Front battery packMiddle battery pack
OwnerJoel Sell
LocationPhiladelphia, Pennsyvania US map
Email email image
Vehicle1979 Volkswagen Type2/ Bus
9 Passenger '79 VW bus
MotorAdvanced DC 9 Series Wound DC
It's heavy and has an accessory shaft.
vacmotorsports.com did my coupler. Ask for Aaron.
DrivetrainStock Transmission, no clutch
ControllerKelly
It's fancy.
Batteries20, 6.00 Volt,
They weigh like 65 lbs a piece and are not sealed.
System Voltage120 Volts
Charger
10 chargers, 12V 10amp to 2amp smart charger. One
charger for every 2 batteries.
HeaterI picked up a 120v space heater from a garage sale for 5
bucks and I "borrowed" my wife's hair dryer for the front
window defroster.
DC/DC Converter
Too freakin' expensive. I just have a deep cycle 12V to run
the 12v stuff. I will have to replace the battery a few times to
equal the cost of the DC/DC converter.
InstrumentationAmmeter, voltmeter and speedometer
Top SpeedThe bus is still in progress, but I'm thinking I'll get up to
50mph when I'm done. That's about as fast as I need to go.
Range50 Miles (80 Kilometers)
With 20 batteries, at 2 to 3 miles per battery, I'm looking at
approx 50 miles, maybe more.
Watt Hours/MileDon't know yet.
Seating CapacityNINE. I have 5 kids, so with me, my wife and all our kids, we
are 7. One more kid and we are out of our ICE mini-van. 9
passenger buses are rare nowadays, so I searched long and
hard for this one.
Conversion TimeAlmost 50 hours so far.
Conversion CostBetween 11 and 12k, including the cost of the bus.
I'm trying to keep the bus as stock looking as possible, with the wires running through
PVC pipes under the chassis and all the batteries, chargers and controller hidden under
the seats. This attempt has proven for some interesting engineering problems, but
nothing I haven't been able to handle so far. It's just taken more time than I expected.

10/15 update- still waiting on the machinist to finish the motor/tranny coupler, and
just a few wires left to attach. I don't have my vacuum pump yet, but it's coming.

10/17 HOT DOG! Picked up my coupler from the machinist yesterday.
vacmotorsports.com ask for Aaron. He worked with me and will take care of you.


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