1966 Beetle Electric Conversion

The Story: Bertie, the 1966 Beetle

Bertie Beetle is a 1966 model Volkswagen Beetle. The owner purchased this as her first car when she was 17 and has been daily driving it ever since. Everybody knows the owner and her beetle in the area where she lives with her family. A couple of decades on, it was time to stop the oil leaks once and for all and Traction EV were commissioned to convert this beautifully restored Beetle to electric drive.

Traction EV designed liquid-cooled battery boxes, contactor boxes, and engine bay panels to fit perfectly in a bolt-in fashion which retains the valuable originality of the car.

The battery chosen are CALB modules with a capacity of 35 kWh giving the Beetle around 230km of highway driving range – which is great as Bertie Beetle now has no problems living life in the fast lane!

Propelling Bertie down the road is the powerful, smooth and easy to drive NetGain HyPer9 electric motor delivering up to 100 kW and 240 Nm of torque. The motor is mounted through Traction EV’s custom billet aluminium adaptor plate and flywheel coupler which holds the aftermarket performance clutch.

Charging is via a 6.6 kW Level 2 onboard charger installed in a discreet location, with the Type 2 charge port mounted in a Traction EV designed enclosure situated in the original engine bay, making for easy charge station access. Average use will see charge times of between 3-5 hours. A charge from 10% to 80% will be around 4 hours, a charge from 10% to 100% around 7 hours.

CAN communication between the charger and BMS (Battery Management System) is managed by the incredibly reliable and simple Thunderstruck Motors DiLithium Designs MCU (Master Control Unit). Information about charging and the battery pack is shown on a touchscreen display fixed on a custom mounting located inside the glove compartment.

In keeping with our mantra of “first, do no harm”, a switch panel was designed to hold the driving profile switch, new heater switch, and Forward/Neutral/Reverse switch. Original Volkswagen ivory switch knobs were used to continue the original look of the dash and interior. On the same switch panel, Traction EV added a “Motor System On” light as well as a “Low SOC (State of Charge)” light. Original lights on the speedo cluster, the generator warning light, and low oil pressure light were modified to indicate faults with the BMS and motor controller.

To satisfy modified vehicle compliance regulations, inertia seatbelts were fitted. A high-Volt/low-current heater provides not only cabin heating but also windscreen demisting. Prior to conversion to EV, the owner had the brakes upgraded to disc, which is a mandatory upgrade over the original drum brakes due to the increase of power over original. Traction EV were able to retain the small front boot (“froot”) and the smuggler’s compartment under the backseat.

Overall, Traction EV are really proud with the outcome of this build. The design is simple, clean, and original. The functionality is impressive with its great range, charging speed, and ease (and fun!) of driving.