Let the painting begin! On Saturday, I went to Santa Cruz Auto Parts and picked out a metallic red and metallic silver that I liked. It took me quite a while, and I hope the... [read more]

The project is slowly moving along! The front part of the bug was a little rusty and had some of the paint gone from a fuel leak. Here it is all sanded and painted with... [read more]

This weekend I learned how to use Bondo for the first time. Lots of grinding, pounding out dents, spreading and sanding. All the fenders are sanded up to 100 grit and all dents/scratches/nicks are taken... [read more]

I got my first EV part! The WarP 9 motor:    It’ll be a while before it sees any action; mainly because the restoration has barley started, and the batteries will take a while to... [read more]

The bumper mounts started out slightly rusty and really dirty: I started a bunch of grinding with 60/80 grit sanding discs on the 4 1/2″ angle grinder. I then sanded it with 150 on a... [read more]

I’m installing disc brakes on the bug, as they will help me stop faster in the event of an emergency. I figured this would be an easy project, but I also ended up getting lowered... [read more]

(Another old post — I’ve been having trouble uploading pictures from home). The best way to see if the batteries will fit is to do some mock ups. I made some crude ones out of... [read more]

This is an older post I never ended up publishing. Basically it is my process of how selection and research — especially with my particular commute and the hills I have to tackle. How much... [read more]

The project is slowly moving along. I’m working on restoring the car and took most exterior stuff off in preparation for body repair and paint. I’m planning on upgrading to disc brakes and lowered spindles... [read more]

How far can I go? That depends on how fast you want to go, and how many hills you hit. Here’s some great info on the diy forums that got me started. I want to... [read more]

After lots of research, I finally decided on a DC motor. I really want to have an AC system, but I have several issues: 1. Cost — it is at least 3k more, possibly a... [read more]

I’m trying to figure out the best motor for my project. I’m now down to considering the EVE AC30 (or AC40) versus the DC WarP 9. The WarP 9 data is all given at 72v... [read more]

I initially was going to use a DC motor, but now I’m leaning towards AC. This website has a lot of great information on AC vs DC: http://www.cameronsoftware.com/ev/EV_DriveType.html Those are all good points, but I’ll... [read more]

My primary choices for an AC motor Update: I’m now back to considering a DC system, since the affordable AC systems (Azure Dynamics AC24LS and HPEV’s AC50) are underpowered for Highway 17 (5% grade, average).... [read more]

I removed the engine a week or two ago. It wasn’t too hard! I’m still doing a lot of research on what motors and batteries I’m going to buy. Expect a summary at some point... [read more]

I’m now learning as much as I can about electric cars and how to convert my bug. I’m going to document my process so others can benefit from the research that I do. So far,... [read more]

The Electric Bug Project (The Plug Bug) My next project has started! I’m planning on converting a 1969 VW bug to run on electricity. I have been wanting to do this for quite some time... [read more]