Seriously thinking going electric

[Marcq]

[macjack]

I'd love to see this happen. Funny how most of us put our priorities on others instead of marveling at all the different things we humans can do. Much easier to take down than to build, perhaps?

I myself have a plug in ev with a range extender hooked up to a solar array on the roof of my house. At 50 miles of range, 95% of days are 100% electric in that car. And the driving experience with electric drive is amazing.

Agreed that life cycle impact is great to think about, and that emissions is one thing, social and environmental impact of resource extraction is another, and impacting the sense of possibilities for our fellow citizens is another. And just doing your thing is another.

I have learned a little about the petroleum industry and its social and economic impacts in addition to the environmental impacts of when things go well plus when things go haywire. Steve Coll's excellent book profiling Exxon Mobil in this country and more particularly in other countries is an eye opener. As well as the documentary Who Killed the Electric Car? Many forces out there are threatened by the electric movement, including our general need to justify our own choices with rationalization.
I need to justify my investment in my own vanagon engine conversion by keeping it as is for now, but will happily watch the future arrive in various forms, including projects like this.
Go forth!
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87 TDI Syncro Westy
81 Westy (sold)
80 Rabbit Wolfsburg (rolled)
Bike as primary transportation

[Merian]

it won't be hard to build an electric Vanagon - many have built electric car conversions & the Vanagon has lots of room

complexities arise if attempts are made to do regenerative braking; 4wd/AWD or worse auto control of handling attitudes

wheel hub motors would be the hardest IMO as no manf. has done that yet
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[Marcq]

Had the van weighted this morning 1.69( 3 380 pound) thought it would be heavier

Marc..

[timichango]

[Marcq]

Nice electric Transporter

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9nMi8ltwr0o&list=PLj1NdhlC39VlI_nd-h7OTnFTaBF5Trvo7&index=3


Link


Marc..

[Ahwahnee]

I enjoy how we have two powerplant threads running simultaneously -- one by MarcQ and one by Marco -- with different approaches.

One thinks of building an EV and the other a 300HP Turbo WBX.

Certainly shows the range of Samba imagination at work and the versatility of the Vanagon platform.

[skills@eurocarsplus]

this all sounds great, but the reality is hybrids in general are dangerous to work on (let alone some home brewed retrofit)

I have a pair of 200.00 gloves that must be retested and certified every 6 months to work on hybrids. the voltage/amperage WILL kill you if mishandled. and seeing some (ahem) "quality" work done on the forums, I just see a ticking time bomb.

add to that first responders on the scene of an accident are at a huge risk if they think it's a plain old Vanagon. for as far back as I remember, manufactures make a "cheat sheet" for first responders to know where to cut/open cars to extract the occupants.

this isn't like a run of the mill engine swap. if your main lines run from your controller/batteries are not up to snuff, the whole car is a roman candle. some serious stuff to think about....
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[timvw7476]

skills just sucked all the fun out of this thread,
but i do foresee safety blankets to contain runaway batts. in the future-
maybe a life saving fast disconnect, too. Amps can kill.

[Merian]

gas engines are dangerous to work on too

so are large heavy inert objects

I am waiting for a manf. to build me a hybrid camper... I was able to think about that while in central Ore. last weekend - in between calculations of how far the puny VW fuel tank would take me...

http://jalopnik.com/holy-crap-volkswagen-will-build-that-new-microbus-1796226189
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[Zeitgeist 13]

Sharp sticks and kitchen utensils are also dangerous. Silly String is dangerous. Parachute pants are dangerous. Break dancing is dangerous. Driving while singing is dangerous. Showering is dangerous. Life is little more than dying slowly each and every day. Existence is futile. Why bother doing anything
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Casey--

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

[Merian]

[llilibel03]

I hate to be a party pooper. I'm totally pro environment. My wife drives a Prius. But you have to think things through-


https://wattsupwiththat.com/2017/06/20/tesla-car-b...e-driving/

[Abscate]

Most of us are completely unqualified and lack the expertise to implement an electric solution. It's not just motors and wires at the kinds of energy and energy rates bring dissipated in a car.

The wiring practices here aren't generally sound for 10 watts, let alone
kilowatts
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.ssS!

[Marcq]

[Merian]

[Abscate]

Absolutely hilarious read of mind-numbing stupidity, and a whole lot of people who don't know how much they don't know.
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.ssS!

[Merian]

if VW's new EV Bus is not forthcoming, the best thing might be to graft an entire Vanagon onto a Tesla SUV chassis or that BMW hybrid with the range extender

not cheap, but avoids any crazy electrocution issues[/b]
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[Wayne S. Johnson]

1968 Electric Beetle For Sale Price: $10K

https://www.thesamba.com/vw/classifieds/detail.php?id=458961

This is a 1968 Electric Beetle, which was converted to operate on 100% electric power in 1979. The cost of charging the batteries is 2 cents per mile. It has a 120 Volt built in charger. Top speed 65 MPH, range 55 miles with new batteries. The battery pack is 144 Volts, controller 1,000 Amps, battery capacity 17 kWh. Maximum acceleration power is 144,000 Watts, which produce 160 HP. Battery heaters improve the performance and range. Electric space heaters provide heat through the heating and window defroster vents.

Have an EV built for $35,000.
http://gas2.org/2014/12/22/10-things-to-consider-before-you-start-an-ev-conversion/

New batteries installed on 6/21/15
Dual sensor battery heating system
Sealed battery boxes with blowers
On board charger 2,400 VA, PF 0.98, 120/240 VAC
Programmable charger algorithm with equalization mode
Auto scan digital thermometer with 6 inputs
CD player, FM receiver
Lightened flywheel
Din rail power panel
Front disc brakes
Front and rear coilover shocks
Dual horns
Up grade rear Torsion Bars
Intermittent wiper motor controller with washer pump

Turn your VW in to a great Electric Vehicle. Now you have a choice, VICTIM at the pump or VoltsWagen.

See how you can convert a Beetle to run on electric power.
http://public.fotki.com/WAYNEWANG/
http://www.evalbum.com/1798

Stinking Gas report;
10/14/16, San Jose, CA $2.45. My GMC Sierra pick-up has a 34 gallon tank, total cost to fill the tank is $88. Electric car distance for $88 of electricity is 4,410 miles.

Drive from San Francisco to Chicago, IL, and back for LESS than the cost of ONE tank of gas.

When the batteries run low, FREE charging stations can be found at many businesses.

This is a powerful custom electric vehicle. The owned must have a good working knowledge of electrical and mechanical systems.
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Additional products https://www.thesamba.com/vw/classifieds/search.php?username=Wayne+S.+Johnson
Additional products with Bluetooth http://www.thesamba.com/vw/classifieds/detail.php?id=2097231

[Waldi]