Volkswagen has announced a program to retrofit vintage Beetles into electric cars.

The automaker is using technology from another electric model, the e-up!, to do so.

It's an idea that has existed on the fringes of car culture for decades, but major brands have begun exploring retrofitting options with greater seriousness.

Volkswagen is in the midst of reimagining its classic Beetle, and among other things that means giving current owners a chance to get in on the electric revolution. The company is partnering with a German firm called eClassics to retrofit vintage Beetles already on the market so they can run on electric power.

Volkswagen says it can fit a 36.8 kWh battery pack into a vintage Beetle. But VW isn't just attaching motors and new batteries to current drivetrains, common in electric car conversion. Rather, it's giving eClassics access to the drivetrain of a new car, the compact all-electric known as the e-up!, exclamation mark included.

The e-Beetle’s new drivetrain. Volkswagen

The company is confident that adding the e-up!'s drivetrain to a vintage Bug, which they're calling an e-Beetle, would only improve the driving experience. As the company says in a press statement:

Despite the new total weight of 1,280 kg, the e-Beetle accelerates to 50 km/h in just under four seconds and to 80 km in just over eight seconds. The range of the e-Beetle, which reaches top speeds of up to 150 km/h, is 200 km – a comfortable distance for a relaxing day out in an electrified classic car. In the event that the e-Beetle runs out of electricity during the trip, the built-in series-produced components allow for fast charging via a combined charging system. As a result, the e-Beetle can store enough energy for a journey of over 150 km after charging for around an hour.

The idea is a novel one, but not a VW original. Mechanics have been tinkering with drivetrains for as long as they've existed, and cars as common as a 1994 Honda Accord have been turned into plug-in hybrids. More recently, prestige brands have gotten in on the idea, like Aston Martin's “Heritage EV” program from 2018 and Jaguar's electric conversion's process, which uses technology from its I-PACE SUV.

There's no word on pricing or availability of the program, which VW showed in the form of a retrofitted 1973 Bug. The company says more details will be available at next week's Frankfurt Motor Show. The retrofitting program isn't the only change VW has been making to its iconic car lately. There's also the I.D Buggy, a concept car that reimagines the 1960s standby as an off-roading vehicle.

Source: The Verge

This content is created and maintained by a third party, and imported onto this page to help users provide their email addresses. You may be able to find more information about this and similar content at piano.io