[@ShinyUmbreon765]

​@@wadewilson6628 the bldc motors used are dead simple: two bearings and a single gear reduction if more torque is needed. How many bearings alone does an internal combustion engine have? The controls and wiring are dead simple, no relay logic here.

[@petercowburn-iu7ri]

Passed my driving test on a triumph toledo, and my first car was an ex police panda Morris 1000, which I had to change the whole car from positive earth to negative earth to install a new car radio.

[@HotMike]

My brother was given a '68 VW Beetle at 18 and amazingly still has it. He's, now, 60. His first car.

[@JENNANDJUDD]

So he was like 4 years old when they gave it

[@decodownunder]

Bought my first car 1969 beetle when I was 16 and still have her, I’m 44 now 😊

[@spudproductions7606]

Cool 👍😀

[@ElectricClassicCars]

Good lad. 😁👍

[@peterduxbury927]

They seem to become 'part of the family', and I know what you mean!

[@scottbaxendale323]

Have you electrified it yet?

[@Alf536]

44 😂 not 69 😁😂😎

[@peteowens3033]

Great seeing the electric car conversion for such a classic. My first car was a 1965 Mustang convertible but my parents, brother and later myself all had VW Beetles. Father had a 1967, my brother had a 1967 also and I had a 1969 a few years later as a second car. From 1970 to 1974 my parents also had a 1970 VW camper at the same time as their 1967 Beetle. Both were red so they got personalized license plates for them. The Beetle's plate read, "RED BUG" and the camper's was "BED BUG". They were pretty cute parked next to each other in our carport.

[@FreemonSandlewould]

No it's not. You take a nice beetle with range and turn it into a golf cart that will barely take you 18 holes and back? It's a crime.

[@peteowens3033]

@@FreemonSandlewould , So you have owned an electric beetle?

[@zmonster721]

My very first car was a 1972 Chevelle, bought it in 1986 when I was 17. I’m 54 now and still have it!

[@marycherotich1495]

At 17???... bro??!!

[@mrdragoonproductionpteltd.7946]

Back then life was simpler and easier​@@marycherotich1495

[@stevenpettifer3452]

Hello from Canada. My first vehicle was a 1972 GMC pickup truck. Still have the old girl, lots of work been done to her. Was looking into going electric. Just need to win the lottery.

[@brentmickey9774]

I still have my 1960 beetle since I was 14 and am now 52. This kit interests me, very much.

[@ElectricClassicCars]

Wow, I think you win. 😁👍

[@DanTheManIOM]

@@ElectricClassicCars I have my second beetle, 79 convertible, bought when I was 18, almost 42 years of ownership.

[@Hotroddunn21]

I want one! My 73 thing would be so happy with that conversion

[@laserdork4757]

Wow, what a well designed system! Please hurry with the DIY version!

[@ElectricClassicCars]

It's coming. 👍

[@lam-dung4855]

​@@ElectricClassicCars xe này có bán về Việt Nam không?

[@conradcoetzee9]

Datsun tripple S ;-) love your content- based in south africa, we are so far behind the curve on tech this side of the world....

[@stevenclarke5606]

I have watched most of your videos and the one thing that really stands out for me is the absolute attention to detail.

[@spudproductions7606]

Thanks 👍😀

[@markcracknell3765]

My first car was a 1968 Beetle. Wish I still had it as I now work for a company that produces classic car interiors, Beetles included!!!!!!!

[@bradleyyounger8499]

What is the range capacity

[@johnnyquid-xj4kk]

Dude, that’s pretty amazing you kept your car, that’s OG stuff. My 1st car was a 76 mustang, cobra. Made me cry more than once. That’s a sweet ride right there.

[@rolf-joachimschroder917]

my first car was also a 1968 VW Beetle, actually belonged to my mother, was lowered with four stabilizers and belted tires, but only 40 hp, yes, that saved my life

[@ElectricClassicCars]

Love a lowered '68 Bug. 😎👌

[@joeg3950]

My first car: 1969 Fiat Spyder. Nice looking small convertible. I bought it for $250 USD at 16 and proceeded to waste most of my hard-earned income until 18. We did a frame off restoration with a crash course in Italian automotive vocabulary. No matter what carburetor we installed on that small engine, it never ran correctly. For me, I’d love to have an electric conversion of that car, speeding around the mountains in Montana during the summer. Thank you for your video. I visit your website once a month to see what’s happening at ECC. Maybe a classic conversion is in my future!

