Michigan man creates electric Bug, hopes to commercialize
We've seen electric Bugs before, and we're likely to keep seeing them in the future for a variety of reasons. First, the platform is cheap and VeeDub sold so many of the little rear-engined buggers that there are lots of them to be had. Second, the air-cooled drivetrain is dead simple and is contained all in one little place, making conversions a relatively simple affair. Last, but certainly not least, the Beetle's light weight - much of which is due to its unique body-on-pan construction - makes for an excellent platform for an electric car.
The latest such Bug EV is called the Lightning Bug and comes courtesy of an aftermarket golf cart manufacturer from Michigan named Dale King. With the recent business slowdown, King has had enough time to concentrate on the electric vehicle project and has reportedly spent just $13K to create a vehicle that's capable of hitting 70 miles per hour for distances of up to 100 miles. Those are pretty good specs for a conversion, but we're left wondering what kind of motor, batteries or controller are being used. Whatever the case, King would like to begin commercializing the product, so we may know more in time. Thanks for the tip, Steve!
[Source: MLive]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Jon 3:40PM (1/15/2009)
Why not convert something that has some modern safety features like air bags, crush zones, etc.? I would rather live through an accident than save money on fuel. W
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Paul Sallmen 4:10PM (1/15/2009)
Jon,
Do-it-yourselfers have had limited choice regarding batteries (mostly lead acid). They are a 100 year-old design, have low energy storage ability and add a horrific amount of weight to the vehicle. The main advantage is they're a proven technology. As a result, for the sake of range, a light vehicle (pre-crumple zone/air bag era) is often chosen for conversions. Common choices have been not only old VW Beetles, but also 1980s VW Rabbit, 1980s/early 90s Honda Civic, 1980s/90s Chevy S10, Ford Ranger (lots of batteries can fit in the back), 1980s/90s Swift/Firefly/Sprint/Metro, etc, etc.
In terms of newer cars, I have seen conversions of a Toyota Yaris and a VW New Beetle. An SUV is pretty much out of the question. Even if the entire back was filled up with lead acid batteries, I doubt you'd get much more than 50 km of range on flat ground on a warm day.
Certainly as batteries improve, modern car conversions will become more feasible, but by then, the major car manufacturers will be offering their own EVs, so most people will simply by the new EV which has had its own testing (by the manufacturer) and will come with a guarantee. Do-it-yourselfers will remain a niche, albeit existent, none the less, market.
Check out this cool website to see what people have converted: http://www.evalbum.com/
Phil L. 4:44PM (1/15/2009)
I've been shopping for an affordable EV that can handle my short commute for some time and, like Jon, have been discouraged by the lack of EVs that include basic active safety features like airbags and ABS. C'mon - light, affordable donor vehicles with these features have been around for quite some time now.
Old bugs aren't as common as they used to be. In my own mid-Atlantic region, most have either finally given in to rust, or have become garage queens. It's also becoming more difficult to find decent examples of other potential donors listed by Paul above.
Meanwhile, I see precious few people attempting conversion of modern, readily available donors.
I've mentioned this before; I'll say it again: I think a Ford Focus would make a decent donor.
It's a good size (big enough to be useful; small enough to be light, with a decent Cd). Common enough to be found for reasonable money, and good part availability. Can be found in several body styles (coupe, sedan, wagon) and they aren't terribly hard to find with a manual transmission. New enough to have modern safety equipment (specifically, ABS and airbags, missing from most conversion projects). I've seen on-line references to one recent Focus conversion (though the project documentation is silent on the topic of keeping ABS and airbag functionality).
Still hoping to find an EV that works for me...
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Andy 9:11PM (1/15/2009)
Modern cars car are managed by fairly complex electronic systems. You need some pretty specialist electronic knowledge to fit an electric drive, without buggering up other aspects of the car.
On older cars you can get by with basic electrical knowledge.
Phil L. 7:16AM (1/16/2009)
I'll preface this with "I'm an electrical engineer, so my bias may not be in line with an average person..."
