Why worry about engine conversions, better transmissions, etc.?

[JimmyJagged]

EV West in San Diego has had VW & Porsche EV conversion kits for several years now. Their website does not show Vanagon yet.
In addition to the $7500 conversion kit, you will need batteries (I estimate around $6,000).
Range approximates 250 miles; not long enough for road trips. Hopefully range will increase in the next few years.

https://www.evwest.com/catalog/index.php?cPath=40

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jLRAQu0b8-o
_________________
Current:
1971 Tin Top Weekender Bus
1973 Squareback
1985 Pop Top Weekender Vanagon (my 19yo son's first car. father/son project)
1985 Pop Top Weekender Vanagon w/ 2.5 Subaru

Past:
1976 Rabbit diesel (my first car). RIP. totaled by drunk driver (not me!)
1973 Pop Top Westfalia Weekender Bus. RIP. Blown engine due to 25yo ignorant of VW maintenance (me).
1986 Vanagon Transporter. RIP. totaled by drunk driver (not me!)
1987 Vanagon Syncro. I never should have sold.

[nohabusguy]

[stuzbot]

[Sodo]

The ability to top off your 'tank' at home, nightly, for a fraction of the price & "effort" of petrol will be a game-changer for sure. Electric vehicles will constitute a direct financial payback ..... and financial incentive for installing a home Solar array (or wind).
The Energy investment sector will resist this mightily and your congressmen/women will have to act (on their behalf) with tariffs and other deterrents.
In the USA we support these kind of industry people in our government so this will be a serious impediment.
Increased grid connection fees and taxes and other dis-incentives will be enacted easily.
Energy associations will pour money into community appearance campaigns, resulting in covenants restricting solar panels or windmills.
Energy gathering devices are not often "attractive" thus will be easy targets.

=========

For awhile, all the EV explorers will be following the exact same routes as the EV explorer "Who's gone before them".

As charging stations increase in number, and battery range increases, EVs will start to branch out into the old petrol vehicle territories. Remote motels and stores will add charging to attract these travelers.

Energy lobbyists will attempt to restrict free charging stations, again, using their network of local, state and federal legislators.

In the meantime the petrol vehicle territory will contract as demand for petrol stations declines.
The price of petrol will drop too.
The petrol distributors will have to offer the stations the same "dollar amount of profit" that they've squeezed them down to (which is about "net").
Which will be a substantially higher "percentage" of the fuel sales (but same actual dollars).

Electric vehicles will be a game-changer.
People can gather their own energy.
Bring it on.
_________________


'90 Westy EJ25, 2Peloquins, 3knobs, pressure-oiled GT mainshaft, filtered, cooled gearbox
'87 Tintop w 47k 53k, '12 SmallCar EJ25, cooled filtered gearbox
....KTMs, GasGas, SPOT mtb

[Merian]

BTW, when PG&E shuts off the power you cannot pump gas either.

I agree that EVs now are best for commuter vehicles, but longer range & faster charging is coming soon - even w/o a range extender
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....

[Zeitgeist 13]

By the time all that's been sorted out, there will also be better drive units for long distance runners. I think the OP's drive unit is a perfect candidate for a vintage Beetle, KG or Type 3.
_________________
Casey--

'89 Bluestar ALH w/12mm Waldo pump, PP764 and GT2052
'01 Weekender --> full camper
y u rune klassik?

[Zeitgeist 13]

I recognize that most of you aren't interested in VAG drivetrains, but this is a nice reminder that your favorite offbrand's competitor is rapidly moving forward with electronicals.


Link

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Casey--

'89 Bluestar ALH w/12mm Waldo pump, PP764 and GT2052
'01 Weekender --> full camper
y u rune klassik?

[pdxleaf]

https://youtu.be/omft20Uro-s

This might help you forget about range...
Link

[pdxleaf]

Also, my family has about 60K miles in a fully electric car (Leaf.) Granted, it's not the same use as a van for camping. But EVs work and they are here to stay and they are only getting better. (I REALLY want an electric bus.)

[djkeev]

[oceanair]

The reality is that sooner rather than later we travel 300 miles or so and stop, pay $10 for a 30 min quick charge and then go another 300 miles. I am Canadian, but the US will sooner than later have a network of charging stations as to what is happening here. Petro Canada, which is not owned by the Government is now adding EV quick charging stations to their network of gas stations. So for 10 - 15 minutes longer than what it takes to fill your gas tank, you can charge. Plus in an EV you can wait in your heated/AC car or go into the shop.

It is coming -- there is a building need and the marketplace will respond.
_________________
84 Vanagon Pop Top Conversion from Tin Top, 1970 Ghia - all sweet rides! Love em!
Previous: Green 72 Tin Top, White 72 Westy, Blue 64 Beetle, Yellow 71 Squareback, 2014 Jetta TDI Wagon - wish I could have them all back!

[bobbyblack]

First Electric vehicle I know of was build by Ferdinand Porsche about 120 years ago.

Cool idea.

Takes some time for good ideas to come around.

I might get to see the day that a rural lad such as I am can have such a toy.

I get to see enormous machines in corn and bean fields churning dried plants into billowing chaff and wagons of grain.

This will not change.

There will be some form of liquid fuel to power this kind of monster until you can fit a fusion reactor in a combine, and probably long after that too.

By then, there will be plenty of other options.

By then, I will have long since been devoured by microbes.

Live NOW

Thanks, Dr. Porsche, hope to meet you some day.
_________________
'87 Westy 'Flossie','86 Westy 'R1','86 tintop GL - Subi2.2 'J2','83.5 stock tintop L 'ZoomBus','74 Karmann Ghia, '63 Notch

[danfromsyr]

agreed, when we run out of diesel
we run out of food
and we run out of city people about the same time..
you can't generate enough life resources off of electricity alone to fulfill the current population much less the expansion rate of the human race.

something else needs to change than our mode of transportation to save the human races and planet. but lets not focus on that.

[Ahwahnee]

I distinctly recall being promised a flying car in 1958. Still waiting for that one too.

[jlrftype7]

[mikemtnbike]

Yeah, as I often post in these threads, it's kind of depressing to look back at the Mother Earth News collection I have from the 70-80's and see how we were going to have electric and fuel cell cars then...and how people were making electric cars with 150 mile range using airplane alternators and golf cart batteries on a Manx body (VW content! )

That said, even though I've already made two of the "greenest" choices possible in my life (vegetarian for 29 years and won't be increasing the population), it's still my responsibility to do everything else I can, even if it isn't an actual "fix."
_________________
1991 Vanagon GL 2.1 AT Westfauxlia. "Frankie" Totaled https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=764510&highlight=carnage
1995 Eurovan Camper "Marzivan"
2020 GTI SE manual

[SCM]

[Ahwahnee]

[bobbyblack]

[E1]