[@spudproductions7606]

Once a month???????? You need to make that once a week 👍👍👍😀😀😀😂😂😂

[@brybish]

Good to know old cars don't die they EVolve.

[@vwkaferman]

49 here, still have my ‘74 that I got when I was 17. Have had it for 32 years now. Needs restored.

[@timjohnson67]

Thank you, very well presented and full of fascinating info about one of my favourite cars. I learned to drive and passed my test in a Beetle. Soon after that I bought my first car, brand new, in 1967 - a Fiat 500F for £417. That is still my all time favourite and I hid FIAMM air horns behind the front bumper! Most excellent!!

[@spudproductions7606]

Thanks. Like the air horns. 👍😀

[@jenBaker707]

my first car was a 72 super beetle, blue with a white stripe on the door. loved that car... got rear ended and put the motor in the back seat.. had a few more over the years, beetles and busses

[@johnt.848]

VW Beetle has that special place for me, one of my first vehicles and like you restored, modified many

[@dwainedhotmandevilliers2128]

First car was a beetle paid £50 and completely restored it, started with removing the rusted body off the chassis and restored the chassis gearbox and Engine before sourcing a rust free body and bolted that to the now pristine chassis! Body worked the “new” shell and resprayed the entire car myself, new wiring and interior a big job for 16/17 year old but boy did I learn a thing or two! Now in my fifties and never forgotten my first car

[@spudproductions7606]

Good one 👍😀

[@carlmoll3345]

Look forward to hearing about conversions here in Sydney Australia. Well done. Carl

[@mahtin]

I still own (46+ years later) my 1958 BSA B33 500cc single motorcycle I grabbed in my last year at university. It’s traveled with me from the UK to California USA.

[@spudproductions7606]

That’s a cool one. 😎😎😎👍👍👍

[@ElectricClassicCars]

Fantastic. I'll have to ask my Dad if he knows that bike as he had BSAs back in the day. 👍

[@curranhouse]

Still got my beetle is got when I was 16.. 2 years till I'm 50 😂❤❤

[@ElectricClassicCars]

Cool. Keep it. 👍👍👍

[@eamo234]

My first car was a Nissan Micra van. It drove me all over the country to gigs and it was wildly abused. No desire whatsoever to drive one again, but I really would love to convert an Alfa 156. To this day it's one of my favourite car designs.

[@brucecole5175]

Thanks for the run through on your EV conversion. Answering your poll question: First car, bought as a 16 year old know-nothing was a 1965 180 hp Corvair with a blown engine. I replaced that with a junk yard 110 hp unit (I think). Ran that until it blew up, then got a '67 type 1 with a bus engine, finding out the push rod tube seals in a VW held up much better than the Chevrolet counterpart. That said, if I were to EV convert a vehicle I would choose a second gen Corvair. Nothing compares to one's first love.

[@jonzweiacher498]

My first car was a 69 vw beetle. That car has traveled with me from state to state for 24 years now.

[@d1v1s1onby0]

I'm in Australia and sat here patiently waiting (and saving) for a self-install kit for my 1976 bay window camper, so you know - hurry up lol

[@Easyazcarcleaning]

I had a Beetle for my first car. My Mum bought it brand new in 1974. She gave it to me when I was 15 and I've owned it until just a few months ago... When I gave it to my daughter for her 21st birthday 🙂❤️

[@spudproductions7606]

Nice story 😎😎👍👍

[@tomjacobs3710]

1st car 1970 bug, 1959 ghia, 1964 steel sunroof bug, 1975 bug, 1971 Westfilia, 1971 911 Targa, 1964 Crew cab, and since 1995 currently owned 1963 sunroof bug. Love them.

[@logodedalo]

Thank you, for the video. In Brazil it was produced untill 1986, and then again between 1993-1996 (curiously known as "Itamar", after the president Itamar Franco). Greetings from Brazil.

[@ts1string]

My first car was a 65 Beetle. I drove it many places in the woods where 4x4's feared to tread! On one occasion a wheel came off while I was driving on the free way - it did give some warning , however , so I was almost stopped when it dropped. ( had to use one lug- bolt from each of the other wheels to drive to home!)

