VW Beetle converted to electric in a day

[@TexasTdr]

Does anyone else find it crazy shocking how clean the engine and overall body of that car was?

[@bradevans7935]

I'm guessing they started with a clean older restoration, and pressure-washed the engine compartment and underside before it went into the workshop.

[@denrizza]

What bothers me is that SOMEONE paid good money and worked pretty hard to make that bettle pristine and they are now hacking it up to make it electric. 😭

[@coreymillia]

@@denrizza Nah, I am sure someone will purchase the engine. I have had my bug since '97 and gave it a lot of thought, I don't think I would miss the 1600 much anymore, it is pretty slow already and it stinks, for a short distance driving vehicle converting sounds like a pretty good deal.

[@davidbaise5137]

I could understand if the Bug was a beat up… convert to electric and do some body work. But to take this immaculate looking showroom clean car and start tearing it down seems too much.

[@union310]

No longer a classic car

[@spaight711]

I think it needs the tailpipes back on hooked up to blow bubbles on demand.

[@waltshepherd4525]

I was working at a VW dealership in Sacramento back in the early 70's. A man brought in his 1964 beetle that had been converted. Had the lead acid automotive batteries just behind the rear seat in the open space. The electric motor was actually an aircraft generator. He had a charging setup in the engine compartment. You switched the ignition key to the run position and the generator/motor would start. Push in the clutch and stuff it in gear and away you go. Pretty slick. Wherever he went people would be curious so they let him charge it there. Fairly simple compared to this one if the video.

[@vicchavez6570]

That's the only way to go , a hydro turbine would be just as good.

[@leemccullough558]

Think on this hey come and charge at my place ....oh yeh anotherlot of free electrickery woooooo hoooooo cost me nothin to run every other bastardpays me ...cheap electric cars have no soul 😈😈😈

[@briansiedor2397]

New VWs have much better safety features dual air bags head restraints also improved seat belts I love the 65 66 67 year bugs but I wouldn't want to be in a crash still nice automobile

[@squid667]

One of my grandad's friends converted a Fiat 500 around the same time. It was slow and did not have a very good range, but it worked good for short trips.

[@allpointsorganized]

I own a 1979 MGB Roadster. Be cool to convert my B to electric. Nice work on the Bug!

[@marktodd7397]

I'd like for you to revisit this project and see how quickly it can be done now knowing the knowledge you have attained from doing it before.

[@brianmeek5236]

I always found it easier to leave the muffler and tailpipes on,they make great handles to maneuver the engine in and out

[@JoeHamelin]

I would always drop the engine on to a Radio-Flyer wagon and then get a friend to help lift the car over the engine.

[@TurnerRentz]

@@JoeHamelin It's the same for the van as well.

[@spydie]

It killed me. It took three guys to remove the engine. I used to do it by myself in the front lawn, then jack up the car and push it off the jack to get it over the engine so I could work on it. Necessity is "mother." LOL

[@thefreese1]

​@@spydieme too... takes about 20 mins .. by myself.. lol

[@davidwood2548]

Right on. I once changed the engine in my 58 in 45 minutes. Just myself and a floor jack. There are only about 4 wires, one throttle cable, One fuel line, and four bolts involved.

[@richardjones1975]

That has to be one of the cleanest old VW's I've ever seen 😳 no grease or dirt on anyone's hands at all!!!

[@69mag]

Yeh, I'm queasy just watching them f up a beauty like that, why couldn't they have electrified a Golf or a Rabbit? No, honestly, that's a GREAT build! Good job.

[@донБольшой]

@@69mag 🥲

[@deanmoore1752]

@@69mag not a VW fan. but that car was clean and perfect. they wasted a good car, when I bet there were plenty of worn out cars that really could have used a new lease on life. neat, but it would have been better with a less perfect project car

[@69mag]

@@донБольшой Thanks!

[@drewt.4353]

And there won't be any grease and oil in the future either.

[@steven.h0629]

That engine pulled out looks gorgeous too 😳

[@richardlphillips]

I just noticed that too. Absolutely mint.

[@Neojhun]

Will not go to waste, plenty of Beetles need an engine.

[@norbiesison9257]

That car is gorgeous! Period!!😁

[@OmegaF77]

As far as I know, they usually sell the engine to other people who want it.

[@alkhan5445]

A dirty ICE

[@XY_Dude]

You’ll later have to adjust the rear spring rates - it is high enough to change the wheel camber visually.

[@ElectricClassicCars]

Nope. A swingaxle Beetle always looks like that when it comes down off a lift. Roll it a few car lengths and the rear suspension goes back to normal as can be seen in the on road shots the next morning. 👍

[@XY_Dude]

@@ElectricClassicCars ah, of course! I knew that - thinking hurts sometimes…. Awesome ride, now.

[@bigghouse101]

That front end looks pretty compressed, I wonder what the extra weight load is on the torsion bar front axle. Is like to see it put on a road course with a stock Bug. Electric cats are so heavy the only place I see them win is in drag racing or time attack & hill climbs where is only run for 10 minutes tops w a small battery. When environmental throw off costs are mentioned, no one talks about kids mining lithium in the Congo with shovels or strip mining for the large amount of materials needed. Sorry for sounding like a kill joy.

[@XY_Dude]

@@bigghouse101 EV's sound cool (have one). But the massive pollution to generate grid power, (plus consumption of non-renewable resources) disposal of car batteries, and processes to get the materials make this solution non-earth friendly.

[@ldchappell1]

I got $1,000 for my broken down 1972 Flintstones Volkswagen in 1990. I called it that because it had a rusted out floorboard and you could see the road beneath you. I saw it a year later and it had been completely restored. It was so shiny and beautiful.

[@TheGuzzmeister]

Love the "Safety Squint" on the guy with the grinder. Top notch.

