Volkswagen expands electric classic offering
Pure-electric conversion kits set to be offered for original Beetle, classic Golf, The Thing and the Karmann Ghia coupe and convertible, suggest new trademarksVolkswagen and German EV conversion specialist, eClassic, is apparently set to rapidly expand its offering based on new trademark applications submitted for upcoming models.
The German car-making giant registered the names e-Beetle, e-Golf Classic, e-Kubel and e-Karmann in late June, suggesting all those models are destined for zero-emission powertrain conversion developed and engineered by VW and eClassic.
Volkswagen already owns the e-Samba trademark and, back in 2020, released its first e-BULLI EV as part of a collaboration with eClassic – a Samba bus with 61kW and a pure-electric range of 200km.
Lifting its state-of-the-art 45kWh lithium-ion battery from the latest Volkswagen e-Up! city-car, the elderly first-gen Samba Bus has sacrificed its original 1.5-litre flat four-cylinder petrol engine for a single electric motor that pumps out 61kW and 212Nm.
That might not sound much but that’s more than twice as much power than the van’s original engine produced and sees top speed rise to more than 130km/h.
To cope with the extra performance Volkswagen has comprehensively re-engineered the kombi's ancient chassis by adding new multi-link front and rear suspension with coil-over struts and adjustable dampers.
Braking, mercifully, has also been improved with vented disc brakes, while the old van’s wayward steering box has been replaced with a far more accurate and direct rack-and-pinion steering system.
Like the e-Up!, the e-BULLI can be charged using a 50kW DC fast-charger, which is capable of topping up the battery-powered van to 80 per cent in just 40 minutes.
It's thought the e-BULLI powertrain has been designed to be modular, enabling it to be easily adapted to other classic, including the front-engine Golf.
Volkswagen Germany says it will begin selling the battery-powered Kombi with pricing set to begin at €64,000 ($A120,000).
Significantly for Australians, Volkswagen says it is considering selling the e-Classic conversion kit through its dealer network, hinting that one day it could become available Down Under.
If it does, Australians will be able to have their electrified classic serviced and repaired using the current Volkswagen dealer network.
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