Continued from last Monday
VW-Beetle: The Beetles has lasted almost a century, could
electrification be its rebirth?
Features & prices of the electric Volkswagen Beetle
While speaking on the imminent launch of the electric Beetle,
Volkswagen Group component boss, Thomas Schmall, said:
“The electrified Beetle combines the charm of our classic car with the
mobility of the future. Innovative e-components are under the bonnet;
we work with them to electrify historically important vehicles, in
what is an emotional process.”
He also went further to reveal that Volkswagen is not planning to end
their cars’ electrification with the Beetle, as they are also looking
into conversion kits for their buses and the Porsche 356. It has been
reported that eClassics and Volkswagen will also work together on
future electric takes on the legendary Camper and even the 365 sports
car could begin using parts from Volkswagen’s upcoming I.D. range of
electric vehicles which promises to have much longer driving distances
and shorter charge time.
2-Beetle-cars: Out with the old, in with the new, the Beetle electric
will have a short charge time
Instead of combining the electric motors and batteries to the Beetle’s
existing drivetrains, as many upstart retrofits shops do, Volkswagen
is providing eClassics with a new single-speed powertrain that is
borrowed from their E-Up. This means that the official Volkswagen will
swap out the Beetle’s internal-combustion’s air-cooled flat-four
cylinder engine, and replace it with the electric motor, battery pack
and single-speed gearbox.
The battery of the Beetle will have a total capacity of 36.8 kWh,
which Volkswagen say should be good enough to cover about 200
kilometers (124 miles) of range. Here are specs:
Performance of electric Beetle
According to Volkswagen, the resulting retrofit Beetles will be able
to have about 81 horsepower, and go from 0 to 50 mph in over 8
seconds. This is not really fast as many of us would want, but it is
pretty solid for a classic Beetle. It also has a top speed of 93 mph
and an estimated range of 124 miles, and also features a DC fast
charging capacity, which means that it can pick up a 75% charge in
about an hour from a fast charger.
Powertrain of electric Beetle
The eBeetle will also come with 155 pound-feet of torque, which is
significantly more than any Beetle ever had. It will be heavier than a
gas-powered Beetle, though, with a curb weight of about 2,822 pounds.
The reason for this weight is due to the 36.8 kWh battery pack (a 14
lithium-ion battery modules) which is slightly less than twice as much
capacity as the E-Up’s that shares its powertrain.
Also, the removal of the rear-mounted petrol engine from the car and
the weight distribution of the proposed Beetle electric drivetrain
will not only improve handling, but will also free up some cargo space
at the back, with the car assembly hidden behind a metal panel.