[@boyracer3477]

The little guys were bullet proof and with a copy of The Idiots Guide anyone could do anything from an oil change to a complete rebuild. I somehow slept through the years and when I got up, the price for an unrusted bug had risen from $500 to $12,000. Bummer.

[@terryflint7557]

The first car I bought was a 1960 Beetle and it cost me $600 at the time. As I recall that was in 1970. I drove it from Boulder, CO USA to Provo, UT USA during the winter of 1971 up through Wyoming. The roads were icy and there was a lot of snow. I actually slid off the freeway at one point and fortunately just got into soft snow. A couple of people stopped to help push me out of the snow and back onto the freeway and off I went. I was only able to go about 35 mph due to head wind but I did make it to my destination unharmed. That was also my first “make out” car. I ended up giving the car to my girlfriend about a month later because I had to go into the Army. She didn’t have it long because my dad went out there and reposed it from her. Then, during my leave before going to Vietnam I traded it in for a Pontiac. So that’s the story of the first car I purchased which just happened to be a 1960 VW Beetle.

[@david_sanchez]

My first car was a 1963 VW Beetle. I got it when I was 17. I am close to 50 now and I still have that car.

[@ElectricClassicCars]

Wow. Same as me. Congrats. 😁👍

[@MrKim-kv2vv]

Sweet! My first car was a 1965 Chevy impala tank. However, in 1987 I bought a 1968 Beetle while stationed in Japan off an Air Force member for $500. I shipped it to US when I transferred and enjoyed it for a few more years then sold it for $1800. 🙋🏼

[@harrycopeland8322]

Probably the best car for electric conversion. The engines were never the most reliable on long trips, but great for urban driving.

[@GalenlevyPhoto]

My mom had a ‘69 Beetle, baby blue color. I was a lil kid at the time. I do remember riding to school.

[@ElectricClassicCars]

Cool mom😎👍

[@darlenegeorgeboyd8493]

I owned a 1963 Beetle in 1971 when stationed in Furth Germany. Loved that car. So good in the snow and mud. Wonderful gas mileage. Don't remember the number now, but we were limited to the number of liters we could buy per month. Had a book of coupons to buy gas. Fun car and beautiful country.

I had my Beetle when I was 19 and I still own it. I’m 50 now. It’s a 1971 1302s model.

[@arpinchock]

First car was a '76 Firebird, last of the 2 headlight ones until the '82 pop-up headlight models. Then I had a '72 Triumph Spitfire and a '80 Porsche 924. The Spitfire was the one I loved and lived with the most... in fact I am restoring another one right now!

[@ElectricClassicCars]

I bet the 924 was the best handling? 😁👍

[@arpinchock]

@@ElectricClassicCars Yep. I had it tuned and tweaked and could keep up with more powerful sports cars in "spirited" driving... once we hit a straight though the 2 Liter Audi engine just couldn`t keep up...

[@lordryck]

Fantastic! I'm about 10 years older than you and my first car was a 1964 Beetle that I bought for $100 in 1977. I too loved that car but where I lived in Maine they salted the roads heavily in winter and the car was a rust bucket. You could see the road going by underneath. I had no access to welding equipment so I riveted and bolted patches on to patches to keep from falling through. I used to keep an ice scraper handy to scrape the INSIDE of the windshield and oh lord did I have to dress warmly. That "hot air" heater didn't do much at -20F/-29C. That said, that car could plow through any snow and I even took it off roading a few times. Sadly, it finally broke apart and got turned into tuna cans or something. Videos like this make me crave a restored electric one but for now my Ford Ranger conversion is far more practical. Keep up the good work!

[@jckelley10]

My wife and I have been talking about Beetle conversions as a very cool project. Great video!

