Electric conversions-- on the way?

[Abscate]

That sounds way too high for hydro.

Also , CO2 has ocillated between 250-350 ppm for a million years, and now has jumped to 450 ppm. That’s a lot more than 1% man made
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.ssS!

[Christopholi]

With range seemingly the biggest concern for an electric Vanagon, has anyone done a Chevy Volt style? A primarily electric vehicle, but with a small gas powered generator to keep the batteries topped up when necessary. The range on those are farther than most fully gas powered vehicles.
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1988 Tintop Wolfsburg Special Edition - "Meatloaf"
RMW 2.5 Subaru, SubaruGears 5MT 4.44 w/LSD, Coast Mountain Hightop

[Team WorldTour]

I've had this fantasy using one (or more) RC gas turbine engines for electro generation. I guess it would work on the same concept as a diesel/ electric train, but with batteries as well.
Also, the turbines can burn just about anything, so petro chemicals can go right out the window...
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1990 Feldjäger Syncro AAZ
Click to view image
H6 Subaru Engine Swap Thread
WV2ZZZ25ZFH094138(x)/ WV2YB0257LH057308(x)/ WV2ZZZ25ZLG113270/
"Where am I going? And what am I doing in this handbasket?" -Nicodemus Jordan
When All Else Fails: Lather, Rinse, Repeat!

[Paulbeard]

[yabert]

My Vanagon is 100% electric. Paint is horrible, but it's really pleased to drive.
The way to do a conversion there days is to used a new, but crash, electric car. You can have ‘’perfectly functional’’ brand new (5-20K miles) electric car declared total for few $$$$.
Mine is build from a 2017 Chevrolet Bolt, but you can use a Tesla, a Kona EV, Nissan Leaf, Jaguar Ipace or others.
So, the nickname of my van is Vanabolt.

The mains reasons to drive electric:
Performance: 266 lbs-ft of torque from 0 rpm up to 4000 rpm and 200hp. This move the van a lot. If you want, this van is really sportier with no loss time of transmission shifting (1 single speed ratio).
Do you know what 1862 lbs-ft of torque at wheel can do? All this torque is always ready and instantly available under the right foot and this is awesome. It’s not comparable with the slow time reaction/transmission shifting time of a ICE vehicle.
Regen: The regeneration of energy (charge the battery). At each time you want to slow down the van, the motor can reverse and charge the battery with the kinetic energy of the moving van. You can almost always drive with only the accelerator pedal. No more worn brake pads or heated brake because during downhill you simply fill the battery. Same at each stop/red light.
Reliability: You know that a 2017-2020 electric car is way more reliable than a VW from 4-5 decade ago. Electric car are specially reliable with really few moving parts in the powertrain.
No noise: What a pleasant advantage! Of course in those old vans, there is no real difference at highway speed, but it’s so nice to move around at city speed, on the campground or in the wood without any noise.
No fume: Personally, I enjoy the fact that smelling other things than barely burned gas and oil. Don’t have to tell my kid to stay away of the tail pipe when I start the van and no fume problem in a garage.
Low operation cost: Right, electricity is cheap here, we are lucky. So the cost to drive 300 km can be as low than free* to 4$ (*some charge station are free).

Of course, I have to charge my Vanabolt (from 100% hydro here). Most of the time this happened when I sleep and take up to 8 hours to obtain 200-300 km of range (125-190 miles). Range will very in function of speed, climate, driving skills…. wheels alignment
There is also thousand of fast charge stations available today and with a fast charge I can obtain 100 km (60 miles) of range in 20-30 mins or a full charge in a bit more than one hour. Some other electric vehicle can charge faster than this. The Chevy Bolt isn’t recognise to have high performance at the fast charge station.

Anyway, electric car are awesome and my vanagon is way more pleasant to drive since it has loose his fuel burner engine.
Sorry for my bad english, I'm french Canadian

[Abscate]

In NOW+5 years ICE engines will be obsolete and you will have to trade them in..

buy NOW buy NOW buy NOW!!!
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.ssS!

[shagginwagon83]

How much did the conversion cost you? Did you do it yourself and was it pretty easy?
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Brandon
"Jo Ann" - '83.5 Westfalia EJ22e w/Peloquin
Instagram @joannthevan

[felixbobcat]

Yabert! Yes, more info and pictures. I've thought of this conversion myself with a wrecked Bolt. I have a Bolt and love its performance and have thought one would be a perfect donor for my Westfalia.

[yabert]

More full electric detail here: https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=723737

[ELO78]

Here's an interesting article:

https://jalopnik.com/volkswagen-will-now-convert-classic-beetles-to-electric-1837900039

[Team WorldTour]

It started as an Air-Cooled, and it has the same rear power set-up. Logically, I'd say yes, it's possible.
_________________
1990 Feldjäger Syncro AAZ
Click to view image
H6 Subaru Engine Swap Thread
WV2ZZZ25ZFH094138(x)/ WV2YB0257LH057308(x)/ WV2ZZZ25ZLG113270/
"Where am I going? And what am I doing in this handbasket?" -Nicodemus Jordan
When All Else Fails: Lather, Rinse, Repeat!

[ZsZ]

Looks like it has a battery pack instead of floor pan
You would loose a lot of ground clearance there
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Zoltan
1.9 MTdi 2wd Multivan (ex Caravelle)
Van since 2006, engine since 2008

[Irishcalifornian]

I'm gonna use a wind turbine to charge the battery while I drive. (I'm being sarcastic by the way for any future comments).

[Team WorldTour]

So, this is a plan for the not-so-distant future.
https://e-syncro.potz1000.ch/
_________________
1990 Feldjäger Syncro AAZ
Click to view image
H6 Subaru Engine Swap Thread
WV2ZZZ25ZFH094138(x)/ WV2YB0257LH057308(x)/ WV2ZZZ25ZLG113270/
"Where am I going? And what am I doing in this handbasket?" -Nicodemus Jordan
When All Else Fails: Lather, Rinse, Repeat!

[Abscate]

[RoryGirl]

[90weekender]

These BMW i8 motors are becoming available 2nd hand. This one is the front axle motor and makes me wonder if it would fit where the spare tire goes on my 2wd.

https://www.pacificmotors.com/auto-parts-shop/bmw/...2014-18-2/

In it’s overall architecture the i8 drive train is an example of how I’d transform my van. Would cost a fortune, but it’d be quite an interesting Syncro.

R

[Team WorldTour]

Am I to understand, that this motor is for one wheel?
if so, how much hrsprs is it putting out?
If it's pushing enough horses, I'd say it could take the engine bay (seeing as how the motor is now homeless!).
There was a French couple that mounted an electric motor to their Syncro tranny. They modified the trans to be R-G-L-H.

Or, maybe one left-rear, one right-rear, and one mid-ship to power the front differential.... $0.02
_________________
1990 Feldjäger Syncro AAZ
Click to view image
H6 Subaru Engine Swap Thread
WV2ZZZ25ZFH094138(x)/ WV2YB0257LH057308(x)/ WV2ZZZ25ZLG113270/
"Where am I going? And what am I doing in this handbasket?" -Nicodemus Jordan
When All Else Fails: Lather, Rinse, Repeat!

[pinetreeporsche]

[designer]

I know a guy up here that’s put a Prius engine in a 67. Lots of fab work. Had it on a rotisserie and made it happen.
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87 Syncro Westy : 2.5l

"It is that annoying, accelerating downhill so I can make it up the next hill in the same gear. Foot to floor hoping I can get out of the way of other cars getting onto the highway." - somebody on here around 2013.