Converting classic cars into EVs has been picking up steam with everything from classic Ford Mustangs and MGBs to old favorites like Volkswagen Beetles and Buses having their engines and gas tanks swapped for motors and batteries.
Mark Gilbert’s 1974 Volkswagen Super Beetle generates plenty of attention wherever he goes thanks to his EV conversion, which he estimates took him about a 100-days of labor over the course of more than two years.
And it’s still not done. But that’s really more because Mark likes to tinker. For example, he started out by putting the batteries in the trunk before deciding to move them behind the rear seats.
Then he decided he wanted to turn his EV into what he calls a “Florida Swamp Buggy.”
Mark did the work himself, buying most of the components from Texas-based EV conversion company Hawkeye Innovations, LLC.
“I retired about five years ago and I was an aircraft mechanic, but I didn’t have a strong electrical background,” he said, adding he watched lots of YouTube how-to videos, including a bunch by Jehu Garcia, who is closely associated with EV West, a Californian a EV conversion company. Garcia converted his 1957 Volkswagen Samba Bus to EV.
Mark’s Beetle has five Tesla Model S modules that make up his 27kWh battery pack. They power a Netgain Hyper9 Motor.
The brains of the conversion is a System Control Module (SCM) from Hawkeye, which Mark says the company will customize for just about any automotive application.
Beetles are among the easiest cars to convert to EVs because they have so few electrical components to start with as compared to modern cars. So Mark didn’t have to worry about powering things like the steering, air conditioning, radio or windows. But for those that do want modern amenities, Mark says Hawkeye can wire up a SCM to power all sorts of accessories.
Since the video was originally produced, he’s also added a milk jug and motorized flapper that creates a rumble sound effect that’s become a viral sensation
Perhaps one of the most unique pieces of the conversion is the motorcycle throttle. Mark put in a switch that allows him to either drive with a traditional foot pedal, or the throttle. Using the throttle is much more precise and allows for faster acceleration.
Mark estimates his Super Beetle’s acceleration is about three times as fast as VW’s old air cooled engine.
There’s a lot more detail, including a road test of Mark’s Super Beetle in the video at the top of this post. If you enjoy the video please give it a like and subscribe to the EV Rider YouTube channel so I can bring you more adventures in EV motoring.
