Watch this Electric Beetle Conquer the Welsh Countryside

I’m sensitive to the fact that some people may call this sacrilege. The air cooled flat four is such a big part of Volkswagen lore that its disappearance marks the distinction between the classic and modern eras of VW. That said, there’s something appealing about replacing it with an electric motor.

First and foremost, classic cars look great. Secondly, they’re light. And thirdly, they’re simple, so adding a new drivetrain is relatively (massive emphasis) simple.

The Fully Charged Show has now released a video on YouTube about Electric Classic Cars’ electric classic Beetle.

The Beetle has been restored and then had an electric motor bolted in. The motor powers the wheels through the stock transmission, weirdly, and will get this old-timer up to 60 in just 8 seconds (which we know isn’t all that quick for an electric Beetle).

The Beetle wooshes as quietly as you’d expect and according to Richard Morgan, of Electric Classic Cars, it’ll do 100 miles on a charge.

As the video brings up, there’s something particularly of the moment about an electric Beetle, given Volkswagen’s electric ambitions.

My only real gripe about this car is the sticker on the back window that says “100% electric.” Clearly Electric Classic Cars has gone to great trouble to make this Beetle look as stock as possible, so putting a sticker in the window to let people know it’s electric feels counterproductive at best and preachy at worst.

Otherwise, though, I’m sold on the idea of an electric Beetle. But what about a modern electric Beetle? Should the next Beetle skip MQB and go straight to MEB? What do you think?

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