Homemade VW Beetle Bug Electric Car

Why would anyone want an electric VW Beetle Bug? To save money of course. Electric vehicle (EV) has been proven to be cheaper to run compared to a gasoline driven car. It is also much cheaper to maintain.

A conventional car has many associated maintenance cost such as regular oil change, oil filter, air filter, fuel pumps, oil pump etc. With an electric car, there are no such expenses needed.

Currently, the main drawback of an electric car is the high cost. Without economy of scale, EV manufacturers are unable to bring the cost of a new electric car low enough for it is affordable to the masses.

I am sure in due time, the prices will come down but for the time being, we would have to wait.

Many car enthusiasts are opting to convert a gasoline driven car to run purely on electricity through a Do It Yourself (DIY) approach from their home.

One of the main candidate for donor car is the Volkswagen VW Beetle. A Beetle Bug is popular because of its low cost and easily available. If you can find a Bug with a busted engine, it is so much better.

The idea behind VW EV conversion is to remove the internal combustion engine and replace it with an electric motor. Since the engine is jacked out, all the connecting components such as fuel lines, fuel pump, gas tank, radiator etc are redundant and to be removed as well.

The motor is to be bolted directly to the existing transmission unit. Lead acid batteries are used to supply power to the electric motor.

If you are not well versed with car maintenance, you can still enjoy the benefits of owning an electric VW Beetle. All you have to do is outsource the conversion work to a professional mechanic.

What you should do is get some basic information on homemade electric vehicle. At least you will know when you are being billed for unnecessary parts of work done on your car. Check out the VW Beetle electric car conversion guide review for more information.

Prepping VW Beetle Electric Donor Car

An old Volkswagen VW Beetle is a great donor car if you are planning a Do It Yourself (DIY) electric vehicle conversion. It is inexpensive and has ample space to store the lead acid batteries.

To save cost, most people will get a busted VW Bug. If its faulty, you can always negotiate with the seller for a lower price.

When you get the donor car, there are a few prepping works that you have to do. The idea of an electric car conversion is to remove the internal combustion engine (ICE) and replace it with a DC electric motor.

To propel the car forward, the motor will be connected directly to the existing transmission unit. When the engine is taken out, all its associated component such a exhaust pipe, fuel pumps, gas tank, radiator etc are removed as well.

Here is the dangerous part. When removing the gas tank and fuel lines, make sure you drain them dry.

Even with a damaged VW Beetle donor car, there might be some gasoline residue in the system. As you know, gasoline is highly flammable and you should put extra precaution when handling the component.

This is important because in the later part of the electric car retrofitting, you my have to do some welding work. Welding sparks and gasoline fume is not a good combination.

Using an electric VW Beetle can save you a lot of money. However, if you are not familiar with car components, it is better for you to outsource the conversion work to a professional mechanic.

To be prudent, you should know some basic information on electric vehicle. At least you will know you are being charged of unnecessary parts or work done on you car.

For information on homemade electric car, check out VW EV conversion guides review.

How much does it cost to convert a VW Beetle to electric?

Some people have been wandering, how much does is cost to convert their old VW Beetle to electric. The video below shows a pastor with his VW electric vehicle. He got his Bug converted to electric with an investment of $6000. The EV runs on 72 Volts of electricity and has a top speed of above 50 mph. Mileage per charge is about 30 miles. I’m sure you can extend the mileage by adding more deep cycle batteries into to the batteries bank.

$6000 investment to convert a gasoline driven VW Beetle to electric seems a bit high to me. The whole retrofitting job can be done at a cheaper cost. But there is some preliminary work you have to do. You will need to source for cheap electric motor at EBay and also source for used or reconditioned batteries. If you are keen to find out how you can save cost in your EV retrofitting, you can check out these electric car conversion guides on the web.