Jarrod's 1968 Volkswagen Beetle

Owner

Jarrod Botttinelli

Owner's Other EV

1974 Karmann Ghia

Location

Los Lunas, New Mexico United States ^map

Web/Email

WebPage

Vehicle

1968 Volkswagen Beetle

Motor

Netgain Warp 9 Series Wound DC

Drivetrain

Upgraded transmission to a KCR with welded 3rd and 4th gear, 3.44
ring and pinion, super differential with 4 spider gears. 3rd and 4th gear slipped when
accelerating at more than 700 amps with the
stock tranny.
Lightened flywheel, removed ring gear, Stage II Kennedy
clutch with
4 puck ceramic disc

Controller

Zeva MC 1000
1000 amp controller. The original controller was an Evnetics Soliton 1, which failed after 17,000 miles. It may have been a minor failure, but Evnetics no longer exists and I was unable to repair it. So far, the Zeva controller has been flawless. Furthermore, customer support from Zeva is top notch.

Batteries

42 Voltronix 160 Ah, 3.20 Volt, Lithium Iron Phosphate
16 under the hood where the fuel tank was,
26 behind the rear seat.

System Voltage

135 Volts

Charger

Elcon

Heater

Homemade, using the heating element from a
$12 Walmart 1500 watt space heater engaged by
a contactor, and a 250 cfm 12 volt blower.
It uses about 12 amps. It works amazingly well. Instant heat.

DC/DC Converter

Elcon ECDC-MV 400amp, 72-144 V, 13.5 V output
Two of them failed after only a few
minutes of driving, most likely caused by
ripple from the Soliton 1. Problem was solved
by installing a 10 amp, 100 microHenrie
inductor in series on the input to the
converter. Has not failed since.
Elcon did not have the slightest interest
in helping to solve the problem. Evnetics was
very helpful.

Instrumentation

EVMS monitor for programming the controller, Speedhut speedometer, voltage gauge;
Xantrex monitor.
No BMS. Individual voltage gauges on each
cell. Batteries are staying very well
balanced.
Occasionally top balance.

Top Speed

95 MPH (152 KPH)
It may go faster, but 95 was plenty fast in a Bug!

Acceleration

0-60 mph in 5.3 seconds. This is
confirmed by the Speed Hut GPS speedometer
which has a 0-60 function. This was done
starting in 2nd and shifting to 4th. In 3rd gear
only, 6.6 seconds, because the torque
diminishes somewhat at around 50 mph (3000
rpm). Normally, I drive 95% of the time in 3rd
gear, only shifting to 4th on the highway.

Range

90 Miles (144 Kilometers)
70 miles driving normal to about 75% DOD.
90 miles if driving very conservatively.

Watt Hours/Mile

225 Wh/Mile
190 was the best when hypermiling, 225
when driving normal, 300 when having fun. The
high altitude (5000') may aid energy
consumption.

EV Miles

Current:	21,000 Miles (33,789 Kilometers)
	As of 12/7/2018

Seating Capacity

2 adults, 2 children. Or 4 adults as long
as two of them are extremely wimpy. Its a BUG!

Curb Weight

2,300 Pounds (1,045 Kilograms)
Guessing

Conversion Time

Three months, off and on, for the
conversion. Still doing small things here and
there for the restoration.

Conversion Cost

Around $14k for the conversion (got a
great deal on the batteries), and around 3k for
the restoration.
Original car was $2k, but sold the engine
for $750

Additional Features

Gabriel HiJacker air shocks. Indexed torsion bars one notch. Slightly slammed with stock
suspension. Coated the interior with Lizard Skin to dampen noise.
Individual temperature gauges for the battery pack and motor.

Have an 8.2 Kw solar pv array at my house, which supplies all
household energy and now transportation as well. I have a couple of
other vehicles, but don't drive them very often, but are necessary
for road trips. This car is a blast to drive, and it destroys almost
all other cars off the line! I Never get tired of watching people's
"fast cars" disappear in my rear view mirror!
Bought most of the components from EV West. They were very
helpful and professional. Ian Hooper from Zeva is extremely helpful.

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code by jerry