[@gizmobowen]

My mom had a 67 bug that I learned to drive on. Then I went over to England for a couple years and drove a 76 BMW 320i. Then after coming back, I bough my 66 bug and drove it from Washington State down to Southern California. Put in a brand new motor and transaxle and then ran out of money. Drove it back to Washington State and took it to college. Was at the bottom of a snowy hill and was sitting still and ended up getting hit by three cars in a row. Pulled the rear fender out, kicked out the big dent in the door and kept driving it for a while. Sold it to a person who really just wanted the motor and cashed the three insurance checks and basically broke even. Will always have VWs in my veins and love that people are bringing them into the present with electrification. Hope you put in brighter lights than the 6 volt ones my car had. Put a 12 volt system in with the new motor because the original lights were like driving with two Zippo lighters stuck out in front of the car.

[@sarkybugger5009]

Lovely paint job on that car. My first _gallon_ of petrol cost me 40p. I could fill my bike's tank for a quid.

[@robeigner4390]

My first car was given to me by my Dad in 1973-74 (3rd year in college). It was a 1964 Chevy II Nova, 194cu inline 6, single barrel Rochester. Back then regular gasoline as ~94 octane and I got it up over 90 mph following a faster car back up to college. Three on the tree, converted to a Hurst shifter on the floor. Bench seats front and back. Seatbelts added after my Dad bought it. Finally sold it after I got married when we converted to a station wagon with an automatic. I wish I still had it because it had tons of room and felt good on the road. It'd be a perfect conversion car with tons of room under the hood and plenty in the trunk (rear boot). I imagine it would need a lot of frame conversion along with brakes. If I remember correctly, the rear used leaf springs (could be wrong). The car I really wanted was a late 60's Austin Healey, the incline 6cyl, triple carb version. Back then I could have gotten one for $3-4K but now they're going for around $60-$90K restored. As for your installation kits, I really like them and can't wait for the DIY kits although even then they would be too expensive. I really want the EV industry to put some money into EV conversion kits for older American cars and trucks along with select Japanese cars and truck (mainly the early 2010's Tacoma). The older American cars and trucks had classic lines while the earlier Japanese cars were smaller than the big pigs they are now. My 2013 double cab Tacoma is almost a mini-truck in todays truck market but it's the perfect size. Pull the underpowered 6cyl engine, transmission and transfer case plus differential and drop in two Tesla motors with plenty of batteries under the bed and it would be perfect.

[@spudproductions7606]

Have you watched this episode? kzbin.info/www/bejne/kKe0nYtonqaLoZY

[@ElectricClassicCars]

I wish I was given a '60s Chevy Nova back then. But then again I probably wouldn't have been able to afford the fuel. 😆😎👍

[@robeigner4390]

@@ElectricClassicCars I watched again today. I pumped gas in college (early '70s) when gas was right around 50-cents/gallon. We were just starting to do self-serve so most of the time I was pumping gas, cleaning windshields, checking oil--something that's almost never done anymore. Converting that car would have been very easy. It had a ton of room in the front even with the engine in there. I'd put in two motors (front and back) and would have plenty of room for batteries. It handled six passengers just fine. I'd end up having to totally replace all the suspension and brakes but it would be a great car, just like it was back in the 70's and early 80's.

[@michaelbirkmire6565]

Can't wait to watch an install video on these new components!!

[@5400bowen]

My first car was a '65 beetle. Never left me stranded. It came to me from my new sister in law in 1972. She had entered it in the "Herbie the Love Bug" contest Walt Disney held to pick the car used in the movie. She had photos of her driving it through Disneyland in Anaheim in the parade Disney held for all the contestants who could/would come to it. I had nothing but air cooled VWs for the first 40 years I drove, worked at a machine shop that had specialized in them for 30 years. I rebuilt a couple dozen engines, did everything except the insides of the transmissions. Including paint, upholstery, glass, electrical, you name it, I did it! Almost everything stock.

[@FlipFlopPilot]

Love your channel, my first car was also a 68 bug. Wish I could say I still had it. I’m just a few years old than you.

[@spudproductions7606]

Thanks 👍😀

[@NewBookz]

My first car was a 1955 Studebaker Champion flathead six, 2 door standard, 2 tone white top and yellow body. My family drove Studes and Edsels.

[@ElectricClassicCars]

What a cool car to have as a first. 😁👍

[@maccthusaucyurchin2013]

My first car is a 1973 Super Beetle; I say "is" because I don't yet have my license, but my dad and I are fixing it up and hopefully it'll be ready to drive by the time I am too! Just started putting in new headliner the other day, it's such a cool project and I intend to keep it as long as I can!

