1972 Karmann Ghia EV Conversion Project

[Oct 09, 2006] So I removed the engine two nights ago. It took me all of September to work up the nerve to toss the ICE and read the Hanes Manual. I went to Poland to become a Godfather in the interim and lost my camera, so these pics are from my Razr 1Mp camara cell phone. It took me 6 months to figure out that I could send pics from my phone to my email address. The Razr phone is good for nothing slow, but makes up for it with great pics. Just to prove that the engine is gone, here are some pics of it in the back of my 1995 4Runner. Oh yeah, the entire engine removal job took 2.5 hours with the help of my good buddy George Choung. Now how do I get the flywheel off and get rid of the stinky piece of crap? My commute to work in the mornings is with the windows down to avoid passing out from the oil and gas fumes.

[Aug 28, 2006] I figured out how to open the front trunk after two-days of research. After a 3-mile run today, I popped the hood and removed several aluminum plates. I feel bad removing the air conditioner installed laboriously by the previous owner. But there is not enough real estate in the front compartment to house it and batteries too.
I was surprised to find a small radiator up front! Ghias are air cooled and I need a radiator to cool the 100KW speed controller. Technically, I could use the air conditioner to chill the speed control... hmmm... I could be onto something.

[Aug 25,2006]
Baby steps. Late last night I used my old radio controlled airplane fuel pump and a small 12V lead acid battery to remove the remaining ~3.0 gallons of gas from the Ghia. The pump broke at ~2.0 gallons, so I used the onboard fuel pump to extract the remaining fuel several days later. Gas fumes in confined spaces are extremely dangerous, so I took the cap off of the gas tank to let it evaporate over the coming weeks. Oh yes, I removed the engine oil two weeks ago. Time is a handy tool. It is draining the remaining oil drip-by-drip from the engine onto a Sunday Los Angeles times. I've changed the diapers twice and it is still dripping. I am in no hurry.

[Aug 22, 2006]
I am committed to being cheap, so I bought a $10 12V light that I plug into my Toyota 4-Runner via an extension cable that I soldered. On sale at PepBoys was a $30 set of red jacks, red roller board, and red hydraulic jack. Late one night I removed the muffler. Sad to see it go, but this car won't need it in electic heaven.

[Aug 20, 2006]
The engine is slowly disappearing. To avoid the HOA police, I sneak down to the garage late at night and remove a part here and there.

Have you ever wondered if electic cars are practical with today's technology at a reasonable cost? I decided to find out for myself by purchasing a 1972 Volkswagon Karmann Ghia and converting it to an electric commuter vehicle. I bought it for $1,950 on Craig's List Los Angeles, plus a $100 tow from Glendale to Marina Del Rey. Not too shabby!

[Day of Purchase: Aug 2, 2006]

My self imposed constraints are,

1) No timeline for completion, just like the war in Iraq
2) $2000 total cost for a used car
3) $5000 total cost for the conversion, not including labor
4) 50 mile commuter vehicle range
-- mostly flat commute
-- 60+ miles per hour for 20 minutes
5) 10-hour recharge
6) Do not get caught doing conversion in condo parking garage (car maintenance is prohibited!)
7) The car shall not leave the parking garage, unless by electric power
8) Attempt to construct a home-built 18KHz PWM IGBT speed controller
9) Keep It Simple Stupid (KISS)
10) Maintain the tenuous support of my lovely higher headquarters

[1600cc ICE Pre-Removal, Aug 15, 2006]

EV political statement,

US dependance on foreign oil, while good for our current economy, is eroding our superpower status. Therefore, mainstream Republican and Democrat patriots should support Electric Vechicles (EVs). My conspiracy theory is that Hybrid, Hydrogen, and Bio-Fuel (HHB) technologies are really supported by a lobbying empire bigger than "Big Oil." The Defense Industrial Complex, Big Oil, and Automotive Industry (D.O.A.) empire is solidly behind HHB technology. However, they all stand to lose big if the 100% electric car (EV) is adopted as The American Car. This hypothesis makes sense if you think about the primary (direct sales), secondary (parts & maintenance), and tertiary (fuel transport) markets that underlie these technologies. Lets face it, dependance on foreign oil is actually good for the profits of the DOA. Dependance has and will continue to create wars [or the threat of war], which lands defense contracts that create jobs. That explains the defense industry. Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) technology, while archaic and inefficient, creates millions of jobs. It is likely that alternatives to ICE do not exist, because they are quickly and silently crushed by the DOA. EV-1 was literally crushed by General Motors (GM) and it is likely that a DOA-style organization was behind the action. EVs are a threat because they are simple and use no petroleum based fuel. With a good design, an EV could go many years without maintenance.

A new economy is coming and it will be the pure electric car. But not before the HHB stalling tactic drags out oil consumption for another 50 years. That is unless garage innovation catches up and presents a better option than HHB and ICE. Pack life, speed control cost, and motor reliability are good places to start.