[@michaelangelo8001]

He's wearing safety glasses, you blind sheep...

[@Tao_Tology]

I was worried for him at first but them he closed his eyes most of the way. Phew.

[@daveys]

@@Tao_Tology - Yes, luckily, eyelids conform to standards for high impact projectiles.

[@Seriouslydave]

He will stop that when a doctor has to slice the rust from his cornea with a scalpel while he watches, i took my safety glasses off to inspect my work and got hit as the grinder wound down.

[@robdude1969]

My first car - 1962 VW ragtop beetle - has been hibernating in my garage awaiting this tech to become efficient and affordable. I think it's time is coming soon.

[@firebladeflow]

yup, buying a beetle now before the tech gets cheap an d everyone does it .. .then beetles and porsches will become bloody rare

[@gsilva220]

Yeah. Just a couple of decades and conversion kits will reach a more practical price level.

[@firebladeflow]

@@gsilva220 teslas new battery style will change the market a lot. The Chinese are currently on the graphene batteries, which will also be very interesting as they allow extreme charging speeds. Finally the solid state battery will make everything cheap fast and a lot less dangerous but that's probably 2035+... We'll see, but I can't wait to have a converted classic.

[@gsilva220]

@@firebladeflow I don't really care about Tesla, because their cheapest car right now costs 38k, and their idea of an "affordable" car will have things like a body-sealed battery pack. They say their batteries cost them close to $100, but Tesla only sells complete cars, not batteries/conversion kits. What I care about is that college student that had their '05 Honda blow up on them. Electric should be the best option here, but anything beyond a used DC forklift motor will cost them well into 5 figures

[@ChopFooey]

@@gsilva220 I'm hoping sooner. A professional kit for the cost of a motor would be a hot seller. I know I'd buy one.

[@Liberty4Ever]

I always thought my 1973 SuperBeetle would have been a good candidate for an electric conversion. Ditto the two VW buses I owned. That was before there was an industry and support so it would have been a project for me as an electrical engineering student. Even with the relatively heavy and low power motors of the day, I'd have done it if the battery energy storage density was twice what it was back then, but those lead acid batteries were heavy and not good for many discharge cycles. Lithium batteries have enabled us to have electric cars.

[@Gary-Seven-and-Isis-in-1968]

Are you being paid to support government propaganda?

[@WorivpuqloDMogh]

Wait till those solid states become available. Thats what i am waiting for on my 1997 Citroën Xantia. Want a 200 hp motor in it, with those batteries where the tank now is,and some in the front

[@solarsynapse]

My Dad converted a bug around 40 years ago with a large airplane generator that I think he rewound (He did mining motors for Joy Manufacturing.) and lead batteries. Still had the tranny. It is number 66 for electric vehicles in Illinois. Worked good except the batteries were way too heavy. Now we have brushless motors, ESCs and lithium batteries to make it better.

[@dehoedisc7247]

In 1971 I met a man in San Diego who had converted a1962 Bug to electric with SLA batteries and a military surplus DC motor, about 40 horsepower, and the car ran quietly just fine. More than 50 years ago, and it was quite an experience.

[@tommurphy4307]

did ya see the car or is this what he told you??

[@dehoedisc7247]

@@tommurphy4307 The man was a customer at a VW dealer (San Diego Motor Imports) where I worked, and I and a fellow employee accepted a test ride in the 62 Bug.Very quiet and smooth, 4 speed clutch and transmission operating normally .

[@victorspinetti5145]

Actually that "40 horsepower DC motor" made/makes more power than the OG VW 1600 IC gasoline engine. A very good running example of the gas engine would have 45 HP on an engine dyno, but the electric motor has much more torque at lower RPM and wastes less energy as heat.......

[@dehoedisc7247]

@@victorspinetti5145 40 horsepower (max) DC electric motor (at 12volt or 24volt) was designed by a private citizen (with training in electrical engineering and mechanics and the point of this essay is that an average citizen (in 1971) could make an electric car that the industry could not.

[@kenwittlief255]

how do you get a smooth throttle control on a 40HP DC motor?! and if it was running lead acid batteries, what was its range? about 15 miles?!

[@noroardanto]

That's one serious video production you have there. I had a 65 and 71 beetle, I'd love to have the electric beetle, one day

[@dogdooish]

I watched a friend in Germany in 1970, change out a VDub donk in 40 min! Included a big time cleanup of the bay, I couldn't believe he got it out in 4.5 min! using just a Jack --- no hoist! But then the engine you are pulling looks brand new! wouldn't want to scratch the sump!

[@davidg.johnson7574]

Back in the 60's the "Mother Earth News" published an article on showing how to convert a Volkswagen into electric. Also, back then their was no gas-less lithium batteries and the standard 12 volt lead/acid batteries were put where the back seat used to be, and enclosed, and the gases had to be vented outside the bug.

[@kenwittlief255]

yeah, it had about 12 miles of range.....

[@hans-juergenheinze9214]

This lady is just amazing. All the positive attributes have already been mentioned in the comments. I can't think of anything new to say about it. I can only pay my incredible respect. All the best from Berlin, Germany👍

[@ggrthemostgodless8713]

I love how they got right to it... many channels have to fluff the content by doing intros and other shit and then repeat the same content DURING the video... this guy got right to it. Winning.

[@brianhaygood183]

Spending two minutes telling us what we already knew from the title. Then another three explaining why they want to unclog a drain, or something obvious.

[@ggrthemostgodless8713]

@@brianhaygood183 Exactly... so it is great to se guys like these that got right to it. Some intros are way too long. And specially this videos don't have the annoying sound effects most videos with GOOD content add to the narration; THAT ruins the good content.

[@ivicamajmunskikreten9714]

@@brianhaygood183 the difference between European and American presenters. From what I've experienced, most Americans love hearing themselves talk and will give a thesis on why they want to do even the most trivial job.