[@ElectricClassicCars]

That is awesome!

[@1eljugo]

My suggestion is: Don't EVER get rid of it! Try as hard as you can to always keep it. You won't regret it.

[@mikegreen2229]

I’m 42, and I’ve had my 1958 since 2001 (my second car). Keep it as long as possible!

[@lesfenner]

My first car was a Austen A40 Summerset, which I restored when I was 16 (1961). I lived in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe (then Rhodesia).

[@lmfarms4611]

Thank you for a well thought out unit, my first Beetle was a 66, engine was modified to a 1600 with two Weber's.

[@steveyountz9184]

In 1972 I bought a 1971 Super Beetle and drove it until 1992. At the end it was a Flintstone car and it really deserved much better than it got from me. It took me all over Texas and then to North Carolina, and then out to Idaho and Montana, and finally back to South Carolina. The first engine was good for 200k on the odometer but that was in the first 10 years. Really would love to get another beetle and electrify it. Great video and I look forward to more.

[@nrrajedsolutions]

awesome conversion kit. I still have my ' 74 I haven't driven it in about 3 years and am totally hyped on the thought of a vw bug KITTT!!!

[@leifabelpedersen4457]

Nice, my first car when I turned 18y in ‘92 was a VW 1303 from ‘72. When I was a kid my parrents had a VW K70L

[@markwellington1254]

First car was a 1964 VW Beetle and I loved every bit of it! Seems I had a flair for getting it up on two wheels every so often. For real tight parking spots I would get the rear end into the spot and go up front to pick it up and scoot it over into place!

[@kevsgonefishing]

My first car was a 62 bug so low it would take out the road dots..... LOVED that car. I also had a 65 bug after that one.

[@TheOffroader7458]

Time to talk about cost ?

[@goingoutotheparty1]

Cost of the following 500K miles ?.. Not much to fuel or maintain

[@Wil-nh5kz]

​@goingoutotheparty1 Recharging is getting more expensive. Also, is it realistic to cost such a conversion over 500,000 miles? How many miles does the average Beetle do nowadays (not many daily drivers around) and what about battery degradation and improvements in EV technology that render what is being installed here obsolete?

[@Szmanzer]

When they don't mention the price I don't bother asking.

[@billydonnelly7378]

$18,000

[@erikziak1249]

My first car was a Skoda 1000 MB, 1966. I still have it. It is currently in a process of a long restoration. I would love to have it converted to electric drive, but there are no kits and it would be super expensive. I currently drive a 2020 VW e-up. The power and range of it are absolutely OK for my daily uses. My dream is to have the Skoda 1000 MB with the same traction accumulator and engine as the e-up has. The traction accumulator has no active temperature management, making a conversion easier. I would put some of the modules over the front axle, where the original tank is as well as the spare wheel and tools. The rest of the modules could go behind the back seats. I would probably upgrade the brakes to disc brakes in the front (from a slightly newer model), and also replace the rear axle to the type that we see on the beetle in this video, even if that would mean cutting into the chassis. The spare wheel would move to the rear engine compartment. the original radiator for the water cooling might be utilized for the cooling of the engine and inverter. Charging port would be most likely "hidden" behind the grill on the rear right wing, which would be modified to open on hinges instead of being fixed. No need to have power steering or power brakes, especially since most of the braking would be with the electric motor. I rarely use the mechanical brakes on my e-up, mostly just to bring the car to a complete stop.

[@Dogsnark]

My first car was a used 1966 Karmen Ghia. Loved it, but it was fairly high maintenance. I saw an electric conversion of a Ghia on KZbin some time ago. That would be a great fun car!

[@ElectricClassicCars]

Yep, we've done a few Karmann Ghia's now. Lovely cars. 😎👍

[@onegreenev]

@@ElectricClassicCars My first conversion back in 2009 was a 64 Ghia with a 9" GE Series Motor and 96 volts with lead acid golf cart batteries before we had access to affordable lithium. Range sucked but loved that it was electric.

