Vintage bug gets modern volts

September 29, 10:32 PMDenver Motorsports ExaminerChristine Jerritts

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Duke's Garage VW Bug - 100% Electric Drive Conversion

Earlier in the week you heard about the electric vehicle (EV) world drag race record broken by the Killacycle at Bandimere Speedway.  So the technology certainly exists to make 100% electric vehicles fast and outrageous, but what about building a daily driver?

Enter the enthusiasts at Duke’s Garage in Denver. Duke and son Dave Altschuler have specialized for years in top-notch traditional collector car restorations.  More recently they have added an electric twist to the process by swapping the original gas guzzling combustion engines out with electric motors and battery packs.  “I love the lines of old cars,” says Duke, plus you have to appreciate the juxtaposition of classic beauty against cutting edge technology.

The first Duke’s Garage EV project car was a 1965 Mustang convertible which absorbed an enormous amount of time and money, but also taught the team a host of invaluable lessons.  A more recent conversion is the 1961 Volkswagen Beetle pictured.  True to their restoration roots, both cars are absolutely stunning inside and out - plus the Mustang even has an elegant olive paint job and hemp derived upholstery to honor it’s green reincarnation.

Several key technical changes differentiate the cars and serve as evidence that the team is really progressing towards engineering the “just right” electric package for everyday driving. For example, a small wiring failure caused a fire in the Mustang battery pack which - pyros familiar with burning oxide materials are well aware - took nearly a day of soaking in water to extinguish.  Instead the Bug sports newer, lighter and more expensive lithium phosphate battery packs that will not have the same burn problem.

Another difference is the type of electric motor.  The Mustang’s DC (direct current) motor required incredibly complex circuitry to control the flow of power to make driving safe - a short in a DC system can result in 100% of the available battery power surging to the motor all at once.  The latest project cars utilize AC (alternating current) motors which are simpler to install and wire - and presumably safer.  The AC motors also make it straightforward to add a regenerative braking system which charges the batteries as the car loses speed.

Duke was willing to hand the VW Bug keys over to a race car driver, so I took it for a spin - what incredible fun it was!  Aside from being an adorable eye-catcher, I loved the feeling of having 100% of the motor's torque immediately - not after waiting several seconds to build revs.  Although the original manual gear change is still intact, so long as you are driving at in-town speeds you can leave it in second gear - even at a stop light since the motor simply turns off with no stall and turns on again when you hit the "gas".  With a range of about 75 miles, you easily have enough juice to commute and run errands before heading home to plug in.

The shop estimates that a typical combustion car costs $0.08/mile to operate, while a vintage electric conversion costs just $0.01/mile.  If that’s not incentive enough, there are still serious 5-figure tax credits available to consumers who opt out of a gas guzzler.  Install an array of solar panels at home - as some customers have done - and driving the car is nearly free.

A VW bus and a City of Denver right hand drive parking attendant Jeep are next on the Duke’s Garage project list.  Learn more and see additional photos on their website www.dukesgaragellc.com.