[@juliadplume3097]

I like to try working on my own vehicles to save money and learn how to fix them, huge confidence booster too. Your welcome 🌞🇺🇸

[@ggrthemostgodless8713]

@@juliadplume3097 You "would like to" work on your own vehicles".... who or what's stopping you?? I used to dismantle all sorts of home appliances to get to the electric motors, I would put all the pieces and screws etc on a table and just watch how incredible it was that you can put them together again and work... with cars is something similar, just get an old car and get to it with tools, it WILL NOT WORK the first few times, what of torques and what not, but eventually it will work, if you don't mind getting your hands dirty, nothing stops anyone from doing it, learning.

[@tanner3801]

Hunter is awesome. Busy man, but he is always immensely helpful when he can be reached.

[@ElectricClassicCars]

So true!

[@puteramulia9641]

The world will need this thing, we still could drive our same car. Awesome.

[@puteramulia9641]

@Abel Dan Duran the idea is awesome too, imagine that we don't need to scrap our old car or buy the "tesla" but is enough to convert/replace with this "engine" and we can still drive it.

[@puteramulia9641]

@Abel Dan Duran we hope that the technology in the future can solve the problem and making more efficient, the batteries and so on..

[@puteramulia9641]

@Abel Dan Duran I think so, but soon we have to decide the option about the renewal energy.

[@49walker44]

Two identical bugs, one converted, one stock, see what you get after 6 months using normally. Bitten by the bug at an early age, after 20+ finally got free but miss My 67. Great channel.

[@TheREALJosephTurner]

Six months later, my guess is you would have one bug that occasionally has to stop at a gas station and another bug that occasionally has to stop at an electrical outlet...

[@vyoufinder]

Gorgeous Beetle. Man... That's a lot of gear to remove the engine. I always just used a floor jack and took about 10 minutes.

[@SyntheticFuture]

Pretty sure they went a bit overboard because the engine they took out is absolutely pristine. So they probably didn't want to ding or scratch it :)

[@sbrunner69]

That’s because you are super amazing and awesome and they are not.

[@leomenchey3726]

They had to show a little drama

[@50buttfish]

3 BOLTS, and the engine is free. Easiest way to do a "complete tune-up"!

[@ro63rto]

@@50buttfish 4 bolts

[@seattlebeard]

I always wanted to convert my classic VW Bus, but couldn't find anyone locally who would do it. Not sorry I sold it, but this video did put a smile on my face. Cheers. :o)

[@animalcol1]

The parts coming off look pristine!!

[@DanTheMailman330]

That's on clean little beetle! Hurts to see such a nice little engine removed.

[@TecnamTwin]

It’s all the better for it.

[@zakr1187]

That engine is not nice

[@80club45]

Forget the gas engine

[@mpowe123]

If the body is still good and can be converted for future use, isn't that good for the environment? Not a junker, just needs to be fixed up.

[@astr0creep6x6x6]

Indeed, there is no free ride in physics, supply, and demand. ICE engines make the most sense since all the components are readily available and the exotic components are only necessary for the exhaust catalyst. Electric "R/C-style" cars are built on a foundation of exotic components within the limitations of their battery size and long charge times. A 5-minute or less charge is required to get the median 400-mile range of ICE engines, and their stored energy tanks.

[@csh000]

I look forward to seeing the package upgraded to use a Lucid motor. Much smaller and lighter while being more powerful. Long term upgrade would be solid state battery conversion to reclaim some storage space and weight savings.

[@circusboy90210]

That's a downgrade, a bus motor is an upgrade

[@googleuser4434]

So...replace real parts with vapor ware

[@kenbarlow5373]

@@circusboy90210 The Lucid motor is far more advanced, compact, lighter, more powerful and more efficient than the Tesla motor.

[@kenbarlow5373]

@@googleuser4434 Imminent roll out soon so nowhere near 'vapor ware' (sic).

[@googleuser4434]

"it's coming soon I promise"

[@g-wolf9445]

This is excellent work. Great project for putting a new twist on a classic car. Now it’s time for the flux capacitor mod for the Delorean.

[@a.milenagoncalves1632]

This is AMAZING. Our team have been restoring classic Land Rovers and Land Cruisers for about 3 years now and back then I was laughed at when I said, wait till we can start electrifying them. This video actually gave me goose bumps!

[@davidandrew7314]

You weren't laughed at stop lying.

[@tpondering]

My great uncle Arthur Farrall drove an electric beetle he converted in the 1970s. There's a building named for him at Michigan State University. I am so glad that electric cars are finally a thing.

[@SGobuck]

Do you own an electric car?

[@tpondering]

@@SGobuck Not yet. My son does.

[@dragonflyadventures8936]

I think that 120hp is just right on a beetle. I personally would happily have this conversation done to my bug!

[@raymyers4539]

You spend 50 grand do it then' the range will quickly dissolve.

[@raymyers4539]

@Teamgeist Freedoms generally a crime these days isn't it

[@raymyers4539]

@Teamgeist if your under the illusion that modern advance electric AI is going to solve all your problems then carry on but your going to be in for a shock.

[@gangleweed]

@Teamgeist Hitler's Revenge.....

[@jstravelers4094]

@Teamgeist He's just a little troll who isn't in command of the English language.

[@smpanimator6536]

Absolutely brilliant! If these were on the market, I would be in for one.

[@donaldduke2233]

Great job ! Great video ! I had a VW Beetle in the 1970s and it was the most fun to drive vehicle I've ever driven. I sure miss it. Congratulations ! What you did was impressive !