[@harriettanthony7352]

All VWs were high maintenance cars. One writer said they were worse that R/R

[@HermannKerr]

I took my drivers test in a VW. I acquired an VW '57 with a sun roof in '77 for cheap ($50) and used it when I as doing a teachers training. Had to hold in the third gear on the climb over Vancouver Island. It got pulled off the road due to rust and sold for $50. I kept it alive with "VW Repair for the Complete Idiot". I think that was what the book was called.. With these electrification kits now available I have casually been trying to source one. Interestingly the vans seem to be easier to find then the bugs. The old buds have become collector items. Thanks, I really enjoyed your video.

[@MrSteve280]

Only $50?! What a sucker. I got a whole $75 for my '73 Bug. I was putting on el cheapo tires so I could sell it. The guy at Firestone put it on the lift - body went up, floor pan stayed down.

[@HermannKerr]

@@MrSteve280 🤣

[@kaydesign]

I still have my first car; a 1967 Mustang Coupe, bought in when I was 21, 22 years ago. I am now converting it from a straight six to 302 V8. Good stuff 🛠👍

[@ElectricClassicCars]

Cool car. 😁👍

[@KiwiCatherineJemma]

It was only a year or so ago, that at a local car show I saw that there even existed such a thing as a 6 cylinder Ford Mustang. Given Mustangs are rare here anyway, and the 6 cylinder ones super-rare, I would keep a 6 cylinder model as it was, if I had one. Having a 50 or 55 year old classic car, you don't own and drive one of them aiming to get the best ride or handling, or engine power or fuel economy. I'd have thought you had such a classic car to enjoy it as a classic car. Keeping changes to the minimum required for safe comfortable operation (perhaps brake upgrades, or electric charging system and lighting upgrades, especially for folks that live in extreme cold climates like Canada etc.

[@streetguru9350]

I've never seen someone who's so very British. You should be in history films bro!

[@rayrude-assyankee8943]

My first car was a 1973 super beetle. I wish I 'd never given it away. I have a 1970 beetle based Manta Montage kit car I would love to convert to electric. Your conversion kit looks comprehensive and amazing!

[@rayrude-assyankee8943]

What the... ?

[@ansoogund]

I drove my dad's car, both of which i crashed for the two years I was in Mauritius after getting my license. :( But my first car in uk after getting my uk license was a 2000 megan 1.4.. which had a timing belt failure within 4 days of buying it. It was so comfortable and I loved it. The best however was a 911 997 that I had many years later that I bought when the car market crashed. I wished i kept it. It was the one that made me smile driving it. Can't afford to get one anymore (or perhaps, "yet")

[@ansoogund]

oh, the megan was bought at auction for 900 in 2007, with 60k miles on the clock. I think it was a bargain at that time. Bought a bmw 316i e36 the week after for ... £900 at the same auction. It survived me hanging on a tree on little cliff a week after getting it.

[@ride4adventure]

Nicely engineered Gents, I would have loved to see that car finished and running with a test drive. 👍

[@ElectricClassicCars]

Here you go. 👍. kzbin.info/www/bejne/fl6Yemelh6mJfqM

[@billm6774]

First thanks for the vid, worked on a slew of old bugs and 1954 porshes back in the 70's. I drove a new 72 bug with a 36 ford front end fiberglass. I used to keep my old laundry bag full of my camping gear tucked in behind the fake grill . It helped hold down the front end and I figured it for a little more cush before the gas tank got pushed into my lap in a crash. My next car was a used 72' super bug with air conditioning. That was a trip (the A/C).

[@jonbevan3127]

Still have my 69, purchased when I was 15 and I am now 63….😂

[@914Mike]

I crushed a Beetle once, '57 that was rusted through everywhere. My brother bought it and robbed all the parts and left it in a field. I got dad's Caterpillar and drove over it just before we cut it up for scrap. Had another that was held together with fiberglass due to rust. It was orange and had been entered in a parade, so the owner had painted black spots and added some antenae above the wind screen. Oh, BTW, the Porsche 912E and 914-4 were both type 4 powered. It was the Porcshe engineers that hotted up the original 1.7L to make the 2L engine, which was detuned for Transporter duty.

[@-LightningRod-]

i was looking for 2002wrx,...now i want a beetle what sorcery is this/

[@kaspar_1982]

I spent a lot of time in a hot rod beetle in high school,a perfect electric conversion, i would love to see this done on a mini cooper.

[@coastalson]

My first car was a gold 1969 Dodge Dart with three on the tree. That car would have looooved an EV upgrade!

