by Thomas Gabriel
(TN)
I am converting a 1974 VW Beetle. Removing all equipment I don’t need, the car is real metal so it will never be truly light, but I need to be able to go 80 miles and top speed of 80. What size motor/ batteries would you recommend?
Hi, Thomas -
EV West makes a complete turnkey conversion kit for the 1956-1977 Volkswagen Beetle. It's got everything you need from the motor (AC-50 motor from HPEVS)to battery pack (126 v, Tesla Model S cells); once you install the kit in your Bug they say it will go 90 miles on a charge and top speed is 100 mph.
Even if you don't want to buy a kit or you're doing things from scratch, you can look at the parts list and understand what you're going to need for your conversion. These are the components that work best in your car, go the distance and speed you need, and fit in the available space. No need to reinvent the wheel if somebody else has already done it.
Hope this helps! Good luck with your project.
- Lynne