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Meet ZelectricBug, the amazing '63 VW Bug converted to EV power

No word a lie, we here at AutoblogGreen are fans of classic cars. What we are not fond of, however, is the pollution that their inefficient engines create, and so it's great to see our old favorites lovingly up-cycled with electric drivetrains. The ZelectricBug is a beautiful example of how new, cleaner life can be breathed into an old Volkswagen Beetle. Now, we first came across this particular automobile during the Refuel event last summer and we were struck by its cleanly done conversion then. Aside from a few snaps in our gallery, though, we didn't give it the kind of attention it deserves. Fortunately, the good folks over at Roads and Rides have rectified this by turning their pro video camera skills onto the 1963 V-Dub and producing a nice little segment to accompany their write up. Scroll below to see the finished footage and head over to their website for some stills. If all this gives you a hankering for your own Zelectric, the company does have plans to sell to the public starting this summer. If you don't want to wait, EV West, the guys who did the drivetrain work on this car, have conversion kits available for Beetles, as well as a number of other vehicles. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.

Cost-cutting measures put VW Beetle in jeopardy

Volkswagen is on a mission to cut costs. That means producing more models across its various brands based on the same platforms and powertrains, but the latest word from Germany has it that it will also mean cutting some of the VW brand's less successful models. First on the chopping block, according to German publication Der Spiegel, is the three-door version of the Polo, which will reportedly cede its place to the five-door version exclusively. The elimination of that model alone is said to save VW a good 200 million euros, putting it on its way towards reducing the brand's costs by a targeted five billion euros. The Polo isn't the only one in danger, though. The Eos, as we know, is not due to be replaced, but the future of the Beetle could be in jeopardy as well. The Beetle may be one of VW's most iconic models, but is hardly its most successful in terms of sales. With the 2014 annual report due to be released shortly, the last full-year sales figures had Volkswagen selling 109,517 Beetles in 2013. That may be more than four times the number of Scirocco models it sold, but hardly puts a dent in the 871,413 Jettas, 824,629 Golfs and 725,291 Polos it sold during the same year.

Recharge Wrap-up: Tesla charging times compared, VW's 70s hybrid tech

A video shows the difference in Tesla Model S charging speeds with different chargers. The video compares the 60- and 80-kWh versions of the car using a Tesla Supercharger, a CHAdeMo fast charger and Tesla's High Power Wall Connector (HPWC). With the Supercharger, both models charge from to 80 percent in 44 minutes. It's over an hour and a quarter for both cars with the CHAdeMo, but they're about neck and neck in terms of time. The HPWC takes the longest, with the 60-kWh car finishing long before the 85-kWh version. See the video above, and read more at Teslarati. Volkswagen had prototype hybrid technology back in the 1970s. A book called The Complete Book of Electric Vehicles by Sheldon Shacket describes the technology used in Volkswagen's Hybrid-Electric City Taxi prototype, which was based on the Type II microbus. It used the automaker's 1.6-liter air-cooled flat-four (borrowed from the Beetle) along with a Bosch DC shunt electric motor and 11 lead-acid batteries. Interestingly, the hybrid taxi prototype also featured an electric sliding door and a bulletproof bulkhead separating the driver from the passengers. Read more at Jalopnik, and at Green Car Reports. Country music star Lee Brice is going on tour fueled by biodiesel. Partnering with nonprofit environmental organization Reverb, Brice is using the biofuel to travel to college campuses. "We're hoping to offset the environmental impact of the tour by supporting clean energy projects and using buses and trucks fueled with locally produced biodiesel," says Brice, who is personally focused on natural preservation and water conservation. Read more at Domestic Fuel, or at The Boot. Related Gallery Tesla Model S: Quick Spin View 33 Photos News Source: Teslarati, Jalopnik, Green Car Reports, Domestic Fuel, The BootImage Credit: Copyright 2015 Drew Phillips / AOL Celebrities Green Tesla Volkswagen Alternative Fuels Biodiesel Electric Hybrid Videos recharge wrapup