[@Clampett01]

My first car was a 71 Citroen GS. I’ve recently acquired an ‘86 GSA for restoration. I have a Nissan Leaf power train sat on the bench next to it. Following your mantra of converting a low weight, aerodynamic classic, it seems like a good choice. Drawing inspiration from your builds.

[@ElectricClassicCars]

Very cool!

[@leorumley8132]

My first car was a Citroën GS Pallas semi automatic , I bought it off my brother in laws father for £300 in 1981. It was a lovely car to drive, very comfortable and disc brakes all round, wish I had kept it.

[@joelshrader7616]

My first car was a 1964 VW Bug that I bought for $300 dollars in 1989 at the age of 15 . . . I still have that car! I could never get rid of it! I love that thing!

[@NEWS-ish]

Well done video presentation - clear + precise information. Nice looking Oval as well.

[@ElectricClassicCars]

Thank you kindly!

[@RS-un9hx]

My first Beetle was a '63 ragtop, white, but had many coats of paints, & had it brought down to bare metal. I had it restored 3xs with AC, 4 disc brakes, classic modern stereo, 12v/USB outlet, 1915cc engine, air tight ragtop, fat tires, Momo steering wheel, electronic oil pump, performance exhaust, etc...I had many VWs to include a '66 bus. Sold all, but next: Electric.

[@EvilyoshiJAPAN4]

So impressive! That kit looks like a dream to install.

[@brunopadrino1498]

Good luck finding an IRS Beetle!

[@hamjohn8737]

@@brunopadrino1498 They are eveywhere.....but that being said, the car you just watched was a Swing axle removed. He said, you can get one motor for the Swing Axle or the Tesla kit for one that has no transmission at all.

[@velvetom]

My first car was a ‘72 Chevy Nova. I almost died in that car and I miss it every day.

[@stevejohnson1231]

Great video and conversion. My first car was a '63 Beetle when I was 15 bought for 45 quid with some crash damage. I spent a couple of years converting it to a GP Speedshop LDV beach buggy in metalflake red. Wish I still had now (50 years later) to convert to electric with one of your kits. That would be so cool.

[@ElectricClassicCars]

Those GP Beach Buggies were very cool. 😎👌

[@PhaQ2]

My first car was a 1974 Chevy Chevelle Malibu and drove it well beyond it's lifecycle. The body rot was so bad that the passenger door when shut would cause the rear quarter to swing. The day I pulled the motor for rebuild, I had clocked 300k miles. The only times it let me down was when I would forget to put fuel in it, gauge stopped working.

[@iggyfan66]

Thanks for doing these videos. I love the old air cooled VW's, about 30 years ago my wife and I had a white 69 beetle that we loved, unfortunately we had to get rid of it due to rust and essentially being unsafe to drive anymore :(. We lived in Colorado back then and I used to take that car on Jeep trails up in the mountains, that car would go everywhere! I'm so happy to see companies like yours bringing them back to life again! Cheers!

[@NordicDan]

I'd love to do something like this. Always liked the original Beetles and this to me seems to be the perfect candidate for an electric conversion. the only real caveat I still see is the range, and the environmental considerations of large scale Li-Ion battery production for EVs.

[@harriettanthony7352]

Fun Fact Li-Ion battery have a lower environment impact {do you recall the "Exxon Valdez?} And Li-Ion battery chemistry will be superceded by solid state, sodium, or sulphur and way down the road ,nuke waste!

[@NordicDan]

@@harriettanthony7352 the superseding battery tech is what I'm waiting for (specifically the nuclear waste diamond batteries) to see what takes off. All look promising. I would argue the environmental impact point though. I was a kid when Exxon Valdez happened and while it was huge, it was a single event. the environmental damage from the mining and processing of the lithium and cobalt is ongoing and will only get worse and worse as demand increases. After those you have whichever resources are used to charge the batteries throughout their life, then the impact of disposal and/or recycling once they reach the end of their service life.

[@johnlatchem7070]

Great video. My first car was a 1975 BMW 2002 in Alpine White with the round ‘pie chart’ rear lights. My Uncle bought it new in Cyprus when he was with RAF. He had a company car when he returned to the UK and I bought it from him when I was 16... Loved that car. So many good memories and lots of adventures. Fast, comfy and not bad on fuel. Girls liked it too.

