In 2019, a Japanese automobile lover named Osamu Furukawa turned a classic VW Beetle into an electric vehicle dubbed e-Bug. Furukawa is the president of Yokohama-based Oz Corp., a firm that converts gas-powered automobiles into cars running on electric power.
Now, the Volkswagen company has taken a 1966-model Volkswagen T1 Samba Bus and gave it a new life by transforming it into an eco-friendly electric vehicle called e-Bulli.
Volkswagen took that hippie bus and pulled out its 4-cylinder boxer engine, and replaced it with an electric drive system that silently and effortlessly outputs 82 horses and 212 Nm (156 lb-ft). The T1’s original top speed was 65 mph (105 km/h), but now, with all that horsepower, it can reach 81 mph (130 km/h). The e-Bulli’s 45 kWh battery pack is suitable for around 124 miles (200 km) per charge.
VW made some improvements on the chassis with new multi-link axles and adjustable suspension on the front and rear, a new rack-and-pinion steering system, and the drum brakes have been removed for ventilated discs all-round. LED units have taken the place of the headlights.
Inside the cabin, the interior has all been re-covered in orange and white leather, but the cool-looking school bus steering wheel remains. The gearstick has been swapped with an electric drive selector, there are a few new buttons, and a battery charge level meter is cut into the old-school speedometer. Finally, a Bluetooth system is hidden in what looks like a classic radio.
Volkswagen is calling the e-Bulli a concept car. Still, it plans to make it available for purchase, either as a kit, as a renovation from an old T1 that you already own, or as a complete car via e-classics in Germany. Prices will start at around US$70,000 (€64,000).
