1974 Volkswagen Beetle - Classic

Coupe

Electric

1142674896

Clear

Electric

Up for sale is the PlugBug, my 1974 Beetle Electric Vehicle. The conversion is a 96 volt Wilderness EV kit with Curtis on-road controller (see picture for model number) done in 2008. The reason for the sale is that I do not use the car in the winter and I have too many projects and need more space. So off she goes. I will miss having her around since it is super fun to be seen around town in this car. THE GOOD: This ride is a real head turner. First, it is an nearly mint condition restoration of a classic 74 Beetle, and a LOT of people used to own these. The mechanicals are all in great shape. Everything works (lights, turn signals, etc) and, although I didn't show it, the back seat is there and mint too. The restoration was a complete job - the car was fully dis-assembled, sanded and repainted. There is no significant rust - just some surface rust on the chrome which polishes off. Suspension, brakes and steering were all redone as part of the restoration. I had the brakes done again last year and the ball joints replaced due to wear. The electric conversion is EXTREMELY clean. I have a block diagram of all the wiring for you. If you ever need a replacement part, you can get it from Wilderness EV, so the manufacturer is around to help. The interior is a significant upgrade from the old Beetle interior - see the pictures. Finally, she charges up in about 8 hours on standard 120 volt house outlet. Plug it in, set the built-in timer and forget about it. Super easy. THE BAD: Range is about 40 miles on the current batteries. They are lead-acid golf cart batteries mounted in custom trays. I have seen newer conversions having better batteries with significantly longer range. Replacing the batteries with something like lithium cells is an option on this if you know what you are doing. As this car was built to be used during the summer, it has no heater. Adding a heater is no big deal and I can send you links to aftermarket electric heaters for a car like this. NOTES: The car is a manual transmission, but you do not need to shift to drive it since the electric motor has plenty of torque and is connected to the drivetrain without a clutch. So you just leave it in 3rd gear to drive and put it in reverse to back up. That's it. I will give the buyer a very short tutorial on what you need to know when you pick it up.