[@ElectricClassicCars]

Very cool car. The '02 was one of my favourite conversions we've ever done. 😎👌 kzbin.info/www/bejne/iqjMmXtvg92Ce6s

[@rushja]

What a beaut of a beetle! You and your team are doing great work. First car I bought was a 1978 Alfa Alfetta.

[@888jhs]

Hi. Great video. My first car I bought two months after getting my drivers license at 16 was a blue 1964 Beetle. That car eventually died on my way back from university piled to the gills with 3-4 suitcases, 13 boxes, skis, a bicycle and my guitar. I sold it to a garage for CAD50 which was enough to pay for a Greyhound Bus to take me home which was 350 miles further down the road. But in 1978 I bought a 1962 Cabriolet owned by a little old lady who only drove it in the summer. That car was fully restored in 1995-1999 and I still have it. It is mostly original including the rebuilt engine and transmission and is stored in a house I bought in 2000 to store the car (since I have not lived in Canada since 1992). It sits in a Carcoon and I fire it up every time I get a chance to visit my home town - every 2-3 years. The electric conversion is interesting for the future but maybe a bit early for this car that still runs great. Regards.

[@Lets-follow-HIM]

The world is a better place because of people like you who live VW Beatles

[@benkanobe7500]

My first car (I am 65 years old) was a perfect 1957 Buick Special two-door. I had to rebuild the transmission to get it going. Love it!

[@craigkearns6425]

My first car was a ‘74 Beetle, I currently have a ‘74 Beetle, unfortunately not the same one but both have their original heater channels and have never required any welding. The first one wasn’t terribly old when I had it as an 18 year old, the current one is an Australian import hence the unwelded original condition having never seen a salty road.

[@bryandickerson5365]

Learned to drive in ‘60-‘68 VW Beetles :^), 1st car - ‘60 BugEye Sprite (basket case), 1st drivable car - ‘71 Saab Sonett, 3rd car - ‘70 Datsun 510, 4th car - ‘74 Mercury (Ford) Capri Wouldn’t those make a cool collection of electrified cars!

[@ElectricClassicCars]

Some cool cars there. 😎👌

[@poxcr]

Wow, this is amazing! As plug and play as it gets.

[@getacare2735]

My first car was a 73 VW beetle powder blue would the fenders swinging in the breeze. I live in the Northeast and it went awesome in the snow and I couldn't kill that car. Great fun as a 16-year-old. parking on a hill at high school cuz I didn't have a battery jump start it down a hill. The jump started so easy

[@garynewman9562]

Great video! I too have owned several VW Beetles and found this video quite intriguing. Watching this video got my mind to thinking what other cars could be converted. Suddenly it hit me, the Chevrolet Corvair. I also owned two of these. The Corvair had a very large and very square front trunk area and engine compartment. Granted there aren't as many survivors out there which is too bad and they received an ill-gotten bad rap from mister Nader.

[@erwinbrouwer8666]

Wonderful video, I had five Beetles until now, crashed one, sold the others. In 1994, I bought an Audi 90 quattro. I still own it 28 years later! Sadly, it'll have to go, I suffered a massive stroke in 2020 and cannot restore the Audi myself. My daily driver is an EV (Citroën ë-C4) and for sunny days I have a fully restored VW Golf Mk2 GTI G60 which is easier to drive than the Audi (lighter steering and clutch).

[@grahambeyer6254]

Austin Mini Metro Red 1 litre was my first car. I'd love to see an electric conversion.

[@spudproductions7606]

Remember them well. 👍😀

[@smavtmb2196]

That's some shinny paint. Don't scratch it. Also its very cool that you still have your first VW Beatle.

[@uliwehner]

very cool. My very first car was a 12/59 semaphore beetle. I had it a long time, eventually replaced it with a 53 i still have. incidentally in the same beautiful Metallblau. Mine has semaphores and a sunroof, of course.

[@ElectricClassicCars]

Semaphores 😎😎😎😎👌

[@DadsWoodworking]

Love the Bug. So want one. Mom had 2 of them when I was A kid. My first car was A 1963 Chevy Impala Super Sport Convertible