In this episode a 1979 Volkswagen “Adventurewagen” Bus that we have converted to electric. This Bus uses a Hyper 9 motor and a 50kw Tesla battery pack. The entire system will be hidden from view. Check it out.
** Note to our viewers - This video is focused on the functional part of the EV conversion. The installation of the false-floor over the battery pack, and all other interior finishing will happen off-campus. We will hopefully cover that in a future video.
And I say thank you for that! Fitting a battery just the way you have, has been in my thoughts for my bay 74. Very nice of you to show the unfinished build. Please keep us posted on the range.
In Denmark 🇩🇰 where i live, it's illegal to convert old cars to electric.. But i hope to build a classic vehicle into electric one day. You guys inspires alot. Please keep up the good work.
This model is not a Safari btw but an Adventurewagen conversion. There are two types of Adventurewagen roofs, one with the luggage space at the back of the roof and this type with the small window behind on the roof.
I bought a Westfalia for conversion (same year 1979) and I fell in love with all the usable space and I am unwilling to sacrifice the space for batteries. However my next project is a 1968 double cab, which has a ton of space for batteries and I think is better suited for the conversion. I can't wait to get started on it.
Very nice work done on the VW, you guys are the best! I hope I can covert my VW T4 California to EV in the future! Keep up the good work! Greetings from Germany
I love the ding-ding button. Just a suggestion: I'd have little engraved plates with the function labels on the various knobs (especially the reverse one!) as I can see those printed ones fading in time :D
I have a 76 Westy and would LOVE to do this conversion! What did you end up getting for range with the 50kWh pack? Do you have a price tag for the parts involved? Would you make this a kit?? Good to hear Netgain finally offers an AC motor. I've been out of the scene for a few years, and only remember the Warp series of DC motors.
I love this I would definitely go camping -touring -exploring in something like this, the 120 mile range no problem I'll go exploring and get photos while its charging. Might even be temped to becoming one of those Van life people. 😁
I'd love to do this kind of work but I'm on the other side of the country. I applied at Proterra but I'm wondering is there an EV East shop or something?
We like setting the neutral regen stiff enough that motor-braking does most of the slow-downy work, without wearing down your pads and rotors, while using the motor to send juice back into the battery pack. We also program a modest amount of brake pedal regen into the system. In a sense, the regen is an augment to the stock brakes.
My last :-( VW bus was a 79 (also orange!) - top speed 85 on straight and level with no tail wind (on CA 101). Screaming, but it would hold the speed. I love the "UNLEADED FUEL ONLY" sticker on the steering wheel support....
@@glennbeattie6172 Been into buses for 30+ years and everyone has always called them frame rails. The fact that the body is welded to it doesn't make it any less a frame. it sure ain't a "pan"... that's what Type 1's, 3's, 4's sit on. regardless. it's 2 parallel beams perfect for cradling a battery pack into and along side.. No reason to sacrifice interior space in the way shown here.
So many space underneath the car and where the fuel tank used to be. I can't understand why you would put the battery inside the interior. Now you have a high-roof but won't be able to stand straight up.
I’m surprised that you can’t get more batteries in a VW van. It would seem to me to be the ideal platform. How would mounting the batteries underneath the floor? Wouldn’t that give more battery space? If you are using Tesla batteries, can’t you put the Tesla charging mount in so you could go to Superchargers?
Can those batteries be mounted under the floor instead? Not a great solution as it sits if you have your original interior, and not great in tintop or poptop buses as you loose quite a bit of headroom. Also when you add things like internal electrics, etc, will that all be able to run off the EV batteries, or will a second leisure battery still be needed, if so how is that charged, and if you do run the leisure electrics off the EV system, can the bus then be charged at say a campsite using standard hookups?
Way more labour intensive to do that, and very likely structural parts get in the way so that you could maybe only fit 6 packs or so. This is the most cost effective way to convert it, and since it has a high top the lost headroom is not that big of an issue.
Orange is my favorite color. My body was born in the same year as that van. My next car is gonna be an electric van. I wonder if I can find a german garage which does a conversion like that...
5:10 Shouldn't that thin double-strand orange wire be in a guard or something? It will rub against metal while driving, the insulation will rub through and you'll get a short.
Anyone with an automatic T3 should do this conversion. They suck petrol at a rate of 18miles per gallon for not much power so this would be a hell of an upgrade.
Wow. I love it. I have a 2000 Chrysler town and country that I would like to convert it to ev. By removing the engine and replacing it with a Nissan Leaf motor or Tesla motor and use Tesla battery underneath or Nissan Leaf battery.
Not much happens. The controller will start to slowly ramp up regain, unless your foot is lifted off throttle in which case the vehicle just coasts. We demonstrate this during test rides at the shop since it's a concern, and it's nice to show it's safe.
is this fun for louis bus? How much to convert to electric just like this one i have a bus and I'm trying to decide which route to take subaru vw or electric
I would still add speakers to it and give it the proper VW sound. part of the charm of the VW is the fact it sounds like a sewing machine , at higher speeds you can have it turn off.
First, let me tell you I am not an adrenaline fan, nor I do care on maintaining the original looking facade of car. I am mostly for comfort and practicality, not speed or performance. What I want to know where I could go to have either my standard 2007 Kia Sedona Minivan short Wheelbase, or my 2010 Chrysler T&C Touring minivan with 4.0L engine, converted to full EV. I am OK with a 0-60 mph acceleration of about 6-7 seconds, and cruising speeds of 65-70 MPH in the highway, and with a minimum range of 220+ miles on a single charge, and to be able to charge anywhere by any system- Tesla, CCs or CHAdeMO. So who could do that? I live in Houston Texas. Thanks for any advice. Jorge
I am impressed by the car, except for the charging piece; Why do you need a switch to enable a second charger? There is supposed to be communication between the charging point and the car about the available charging power so why a manuel process for this? Also, what about DC fast charging?
The switch adds flexibility in where you can charge by lowering the charge current. Many older houses and some locations can't charge at the higher rate without tripping a circuit breaker, so this allows a lower power setting that can safely charge at any 110V outlet in the US, but also has the flexibility of a much faster charge rate when the location allows for it. As an added benefit, if you have the extra time to charge (say, overnight) the lower charge rate will extend the life of the batteries.
Unfortunately the range of 120miles isn’t a seller for me, where I go in the uk is over 370 miles away, it would take me days to get there with charging times. The Ev is good for local but as much use as tits on a fish for trips away
I used to own a '74 camper, and it had issues, sure, but I want it to sound like an air-cooled engine, which is half the fun of owning/driving an old VW Bug/Kombi, not sound like like a golf cart! Get those ranges up to 500 miles, and universal availability of charging stations (I live in South America) and I "may" consider going electric - but not in an air-cooled VW!
There are 2 large air scoops that originally brought air into the engine bay. Now with all the electrical components how do you keep Rain Out but allow outside Air IN? Folks could easily Save 66% on the huge cost for batteries buy buying their own small lithium batteries and connect them together with metal strips either in Series or Parallel. Not complicated…just busy work.
