Find or Sell Used Cars, Trucks, and SUVs in USA

Electric 1978 Super Beetle Convertible on 2040-cars

Year:1978 Mileage:37750
Location:

Boulder, Colorado, United States

Boulder, Colorado, United States
Body Type:Convertible
Vehicle Title:Clear
Fuel Type:Electric
Engine:Electric
For Sale By:Private Seller
Year: 1978
Mileage: 37,750
Make: Volkswagen
Model: Beetle - Classic
Trim: Convertible
Drive Type: Electric
Condition: UsedA vehicle is considered used if it has been registered and issued a title. Used vehicles have had at least one previous owner. The condition of the exterior, interior and engine can vary depending on the vehicle's history. See the seller's listing for full details and description of any imperfections.Seller Notes:"Excellent condition"

1978 VW Beetle Convertible converted to electric power!


This car is in excellent condition. It was a California car when I bought it with no rust or body damage, and since then I've had it painted and put in a new interior, all in two-tone black and tan.  It has a new top, new tires, rebuilt front suspension, upgraded rear suspension, and 10 new batteries. It is a very cool-looking, sharp car that gets compliments from everyone--college guys to housewives, everyone loves this car.


I bought the electric kit from e-volks.com. It is a 120 volt system, and I just put in ten brand-new deep cycle marine batteries--I have receipts and have only driven it about 10 miles since. There are eleven, 12-volt batteries total. One of them works all the electrics--(headlights, etc.), and the others power the motor. 8 are where the back seat used to be and 3 are in the front trunk. I've had the suspension upgraded to handle the weight, and the car drives and handles well. The main batteries are deep cycle marine type lead acid. It has two on-board chargers--one programmable for the main battery pack, and a smaller charger for the accessory battery. Plug the car in and all batteries are charged at the same time. I plug it in at night and in the morning it's ready to go with a full charge.



Range is about 20 miles or so until you're down to a 50% charge. Top speed is about 60 mph, but the car is happiest in the 40-50 mph range. This car really works well as an urban runabout--I feel like it has better power and pickup than it did when it was gas, at least up to about 40 mph or so. I've had a lot of fun driving it since I built it a few years ago--until recently it was my daily-driver. It's given me 5000 trouble-free miles, but keep in mind that I built it in my garage from a kit and therefore don't guarantee or warranty anything. I'd like it to be sold to an electric-car enthusiast who understands what this car is about and how to care for it.


I've put about $15k into it, but am willing to sell it for much less. I'm only selling it because I bought a new Chevy Volt. Ask me anything and I'll do my best to answer!




Auto Services in Colorado

Wreckmasters Body and Frame ★★★★★

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Phone: (866) 595-6470

Wizard Transmissions ★★★★★

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Address: 2271 W Evans Ave, Aurora
Phone: (888) 690-3854

Tire Warehouse ★★★★★

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Auto blog

North American production of foreign marques to jump in 2014

Sun, 23 Dec 2012

Wards Auto has released its North American Light Vehicle Production Forecast for 2014, and the report predicts foreign manufacturers will increase production on the continent some 3.9 percent by 2014. If accurate, that should see 123,000 additional cars, trucks and vans produced in North America, swelling the total number of units produced both by domestic and foreign manufacturers to 16.9 million light vehicles from a projected 15.6 million in 2013. Much of the increase can be attributed to the fact that Toyota intends to produce another car at its Blue Springs, MS plant as well as a new Lexus model at its Georgetown, KY facility in a year's time.
Likewise, Volkswagen intends to move production of a currently imported model to its plant in Puebla, Mexico. Daimler, Honda, Nissan and Mazda also plan to build additional models on North American soil for the first time. Around two-thirds of the new North American manufacturing will take place in Mexico, helping the country soak up a full 20 percent of the content's automotive production for the first time. You can head over to the Wards Auto site for the full report.

Yes, a family of 5 can live in a 1981 VW Westfalia van

Fri, Feb 14 2014

Automakers and marketers trying to reach environmentally conscious consumers who desire the simple life basically have two strategies: promote electric vehicles that can be charged through green energy or sell a 30-year-old Volkswagen van on Craigslist. Nicolas Boullosa and Kirsten Dirksen opted for Plan B and turned a 1981 Volkswagen Westfalia camper into a "micro-living" experiment. The co-founders of the simple living website faircompanies packed up their van and three young children for a road trip through the Pacific Northwest. They even turned the adventure into a documentary called Summer of (Family) Love, which you can view below. It's two hours long, so maybe add this to your weekend viewing list. They limited themselves to one backpack per person into a camper that they purchased off Craigslist and named "Westy." They stuck to their original intention of cooking all their own meals off a propane stove, creating a new little home every night in a different location, mostly spaces outside RV parks. They met up with other enthusiasts of the "tiny house" community who live like nomads. They were able to interview a few of then and, "With each stop we picked up some new piece of wisdom about life's essentials," Dirksen wrote in the faircompanies blog. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. News Source: Faircompanies via Treehugger Green Volkswagen Green Culture Transportation Alternatives vw van westfalia

VW reveals Outback-rivaling Golf Alltrack ahead of Paris

Wed, 24 Sep 2014

The Volkswagen Passat Alltrack is getting a baby brother at this year's 2014 Paris Motor Show in the form of a new Golf Alltrack. Like its larger sibling, the little wagon is supposed to offer light-duty off-road driving ability combined with a more rugged look to show it off.
To give the Golf Alltrack that soft-road ability, VW is outfitting the wagon with its latest 4Motion all-wheel drive system from Haldex. The setup can decouple power from the rear-axle when not needed to save fuel. To further improve traction, the Alltrack gets VW's electronic differential lock, and the car can individually brake its inside wheel during hard cornering for better handling.
Volkswagen also wants the Alltrack to be able to visually show that it can handle getting away from the pavement, even though it starts life as a standard Golf wagon. That means jacking up the suspension an extra 0.75 inches and adding black moldings all the way around the car. There are also redesigned bumpers for the front and rear and silver underbody protection, plus new accents like anodized roof rails and silver mirror caps. The interior is essentially unchanged from the wagon, except for altered trim and Alltrack badges.