[@arlenmargolin4868]

I can honestly say I miss every one of my Volkswagens and I had pretty much every model except for the thing of course then you've got your sciroccos and your rabbits which I didn't really consider those as real Volkswagens if you know what I mean

[@WrigleyRecords]

I had 5 of these when a teenager....my friends and I could swap out the motor in 30 minutes....3 bolts (if I remember correctly) and the wiring harness....that's it. Had 3 that I drove to the ground with the other 2 as parts cars. 1966-1969 models. Totally utilitarian vehicle.

[@ricaurandt6713]

I had a 67 Bug custom set up where a buddy and I could drop the motor, drag it back 20 feet from the car, push it back under and have it reinstalled, started up and reversed the car the same 20 feet in under 3 minutes. Quick disconnect plugs for the alternator wiring, a slip fit throttle cable, a finely tapered input shaft with equally chamfered splines on the clutch disc and greased bolts for engine to bell housing connection. This was set up strictly for the 2 man engine pull competitions at shows and races but I quit after my partner missed his shift and instead of backing up 20 feet, he hit first and launched 5 feet forward into the concrete barrier between the old return road and the near lane at the old OCIR drag strip in SoCal. Nothin quite like losin the challenge and your dignity all in under 5 minutes.

[@beefsoda1]

4 bolts

[@sshaw4429]

Still have my 73 Super Beetle. I had several….63, 65, 68, 73, and 74. The love of the sound of the engine, and the smell is why I love the.

[@2Truth2you]

@@beefsoda1 Always wondered why I had a bolt remaining.

[@misunderestimator5283]

Funny how we long term beetle owners became so good at removing the engines. Never seem to do that on my daily runners these days 😜

[@BrendenPragasam]

I actually really liked this series. They show alot of the technical portions of electrical conversions and dont shy away from details. Not to mention they have alot of respect for the original vehicles by themselves

[@hcrun]

A lot. A lot. NOT "alot".

[@felixmadison5736]

Very cool! I converted my VW to 'Flintstone' power in a couple hours! That VW looks brand new. The damn thing is clean!! I remember back in the 1970s when Beetles just about ruled the highways here in America. You watch a 1970s episode of 'Adam-12' and VW Bugs are everywhere!

[@hughmarcus1]

That charging point with the retro pump & the digits changing is almost as cool at the beetle. 👍

[@MrToranaGuy]

They are as cool as the beetle!

[@xrayangiodoc]

Excellent, I didn't catch that part in the video.

[@JohnBeerschoten-qf8bz]

Wow, excitig and a great job guys. I had my first car in 1976, a VW Beetle from 1956, and I paid 300 Dutch guilders for it. I had a sand back in the front for a better handling.

[@ryan49805]

I love to see that there are car companies doing this! That beatle will be around to put smiles on people’s faces for a long time.

[@brian-px1bb]

"A normal battery puts out 12V. This puts out 800A." lol

[@sincerelyyours7538]

Yeah, I miss my '59 bug. First car I ever drove. Next was a '70 bug. Rebuilt both engines and repainted the latter after an accident. Learned a lot about cars in my young years from those two. Third was an '84 Rabbit. Bought plans to electrify it but my mother hated the grease stains on her floor and vetoed that idea. Then I got married and the whole world changed. Wife, career, foreign transfer, work, no more time for cars. Now retired and have no space for cars. Where does the time go?

[@leebanks-gorton4512]

Just brilliant Gents. I have a beautiful bay kombi here in Tasmania Australia and can’t wait for the technology to be available here. I don’t want to go on massive long trips but to travel in a reliable electric car is a dream. Great vid.

[@jonandersonmd7994]

yes... especially in the Aussie perpetual sunlight and mostly flat terrain.. . and the power to outrun any dingo !!

[@roconnor01]

That Beetle and engine are mint. I would have one concern however,and that's being in a crash with a 90kg battery sat directly behind me on the parcel sheIf,even if it were bolted down.

[@motorv8N]

Agree completely - fabulous little car but that battery’s gonna flatten everyone in the car. Still safer than a motorbike tho! 😎

[@RockyFoxxowo]

Not to mention the front battery pack

[@rastapete100]

The VW Beetle was never a car you wat to crash in any configuration. Roll overs were deadly as were side or front impacts. I love the Beetle and it was my first car (that worked) but a crash that would be minor in a modern car would be anything but minor in an old Beetle. Of course this was all irrelevant to a 17 year old and I drove mine like a maniac.

[@Solapunk]

Great job! That doner beetle is so clean, what a great example to futureproof.

[@hectorsrodriguez7928]

Have you thought about placing the batteries on car´s floor, just like the e-Käfer do? This configuration has some advantages: 1. More stability as the weight is distributed lower. 2. It would leave space in the trunk. 3. It would isolate the noise produced from the road

[@SaxonSuccess]

And be safer for the driver...

[@rossallen738]

This is awesome. I'm generally the type to buy a used vehicle and running it into the ground. This gives me a fun idea of a project of instead of buying a new car when my current vehicle engine dies, to convert it into an electric vehicle... Hopefully by that time the cost of these electric motors and batteries keep going down.

[@rmmm6725]

Cost a minimum of 25k and that’s if you know how to do it yourself

[@keithsinter5611]

On the one hand: Wow, what a cool project! On the other: OMG! What are you doing to this poor oldtimer?!? I hope the motor gets sold for spare parts and not scrapped

[@Tao_Tology]

It's getting a new, bionic heart.

[@SMGxEnWHYc46]

That motor is pristine

[@lesklower7281]

Its a green Volkswagen and it is green also interesting you have got ekectric conversion down to a fine art soon you will be doing electric conversions in a shorter day and at 120hp a much jire sensible amount of power for the Volkswagen Beetle

[@stuuuporman]

🇺🇸 As great as the conversion is, I'm just as impressed with the restoration of the Beetle. My first VW was a 1958. Then, a 1964, 1969 and 1973 Super Beetle. Brings back memories.Thanks👍

[@Petterjunior]

It was built by a friend of mine , he was only 18 when he started it , I built the engine

[@Marc83Aus]

@@Petterjunior I hope the engine gets a good home.

