Has anyone completed a Prius power conversion into a Vanagon?

[pinetreeporsche]

I've looked through several Samba threads, including "Vanagons in the future: alternate propulsion options" but other than a sharp yellow Doka with a tesla conversion, there are no examples in that one of complete or nearly complete conversion. And who has the cash to lay down for a cashed Tesla! There must be plenty of not-too-high mileage Prius wrecks nearly everywhere-- hasn't anyone tried to arrange such a marriage? Subie, our favorite gas power conversion doesn't make a highly fuel-efficient hybrid, but Honda and several other brands of hybrids are out there getting into crashes--why are there no conversions underway? I dream of a day when my Westie gets 32 or 34 mpg-- or better, with a plug-in hybrid set-up so city trips will be almost free. This 15-20 mpg stuff is so 1980s.

[vanlover22]

Jehu Garcia has done an electric samba bus: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCcMfCkN1juSa49DJFYltOTw

Electric Vehicle World Tour has used tesla batteries with a Renault? electric motor on a vanagon: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHOCdckFdBEmTfR1qoW4Atg

There may be an issue getting a prius motor to fit in a vanagon. I'm not sure about the dimensions. There are alot of factors to consider, cost, how to make it fit, making it work, weight, range, power
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83.5 Vanagon 1.9L Automatic
Country Homes Camper
Engel Fridge w/Solar

[llilibel03]

Good question. How hard could it be?

My van has a tiico conversion with less than 30,000 miles so it might be a long time before I need a new engine (I'm of the "if it aint broke don't fix it" mind set). But I foresee a lot of long road trips when I retire and my mpg is 16 city 19-20 highway.

I also see new Audis with 2.0Ts and think in ten years when my engine is toast maybe those will be a good swap.


ps- Prius engine looks tall

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87 syncro tintop
90 gl tin top
85 westy 2.0 tiico automatic (present)

[jackbombay]

[ledogboy]

The Prius relies on super low drag aerodynamics, and the van is a freaking breadbox. Renerative braking would need to be ported and there is no way a Prius engine would mate with a van transaxle, nor would the Prius transmission handle the weight of a loaded van (if it could even be somehow mated to van axles). Round peg, square hole. TDI is probably the move if MPG is your thing.
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1986 Westy Weekender
Now a full camper
1.8t Syncro conversion
Some people call him Maurice...

[djkeev]

I have a prius, no way can I see that amount of available power effectively moving a Vanagon!

Dave
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Stop Dead Photo Links how to post photos

Ghia
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=392473

Vanagon
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?p=6315537#6315537

Beetle
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=482968&highlight=74+super+vert

[dabaron]

[AZ Landshaper]

x2. I have to give some serious accelerator pedal to climb a hill in the prius with a full house (4 people). Turn on the AC and you might as well be driving the modern VW bug. The power in a 1.8L prius is abysmal.

For the 2016 Toyota Prius, output is 95 hp at 5200 rpm and 142 N·m (105 lb·ft) of torque at 3600 rpm (wiki).
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85 Weekender w/ EJ22
Previously
64, 71, 72, 73, 76, 81, 84, 85 & 87 Campmobiles and Westfalias
and a 67 bug.

[dabaron]

[82westyrabbit]

I was given a Prius to try that with but when I parked it under the van and started measuring it looked like I would have to do frame splicing to make it work. That was going to be more work than I was up for for. So I did some repairs on it and passed it on to another family member. Any thing can be done but there must be a better solution if you are looking for fuel mileage. John

[vanagonjr]

[szegedin7]

Prius-Vanagon is the ultimate dream. I've been pining for this for years.
Have both a Prius and a Vanagon in the family; the Prius actually has more horsepower than the van (110 vs what's left of 90) and is within 200lbs of the weight. (I weighed the van at a local dump -- please don't @ me with Westphalia specs). There's a point of view that says the Vanagon doesn't need more power -- y'all need to mellow out on the acceleration. The Prius feels underpowered because it's not light (curb 2900 lbs).

The aerodynamics are not a big factor at less than @45 mph -- the best mileage I ever got on the Prius was driving around Long Island suburban avenues. The Prius actually gets only slightly better highway mileage than a 2004 Corolla with automatic trans (@40).

A hybrid vanagon would probably come out a little lower than a Prius, but could make up for it with big plug-in batteries. That would be the Business. However, an electric only kind of defeats the purpose of a vanagon -- the long trips.

If VW just started selling the 1990 chassis with a four-cylinder hybrid drivetrain and air bags I would slap down my deposit tonight, but it doesn't add up for them financially.

The other great thing about hybrids is that when you drive them nicely, they aren't working too hard, and have great longevity. So you drive light around town, you can rack up many miles on that thing. Drive them like they're "underpowered" and it's just sort of an average Toyota. People with lead feet are why gas consumption (and co2 emmissions) are not going down while fuel economy improves, but I digress..

[RCWesty]

With the right motivation and skills anything is possible. I too have a westy and a prius (interesting similarities on thesamba) , but with other higher powered electric motors potentially available, it will be a matter of time before someone makes them plug and play. I saw this Honda a few weeks ago in South Reno take off like a bolt of lightning at a stop light. At first, I thought, man.. What the heck is that? Then, it tore off like a bat outa hell with near absolute silence. Perhaps when more teslas are discovered at pick n pulls, there will be innovations.

https://jalopnik.com/this-glorious-madman-stuffed-a-p85-tesla-drivetrain-int-1823461909
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89 Burgundy Westy (sold)
90 Blue Syncro Westy

[bobbyblack]

The idea of adding electric is great, and I want to do that too. BUT, the reality is that in a similar fashion to Star-Trek and Star-Wars, one is science fiction, and one is science fantasy.

We are at a point where having both gas power AND electric in one vehicle is actually worse for the atmosphere. Its a good idea to move forward, towards cleaner power, but doing both at the same time is only barely okay as a mid-point measure.
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'87 Westy 'Flossie','86 Westy 'R1','86 tintop GL - Subi2.2 'J2','83.5 stock tintop L 'ZoomBus','74 Karmann Ghia, '63 Notch

[dabaron]

[Zeitgeist 13]

As someone who's logged thousands of miles in Gen1/2 Prius (when I worked for the state), I can definitively state that it's not a drivetrain I would ever want for a mid-sized van. But it would make much more sense to use a FWD minivan platform than the oddball T3 arrangement. A Sienna is where you want to go with this idea.
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Casey--

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

[bobbyblack]

Z'g, ya, agree on the T3 platform layout issue. As for a Prius, Um.... well, a tintop base model IS lighter.. but you still have the issues with this being rated as a 1 ton load hauling capacity vehicle. Perhaps the notion has not yet crossed the OPs mind; there are hybrid Highlanders. Them are heavier, not a 1 ton load machine, by any means, but closer.

-bobby
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'87 Westy 'Flossie','86 Westy 'R1','86 tintop GL - Subi2.2 'J2','83.5 stock tintop L 'ZoomBus','74 Karmann Ghia, '63 Notch

[Abscate]

[caravelle c]

Comparable size of a Vanagon is a Porsche Cayenne. Porsche didn't put a 95hp 145Nm engine in its Cayenne hybrid.

[handjammer]

Check out the 2019 Crosstrek hybrid. It's the same 152hp 2L boxer but mated with Toyota's Prius Prime. Wouldn't that be a much more viable option?
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'87 tintop syncro w/ EJ22