Many airbag and ABS systems aren't all that complicated. They're designed to be implemented with standardized modules and sensors designed to fit a large number of cars with minimal application differences.
Quick only-slightly-related example: My '86 Mustang was built well before the ABS era. But Mustang axle and brake components are often swappable between model years; later axle/brake combos are a common bolt-on performance upgrade for 80s-era Mustangs. I discovered someone who did just this on another '86 Mustang. Of course, the ABS sensors are part of the axle/hub assembles - so this person also brought along the wiring and other ABS brake components, and ended up with an ABS-equipped '86 Mustang. Cool!
A donor car that already has existing ABS/airbag systems is a far easier situation: All the original components are in place, set up the way the OEM intended. Mostly, you need a super dependable supply to power such systems - and make sure the ICE removal process doesn't damage other system components or remove critical inputs. It can get complicated (example: ABS doesn't generally care what the now-missing ICE engine is doing - but traction control systems do; implementing ABS/traction control as part of an EV conversion could be fairly difficult and might involve "fooling" sensors with extra hardware and software).
I didn't say it was easy - but it isn't magic, and I suspect it can be more straightforward that some people would have you believe.
There are many ABS and airbag systems whose characteristics are well-known in the DIY/performance community (one big problem: OEMs often don't like to release detailed internal information about these systems). I'd like to see this knowledge spill over into the EV conversion community. Much of the rest of the world will never take EV conversions seriously if they don't have basic safety gear that's been readily available with ICEs for the last 10-15 years.
JDred 3:30AM (1/16/2009)
I'll second Phil. Where are old Beetles that there are "lots to be had"?? Unless you can get a shell from Mexico, they just aren't around like they were thirty years ago.
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GoodCheer 1:18PM (1/16/2009)
An eBay search right now finds 140 for sale. A search on Cars.com finds 76. There may be some overlap in the listings, but not much.
Surely not as many as 30 years ago, but really not hard to find.
Phil L. 3:53PM (1/16/2009)
GoodCheer -
As soon as I limit that eBay old-Beatle search to entries within 200 miles of my east-coast zip code, the total drops to 11.
Most from this list are heavily customized or so original/collectible that they're simply too pricey to be used as an EV donor. Some remaining entries look to be rust buckets.
Yes, they can still be found. Personally, I have a hard time justifying the effort and expense required for an EV conversion of such a dated donor.
Chris M 10:39PM (1/15/2009)
I don't know what type of motor or controller he is using, but I can be certain he isn't using lead acid batteries, they wouldn't give that kind of range. It could be using NiMH, but much more likely some type of LiIon battery.
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Phil L. 7:23AM (1/16/2009)
The web site claims they use PbA AGM (lead acid, absorption-gas mat technology) batteries.
It's *really* rare to find an EV conversion with NiMH batteries, let alone lithium. It's just too pricey and lithium-specific charger/controller hardware isn't as readily available.
Sadly far more common: Publishing new-battery, sunny-day, max-performance EV range and speed figures as though they'd be typical day-in, day-out results.
ambush 11:51PM (1/15/2009)
there is much more info on his site, it's actually a pretty comprehensive kit for the money. Although the only custom part is the motor mount.
http://rebirthauto.com/
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Dolphyn 10:25AM (1/16/2009)
I think that is a completely different company, since they appear to be based in Florida and the website does not describe the new design with 100 mile range.
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Dolphyn 10:34AM (1/16/2009)
(Sorry, my comment above was intended as a response to "ambush" regarding rebirthauto.com)
By the way, there are still plenty of old Beetles in my area, where rust is not common. There are at least four of them on my block, and I see them out on the streets all the time. Almost 150 old Beetles are listed for sale on Ebay right now.
Phil L. 11:39AM (1/16/2009)
My apologies. You're right: They aren't related.
That said, the original article is really short on technical detail like battery chemistry used in this particular project. Given the costs involved, I still find it very hard to believe he used Li-ion. Of course, I also find an unverified 100 mile range claim to be hard to believe, as well.