ZAPPED BUG

VOLKSWAGENS make great candidates for electric conversions as they’re relatively simple, lightweight and most have no engine mounts, making engine swaps easy. Putting an electric motor on the transaxle of this 1971 Super Beetle was described as “super-simple” by converter James Pauly of Traction EV.

The motor is a Us-sourced Netgain Hyper 9 offering 88kw. The Beetle still has its factory transaxle and four-speed manual gearbox, while the flywheel and clutch are fitted to the electric motor, which is then bolted onto the transaxle as if it was a regular engine. On top of the motor is its controller/inverter, which is like a combustion engine’s ECU, injectors, heads and intake manifold all in one. It also takes your throttle and brake inputs, plus DC current from the battery pack and inverts it to AC three-phase to send to the motor. Keeping the Beetle dream alive, it’s still air-cooled! Well, partially. The motor enjoys cooling fresh air from those traditional Beetle vents, while the battery is liquid-cooled to about 30-35°C and the motor inverter cooled on a separate circuit at about 40-45°C. See those orange cables? They’re a legal requirement to show they’re running a hazardous amount of voltage – anything above 60 volts.