Photo: Volkswagen
Until recently, an old, decrepit car was just a piece of metal of no particular use. Putting such a vehicle back together, especially by restoring its original powertrain, was an undertaking both expensive and time-consuming, and often times the results were not at all great.
Luckily, the arrival of electric powertrains changed that, as it is much easier to fit such a new hardware than rebuild an old ICE engine. Over the past few years, we’ve seen a rise in companies trying to bring back cars of old by transplanting them with batteries, electric motors and charging systems.
The latest such revival was on display last week at the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles. It’s a 1972 Volkswagen Type 2 Bus, converted by specialist EV West.
With the help of Volkswagen America itself, EV West got hold of the electric powertrain once fitted on a 2017 e-Golf. That means a 35.8 kWh battery, a 134 hp electric motor, and a single-speed transmission.
All this assembly was fitted at the back of the Type 2, where the old combustion engine used to be. Aside for that, no other changes were made, and the vehicle looks pretty much as it did when it rolled off assembly lines decades ago.
With the e-Golf powertrain, the Type 2 is capable of driving on a single charge for 125 miles.
“Their passion for classic-car culture and commitment to renewable energy made EV West the ideal choice for this project,” said in a statement Mathew Renna, VP G4, Volkswagen North American Region.
“We thought, who better to see if the e-Golf powertrain would be the perfect fit for our older vehicles. It’s great to see that the spirit of hot rodding is going to live on into the electric age.”
The creators of the car did not say if they plan to do more with it than just show it off on the rooftop of the museum.
The latest such revival was on display last week at the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles. It’s a 1972 Volkswagen Type 2 Bus, converted by specialist EV West.
With the help of Volkswagen America itself, EV West got hold of the electric powertrain once fitted on a 2017 e-Golf. That means a 35.8 kWh battery, a 134 hp electric motor, and a single-speed transmission.
All this assembly was fitted at the back of the Type 2, where the old combustion engine used to be. Aside for that, no other changes were made, and the vehicle looks pretty much as it did when it rolled off assembly lines decades ago.
With the e-Golf powertrain, the Type 2 is capable of driving on a single charge for 125 miles.
“Their passion for classic-car culture and commitment to renewable energy made EV West the ideal choice for this project,” said in a statement Mathew Renna, VP G4, Volkswagen North American Region.
“We thought, who better to see if the e-Golf powertrain would be the perfect fit for our older vehicles. It’s great to see that the spirit of hot rodding is going to live on into the electric age.”
The creators of the car did not say if they plan to do more with it than just show it off on the rooftop of the museum.
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