[@johnbrentonlll]

58 was the first year of the big back glass

[@arlenmargolin4868]

@@Petterjunior wow my first vehicle was a Volkswagen square back but when I rebuilt that motor which was a 1600 CC pancake engine with dual Port heads two carbs and I just was amazed at how fast that car was but as far as your restoration goes that was a piece of art I'm hoping that that motor finds a nice new home

[@pamagee2011]

@@johnbrentonlll I had a ‘63 with the little oval back window

[@cohental2000]

Very cool job.... You can master that by replacing the battery under where the heat chambers are instead of the front luggage and having that free for storage space. I hope that the car feels nice with the current battery location even at harsh bracks. Thank you for the video.

[@gglen2141]

Balance is key.

[@jemma_19988]

Great idea My first car was a 1961 VW beetle I loved the styling of the car but I REALLY LOVED THE SOUND OF THAT AIR COOLED ENGINE !!!

[@glamrockretiredfan6829]

That's the who idea of a VW Beetle ... the sound of the engine. Music to ones ear. Making it electric has just got silly.

[@jeremygrady1107]

Just get a riding lawnmower and you'll get the sound of an air cooled engine. I worked with a mechanic who did a conversion on his old VW Bug, but he took it in a different direction. He raised the VWB just a tiny bit to allow him to mount a double blade riding lawnmower deck beneath the VWB. Then he ran levers, pulleys and belts to power the blades. It was a cool project. His wife didn't care for his mower because he used to mow as fast as the vehicle would go across his fields.

[@jeremygrady1107]

Karl Partridge - Just get a riding lawnmower and you'll get the sound of an air cooled engine. I worked with a mechanic who did a conversion on his old VW Bug, but he took it in a different direction. He raised the VWB just a tiny bit to allow him to mount a double blade riding lawnmower deck beneath the VWB. Then he ran levers, pulleys and belts to power the blades. It was a cool project. His wife didn't care for his mower because he used to mow as fast as the vehicle would go across his fields.

[@89five3five]

That is the cleanest ICE engine bay I have ever seen. No wonder the conversion can be done in a day. Let’s try this with a nettle that is a daily driver and not so tidy in the bay.

[@frequentflyer56]

A major part of the appeal of classic cars, whether it be a '64 Beetle, '56 Chevy or '36 Auburn, is the motor. Seeing a beautifully restored engine, hearing the sounds of it running, all of the various smells from oil, rubber, exhaust etc., is more than half the fun. While I appreciate what you've done to this poor little beetle, it's not for me. I've owned a few classic cars in the past, sadly I do not currently own one. My modern car is more than capable of going on a 400+ mile trip non stop and that suits me just fine. All that said, job well done!

[@travisyarbrough4033]

The only appeal of classic cars is the looks : James May

[@Gidenkidenk]

@@travisyarbrough4033 something the slowest and most boring man alive would say

[@frequentflyer56]

@@Gidenkidenk Slowest? I would definitely agree to that. Boring though is subjective. What one person finds to be boring , another might find highly interesting. It comes down to perspective. One of my interests is ancient history. I've been told by some that this is a boring topic, while others are as fascinated by the topic as myself. Thank you for your comment. I really appreciate hearing what others have to say.

[@frequentflyer56]

@@travisyarbrough4033 Thank you for your reply, I appreciate it.

[@tomatexelon]

I had a Yellow Dune Buggy with a type 1 engine, and it was OK, not great - If I had the time, I would love to convert it to a setup like you did.

[@psych3009]

Good thing it only takes a day

[@tomatexelon]

@@psych3009 You mean 13 minutes and 46 seconds

[@psych3009]

@@tomatexelon oh right, apologies 👍

[@thebluetardis]

If Volkswagen really want to bring back this iconic car in an electric way for future generations that is the solution ! No new designs, no mechanical problems, not just a Volkswagen, but THE Volkswagen. Because even with an electric motor, this should not cost a lot, like the original one.

[@xiaoka]

Just don’t get in an accident or you are toast.

[@jfbeam]

Except for the ~20k$ in the EV conversion. (and that was before all the COVID BS ruining the global economy) [DIY can be done for 12-15k, but paying someone to do it for you... with "lego brick" battery modules... multiply by 2.]

[@Anupam19781]

I would buy one immediately.

[@rich_edwards79]

@@xiaoka yes, unfortunately there's a reason new cars are so ugly... look like they're on steroids with all the extra bulges, tiny little windows, no interior space despite being twice the size of 70s or 80s cars, and massive screens everywhere. This is the main reason they had to stop making the original Beetle which was produced in Mexico up until 2019. Ironically all the extra safety stuff they have crammed I makes it more likely you'll get into a crash, but also more likely you'll walk away from it too. Swings and roundabouts, as they say.

[@therealestatepuzzle4966]

This video keeps coming up in my feed almost daily even though I have no specific interest in VWs, electric cars, or cars in general. KZbin algorithm can be weird at times.

[@frankdietsche8384]

Haha, more weight in the back , good for oversteer and opposite lock, nice beetle . I prefer the boxer motor for the sound! Good job just the same. Thanks for the video.

[@leroybrown6042]

Brilliant! I'd love to see more on the cost breakdown of such a project.

[@gsilva220]

About 20k, batteries included

[@henryroman5997]

20 k does that include labor?

[@gsilva220]

@@henryroman5997 Depends on the shop you choose to do the conversion, but this is the sort of project you end up having to do yourself, unless you're in California

[@michaelclark7536]

@@gsilva220 why California .? Is it not allowed ?

[@gsilva220]

@@michaelclark7536 California has several of these conversion shops

[@natebolton9385]

this is really great. The car looks fantastic and the scenery in the driving scenes just is beautiful. Very cool stuff.

