Images: Volkswagen
Volkswagen has announced a new way for vintage Beetle owners to convert their cars to battery electric power. The automaker is partnering with a German firm called eClassics that will actually perform the retrofits, while VW will provide the batteries and powertrain.
VW says it’s already working on an electric conversion solution for vintage microbuses, too. Beyond that, “[a]n e-Porsche 356 could also be pursued in the future,” board member Thomas Schmall says. The German automaker says it’s even considering how it might use the modular MEB platform that will power many of its forthcoming electric cars in future conversions.
Instead of mating new electric motors and batteries to the cars’ existing drivetrains, as many upstart retrofit…