Anyone ever contemplated/researched powering their dub by electricky?

hmm... if it were electric id have to stick a baseball card through the wheels so it would still make a dak-dak dak-dak noise

The power source (Eg: Batteries) would be too heavy wouldn't they? Or perhaps the space issue?
-Staggers.

Mine's running on 6 volts. Does that make it twice as economic as those running on 12?
- Adam

theres a guy in the US does it for 914s and splitters. DC Battery power...Range 60 miles, top speed 65miles per hour...he's got it running in a red single cab splitter.

thinking about it - would be easy to do - no auxillaries like air-con, power steering, vacuum brakes to worry about. The beetle is also relatively light. you can distribute the batteries in the front and behind/under the seats to even out weight distribution..

check out this:
a toyota echo in brisbane:
http://www.electric-echo.com/ 

US electric car site:
http://www.cloudelectric.com/homepage.html;$sessionid$1QCNQYIAABFCHTZENUFHBMW...

electric porsches
http://www.ztac.net/porsche.htm 

and the elecky vw dubs, kit cars and 914s
http://www.electroauto.com/gallery/vw-air.shtml 

electric ghia
http://www.renewables.com/Transport/KarmanGhia.htm 

eclectric 550 spyder...hmmmm nice
http://www.ohler.com/ev/spyder/ 

there's a heap of electric cars in the states - although they have recharging stations, tax breaks and can drive in transit lanes....

just need to add up costs and the distance you want to travel here.

There was an electric Type 3 on ebal a while back

Bix on some one up north knew about it.

This was my post but the ebal link has gone

http://forums.aussieveedubbers.com/viewtopic.php?tid=35562#pid308594 

If you really want to get about on the cheap, get a motorbike licence. I can get 200 to 220kms on a tank of fuel from my Harley Davidson. Fuel costs about 10 to 12 dollars a tank. That's about $6 per hundred k's!! That includes giving it a good fang, not just driving it like a grandma!! I can remember a time when I could fill up my type 3 for under twenty bucks!!! I used to get really peeved when petrol hit 60cent's per litre (bread cost one and sixpence I think? - now I really sound like an old fart!). Ok so you get wet when it rains (use the car), you will probably become a better driver (no steel to protect you when you f**k up!!) and you can earn instant street cred next time you encounter one of those pesky rice burners with the twist of your right hand (no dirty thoughts please, this is a family oriented forum thankyou). All you have to do now is work out how much you want to spend on a bike. Believe me, you will be amazed at the freedom that 2 wheels has to offer. Save your beloved VW for special occasions and get about town on the cheap. Have your cake and eat it! mmmm yummy!
Oh, and if your parents tell you how dangerous it is etc, etc, then tell them to come along and get their licence as well. I did and now my dad, brother, girlfriend have all got their licence (my mother is now going pillion with my old man and may get her licence as well). You only get one chance at life so grab it by the balls. If I am going to hell, it's on my Harley. My type 3 will be kept safely in the garage as it is a family heirloom!! I should know, I T'boned a Commodore with my Harley and wrote my bike off. At least the bike was a 97' model and not my Type 3. Bikes can be replaced but VWs are forever!!!
- Adam.

I wanna do that to my Daihatsu!
-Staggers.

yeah what happened to that electric type 3 fasty did anyone grab it?? who ever did would be laughing now what with petrol prices!!

couldn't do it to a porsche (except 914), but the bus will cop a fuel cell conversion when parts become available.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/7206396/ 

have been thinking about this for a second car, would be great to have an electric station hack, the type3 wagon of mine would be perfect. just cant imagine the cost of the engine and cost if something goes wrong. anyone know about the costs of setting one up? or the legalities?

There is an electric Ford Mustang here in WA. The front and rear are full of batteries and the engine has been replaced with an electric motor which still runs through the gearbox. It was done cheaply, easily and inefficiently and it goes quite well as a commuter car.

I think that it is necessary to get ADR approval to convert a car to electric drive.

It has been done often and there are all sorts of electric cars all over the world. It has never been popular with the buying public because they want the performance and range of an ordinary car, which is of course difficult and expensive. If getting you to the railway station/work/shops/school and back is all that you want it will work quite well.

I know that if I had one I would put a sign on the back saying something like, "Don't abuse me for being slow, I'm electric and I cost bugger all to run".

lecky cars aren't slow! check out electric car drag racing!
http://www.nedra.com/record_holders.html 

there's a link to a street legal datto 1200 - 12 sec quarter and 0-100 in 3.5 secs...
all that with no super chargers or turbos..probably wont get you to work and back though...

putting an electric motor in a big amercian muscle car is probably not the smartest thing (they are heavy)...less weight = go further. thats where a 700-800 kg beetle would be good. the aerodynamics let it down a bit, but for around town (

There was a blue electric Beetle in Bendigo a few years ago, was the project of a Tech School.
I saw one in Darwin a few years back at a VW workshop I visit, was still being built at the time.
Cheers.

thanks for all the responses, have looked into this a little more, and the prohibitive thing is cost. I thought it'd be expensice to rebuild the vw, but you wouldn't get into electric for under about $13k!.... maybe china will turn out some cheaper stuff soon....
r,
james

True cram. Electric cars can be either fast or have a good range. It's very difficult to get both. If you don't mind driving at about 60km/h maximum you will have a useful commuter car, but you will be in the way of most other cars at the same time, because they have much better acceleration.

Putting an electric motor into a Mustang is not such a bad idea. It has the strength to carry the weight of the lead acid batteries and it has adequate brakes to stop what is a heavy car. Loading a Beetle down with big heavy batteries could easily overload it and make it difficult to stop and therefore potentially dangerous.

Just need a really long extension cord....
;-)

Nah, Just buy one of those cheap 2 stroke gensets and mount it in the engine bay

its all got to do with magnets thats the way of the future