[@240fxst]

Very impressive chaps. ONE day conversion! I felt your happiness. Have a few Ale's on me and enjoy the new BUG.

[@Lehite]

Very nice with performance. Love the fact that the old classic bug can be kept on the road in this modern world. The only downside is that the Beetles heart is the air cooled engine with that sweet chug chug sound. A sound recording of the air cooled engine needs to be used, and synced with the accelerator and blasted out of a speaker as its driven. Same with classic Muscle cars and their V8 growlers if they were converted. They won’t be the same without the sound of the engine. Maybe a good sound system needs to be installed, just playing out engine noise.

[@tommurphy4307]

would you settle for a puddle of oil on your driveway??

[@tomlynaghsr8752]

After this team has done this in ONE DAY, know the process,the parts they're going to need,how many laborers and experts They'll be able to bang these beetle conversions in even less time.Impressive BRAVO to the whole crew

[@Dave-in-France]

Absolutely loved this video. Beetle starts the day with a 40 bhp petrol burner and ends the day with a 120 BHP smooth silky electric power plant. What's not to like?

[@minicollectiveorg]

90 mile range...

[@mcfcguvnors]

always would LOVE these vids to then have the fuckin price list for this cos its more than a new car ,the batteries ( not recyclable ) are a huge cost cos twats are cashing in on em . VW beetle replacement engine 400 - 1000 quid ,cost to fit maybe 400 quid or free if you wear a short skirt . This is a plaything for the rich when hydrogen cars would be better & even pump back their exhaust fumes as " clouds" = hydrogen cars used in non fertile countries can promote rainfall . Course cadmium 236 is the key & thats controlled by the USA & Russia for nuclear weapons Plutonium refinement :/ ...cunts

[@Warpwaffel]

No cargo space whatsoever.

[@andrewallen9993]

Incredibly short range !

[@eddkennedy6458]

Shite 90 mile range that's what's not to like.

[@SP-io7lj]

Where is that guy's face mask while grinding? That's an accident waiting to happen. I love this conversion!

[@t.texastimmy1022]

Best part is that it wont smell like an old VW anymore!

[@ElectricClassicCars]

I wonder if they make essence of old VW air fresheners. 😆😁👍

[@Milamberinx]

@@ElectricClassicCars isn't that what Zoolander and his chums were spraying around before the untimely death of said chums?

[@marcdenlinger5282]

This is so great! 2.79 million views so far. Makes me believe there are a lot of people interested in quick bolt-in conversions for their old classic cars.

[@bryan6870]

im delighted, with lots of older cool cars that are getting rarer and rarer making engine parts rarer, more expensive, less efficiant and less reliable at least the chasis of these cars can live on which is all i want

[@opoxious1592]

This is nothing more than wrecking your car. Like hell i never will replace my v8 engine in my 59 Impala

[@Binkusbigday]

Too expensive. It's just not feasible when you're looking at a guaranteed 10 to 40 grand. Unless you're rich it just doesn't make sense.

[@marcdenlinger5282]

There's a lot of wealthy people who invest a lot of money into classic cars. And I'm sure there are a lot of middle class people who would invest 20k or less to electrify their old classic.

[@jimbeam2705]

Yea, nothing like ruining a perfect classic.

[@kc4cvh]

No doubt the electric power conversion improved the interior heating.

[@russzaccari7761]

My recollection of growing up riding in a beetle was that the heat could melt your sneaker soles.

[@jstravelers4094]

@@russzaccari7761 You must have lived on the equater. Or you're very confused.

[@allegory7638]

Yeah, now that blanket you wrap yourself in is electric, LOL.

[@mikeparkercreative5136]

Great heater if all working correctly

[@tommurphy4307]

the heater was just like the rest of the car- crap

[@MimicoBungalow]

Oh my...I am COVETOUS! My first car was a 1971 'Super Beetle' (curved front windscreen and McPherson Strut front suspension)...looking back, I have a fair amount of nostalgia for the old thing...Just thinking that, I would certainly consider electrifying it - if I had it in my little stable of cars today!. Wonderful job. Wish you guys were closer...I'm in Toronto...!! Cheers!

[@buckrepublican8782]

Might adjust the rear torsion a few degrees to bring the rear end up a bit. Great job, looks like fun.

[@gavanwhatever8196]

Think they actually lowered it as it was riding pretty high when he reversed it out from the work area.

[@mr_rock4353]

It is shocking how well it turned out

[@bruperina]

Ha!

[@F22ERaptor]

Amazing work. I always that older cars will experience a comeback through electric conversion - if fact it is better for the environment to convert an older car than to buy a brand new electric car. Great work guys!

[@twitte0king]

Debatable, new electric cars may be better efficiency Tesla, aptera etc. You may travel less per j in a converted classic car

[@twitte0king]

But mostly I agree with you, the electric pickup Chevy and ram are a joke comparing to electric conversion of classics

[@diconicabastion5790]

Horse shit! I say that as an X -Nuclear Reactor operator, Electrical engineer and computer science as my background. Unless your electric car is running purely on solar it isn't helping shit! There are no green car batteries currently. The power grid has a loss from line voltage, every step up and step down transformer and most power plants are less efficient than modern gas vehicles. That's fact. Most current solar cells aren't green. There are some newer processes that are fairly green but they are also less efficient. I'm not saying we shouldn't move that direction and we sure as hell should invest in research in that direction but currently it is a pure load of horse crap about it being better for the environment.

