| Owner | Jon Glauser | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Owner's Other EVs | 1983 Toyota Tercell SR 5 Ranch King | ||||||
| Location | Boise, Idaho US map | ||||||
| Web/Email | WebPage | ||||||
| Vehicle | 1973 Volkswagen Superbeetle pale blue green, stock everything | ||||||
| Motor | D&D Motor Systems, Inc. ES-31 Series Wound DC a bit small, but it works OK. I'm worried about it getting too hot. | ||||||
| Drivetrain | stock 4 speed, no clutch | ||||||
| Controller | Curtis 1231C | ||||||
| Batteries | 20 Exide GC2-H, 6.00 Volt, Lead-Acid, Flooded Basic golf car batteries supplied through NAPA. They sag a lot (IMO). | ||||||
| System Voltage | 120 Volts | ||||||
| Charger | Quickcharge 120v/12a big heavy transformer based semi-smart charger. Seems to be isolated. No user adjustments to voltage or current. Pulls 17-18 amps from the outlet, not good for 15A circuits! | ||||||
| Heater | Twin hair dryers modified always on high heat/high speed ducted into the body heater tubes under the rear seat. 3600 watts of heat ought to warm it up quick! | ||||||
| DC/DC Converter | HWZ 120->12V 300W Isolated 300W converter. So far so good. Seems ok when the output is short circuited (whoops). | ||||||
| Instrumentation | Link-10, voltmeter, ammeter (Westach). The voltmeter seems to stick a little. | ||||||
| Top Speed | 50 MPH (80 KPH) still unknown. I've had it up to 50 a couple of times. | ||||||
| Acceleration | seems the same as the old ICE | ||||||
| Range | 30 Miles (48 Kilometers) expected range. I've had it as far as 20 miles in start-stop traffic on 35 and 40 MPH roads to 60% DOD. | ||||||
| Watt Hours/Mile | 262 Wh/Mile From the battery, average speed. 332 Whr/mile form the wall. | ||||||
| EV Miles |
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| Seating Capacity | 2 adults | ||||||
| Curb Weight | 0 I'm sure it's a little over the GVW of 2844lbs with two adults in it! I need to find a scale. | ||||||
| Tires | Big O M+S 165R15 86S | ||||||
| Conversion Time | 180 hours | ||||||
| Conversion Cost | $11,000 | ||||||
| Additional Features | Upgraded to disk brakes in the front (needed). Changed rear torsion bars to 28mm (26mm would have been better, and/or add coil-over shocks to help distribute the weight). Spare tire is still accessible. Insulated and covered (in the cab) batteries. | ||||||
| I did the conversion for a local Boise resident. She owns it and drives it now. She is very happy with it! | |||||||
1973 Volkswagen Super Beetle
“Electric Bug”
Last Updated 10-21-2008
Copyright © 1997-2009 by Mike Chancey