[@F22ERaptor]

@@twitte0king Perhaps I should have been clearer. Electric Car conversion isn't as efficient as newly produced Electric cars like the Tesla. Mechanically, Classic Cars have crankshafts and gears that have been rendered obsolete by Tesla, so there will be rotational energy used, so it isn't the most efficient in terms of performance, however factoring in industrial processes and material extraction, overall the amount of materials used is much less and also less energy and emissions for processes @Electric Classic Cars are basically a private garage and they managed to convert a car adequately. Not as much emissions during the conversion comparatively to producing a brand new Electric car. As raised by another comment, in the larger scope energy production will need to be converted to Nuclear Power if electric vehicles are to ultimately become environmentally friendly. Unfortunately, Wind and Solar don't have the capacity to handle the demand of Electric vehicles. Their Energy Density is too low and they require additional storage units to be produced. Also, the W/m squared for Solar won't be enough to power every vehicle on demand. Germany attempted to eliminate Nuclear and rely on Wind and Solar, and consequently they had to fire up their coal powered stations. France is perhaps the best example to follow as approximately 70% of energy is produced by Nuclear power.

[@leemccullough558]

Its fucking badly serviced diesels that are polluting the environment not little classics 😱😱😱

[@vicdeeble]

Wish I still had my 57 beetle. Would convert it. Surprised at how hard they found removing the engine. Did mine with just a single hydraulic jack by myself. Four bolts, clutch cable and ignition. After 200,000 miles changed the barrels and pistons. Electric is the way to go.

[@gearhead1969]

Absolutely gorgeous car. Looks like a fresh resto.

[@syfr]

Which they promptly ruined.

[@MrTechfreak95]

Wooohoo. Nice one. :D Drive in with your fossil car, the next day you have it electric!! Thats awesome. I always thought under 1 week impossible. More like a few months. But a Beetle is a well known converter car i think, but anyway amazing job. I'd love to see more converted cars on the Road. :)

[@JALNIN66]

Great job! Would like to know the weight before and after. Would also be nice to have an option for 50kWh for 160 to 180 mile range.

[@lemagreengreen]

It's an EV West kit (I think) which should give you an idea of parts cost. The price details of the kits are on their website, probably around $18-20k for this setup in parts.

[@HaralHeisto]

Engine, gearbox and full tank of fuel would have been under 150kg. That motor is 50kg, battery pack about 90kg, and between charger, controller and cables you're probably looking another 10kg... it's mostly a wash.

[@jasonescott]

@@HaralHeisto fyi, they kept the gearbox, so really only removed the engine and fuel tank and some miscellaneous bits. I’m guessing the conversion increased overall weight, but tripling power should more than compensate.

[@kenwittlief255]

@@jasonescott tripled the power but destroyed the range - 80 miles?! Like a 1st gen Nissan Leaf

[@dukeallen432]

@ken but it’s a leaf. And all the other electronics and plastic crap that will fail.

[@Delta132]

Do note that with solar panels and any sort of sun (especially in USA) electricity would pretty much be free

[@TheDeLoreanman]

The Delorean in the background needs a video done about it.

[@justaninja1]

Yeah, convert the Delorean to electric as well.

[@raypurchase801]

@@justaninja1 With a flux capacitor.

[@justaninja1]

@@raypurchase801 😂 for sure

[@eoinmurphy210]

na,it needs to be crushed

[@rootieboy]

They found it in a cave outside of Hill Valley with modifications that nobody understands.

[@AaronVanNoy]

People continue to underestimate the regenerative braking with electric cars. The amount of money people save on not having to replace breaks as often is great. I literally never hit the break unless it’s an emergency.

[@ElectricClassicCars]

Exactly. 😁👍 Until people experience it I just don't think they get it. 👌

[@ComradeStiv]

Yes! Brake pad makers are _not_ pleased with my (non-) braking habits one bit. 2014 Volt, 90k miles, all original pads. That's just nuts 😲

[@davidmaguire604]

Catch the bus you'll never need to press the brake. How sad🙄

[@tannertuner]

@@davidmaguire604 the school bus? Ain’t no buses in 95% of America

[@AaronVanNoy]

@@ComradeStiv exactly! I’m over 60k miles and I’m more worried about the rust that is building up on the rotors than I am about the wear from breaking!

[@kennethbolton951]

That bug was in beautiful condition to start with, been a lot different if it had showed its' age.

[@vicentesolorzano6388]

I need one that, i love a volkswagen sedan or vochito like we called in México, great work, when i found one i change for electric motor

[@doodles9358]

I would love to get this done when the ban to internal combustion engine comes into force. Great to see pioneers in a new industry. Hope your business grows and grows guys.

[@thepenultimateninja5797]

I doubt they will ever ban classic cars with IC engines. They will just ban the sale of new ones.

[@markgaudry7549]

It is said that Porsche was working on an electric car when he was called upon to create a people's car. He took the chassis from that and created the Beetle. So this conversion brings the thing full circle. Good going!

[@augustocondor5714]

Porsche did not have too much work with creating beetle...cuz he stole it. TATRA 97

[@exploringsydneyandbeyond9059]

You didn’t mention how the gearbox integrates with the electric motor , it was a manual box so are you still changing gears using the clutch with limitations of speed in each gear like a petrol engine and is the clutch / box and final drive components suitable for 3 times the horsepower ? Great job but it raised many questions for me

[@BarfusWOW]

yeah like..... how does it handle heat, like Beetles had crap heat to start with since it's just heat from the exhaust.. but no tailpipe = no heat...

[@ianwenning2784]

This is what I was thinking. Nobody seems to actually tell you what to do or how they did it. It’s just here you go we did a thing.

[@danieldaniels7571]

@@BarfusWOW I expect it doesn't

[@googleuser4434]

Almost all these conversions omit heat, ac, power steering and keep the manual gear box. It's actually harder to adapt to an automatic transmission.

[@TotalClarity]

No Kidding. It's like, Transaxle, meet electric motor. Now work together because you're mounted close together. We want to see the mating process/parts!

[@tmeyer2022]

Check your weights and balances. You're obviously heavy on the front stearting wheels (added battery placement) and light on the rear axle (Removal of gasoline motor weight.)

[@ElectricClassicCars]

Nope. It's a swingaxle rear end. That's what they're like when they come off the lift. They need to roll a few car lengths for the rear end to settle down.

[@alexluckes6563]

that v dub was way to nice to do this to

[@stuart8taylor]

Absolutely. But at the same time if you are going to spend the money doing the conversion then you. Want one that will last.

[@bowser123ism]

No, it’s worth it because it is nice

[@violetbrowne5784]

Someday I'd love to swap an elecrtic motor into my offroad beetle. 90 miles is not anywhere near enough though. It's not uncommon to go over 100 miles between gas stations where I live. I travel about 30 miles just to get to a town with a grocery store.

[@chrisbrodbeck1961]

there are several different battery configurations and motor sizes. he said that they had over 100 horse power, so obviously if you give up hp you go farther. Also, if you really want to extend the range to hundreds of miles you could build a trailer to tow that has all you want. if you wanted to tow a trailer for camping you could do a 3 trailer configuration too...it would have to be a light camper but it would work...

[@chrisbrodbeck1961]

you could also build a trailer camper that has the batteries in the floor, now you really have my mind spinning, definitely laughing now!

[@glaflamme]

Cool video, I would’ve loved to see the transmission shifting process the gauge cluster and what information it provides. Also hear a little bit more about how long it takes to charge.

[@thatissomeBS]

From what I've seen with electric motors hooked up to manual transmissions, you basically select the gear that you're going to run in and it stays there. So if you're going to be running around town you may just select 2nd and leave it there, and if you're going on the highway you start in 4th and just go with it. Either that or basically run it in 2nd or 3rd all the time (whatever gear ratio works best).

[@elbaekk]

with the supplied 6.6kW charger it would take approx. 3 hours to 80% and perhaps 4-5 hours to fully charge it.

[@wrxs1781]

Good point GML, hopefully they installed a new clutch in the conversion, if I owned that pristine VW beetle I would have left well enough alone.

[@theoldmanreed8818]

@@wrxs1781 Idiots seldom do.

[@mummifiedgamer]

That car is so clean like it came out of factory, correction, cleaner. Not a drop of oil or dirt anywhere, even the exhaust is like never used before. This makes this video pretty inauthentic.

[@barnes1225]

That VW is way too clean?

[@AcheForWake]

Agreed, you should see my camper.

[@ditzydoo4378]

When put on the rack everything looks fresh and new. Must have been restored recently and kept in garage.

[@flperformancegarage4163]

Very good video, I have been interested in the conversion of classic cars from gas to electric motors. Thank you for the great videos.

[@2Truth2you]

I'm planning on fitting a Maserati V12 engine in my Tesla. Not an easy job!

[@Peter-ok9bj]

Great car. I have three questions. 1- what is the cost of the car? 2- Can the range be extended to around 200 miles? 3- do you ship to the United States?

[@carlosberrio2206]

If you want ,EV WEST in California.

[@therealzilch]

Woot. Exemplary work, boys. Subscribed. Cheers from very rainy Vienna, Scott

[@ElectricClassicCars]

Welcome aboard!

[@DJTI99]

"If it goes wrong, it goes wrong..." that is my motto for life.

[@vdubster]

How many customers will want that fast of a turnaround now though? 😂 Great job, seriously. 🤙🏻

[@highpath4776]

If they have a good enough base car its doable

[@jfbeam]

I wouldn't really call this a "one day" process. Sure, it _was_ finished in a calendar day, but you couldn't do this day after day. Realistically, this is about a 3 day process. (longer if there aren't a dozen people working on it. _way_ long if it's the first time, or as happened here, some modifications are required and things didn't go perfectly with the computer.)

[@danielgilliland7025]

My old Uni mate Moggy! Great to see you doing well and loving the videos 👍🏻 makes my job designing electrical medical devices look boring!

[@tommurphy4307]

it even SOUNDS boring

[@danielgilliland7025]

@@tommurphy4307 oh dear, another no mark keyboard warrior

[@Ra-zor]

Aw what a shame, half of what make a beetle such a legendary icon is the engine and the lovely chirpy sound it makes and the feeling of how it delivers the power, with the unique quirky signature heater system and close gear changes. Had 7 of these superb vehicles in my teens and twenties, loved every single one, and the 2 campers, all with their individual personality engines that you get to love, which was part of the fun of ownership... Some classic vehicles need electric due to problematic designed drive trains or badly designed engines, while others perhaps not so much...

[@stevenself554]

“Give it a bit of a tickle with the grinder” :-)

[@iangrant8967]

Great job guys! What an achievement! What a great team! Glad to see you had the same issue I did with the rear apron and hyper 9. I managed to get mine in without trimming but it took a lot of effort. Had to take the transaxle mounting bolts out then jack the rear wheels up so the swing axle action pushed the bell housing down. Trimming would have been easier 😂

[@vickiealmond2142]

How much money for the conversion kit US? Pretty awesome.

[@josviersel]

Looks like a smaller electric motor should have been used.

[@jfbeam]

@@josviersel That is a small motor. :-) There are plenty with less power, but they're all about the same size.

[@johnnyk617]

Looks fantastic I'm a bit sad to see we lost some storage under the hood and behind the rear seats but not much you can do about that battery box has to go somewhere

[@johnt.848]

I would have liked to see them go the extra distance by installing the batteries flat under a false floor as the body is easily removed from the floor pan.

[@danshillabeer9523]

@@johnt.848 Wouldn't have happened in the timeframe, but definitely the right solution? Looking forward, technologies like graphene offer the possibility of massless batteries which can be adapted to the vehicle, rather than the other way round. Imagine the range of that VW with maybe 200kg of battery weight removed?

[@stuart8taylor]

That has to be the cleanest beetle I have ever seen, including concourse.