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Live: 1966 VW e-Bulli T1 Samba bus with electric drive!

Reading time 7 Min.

Recently updated on February 3, 2021 at 07:12 am

Live: 1966 VW e-Bulli T1 Samba bus with electric drive!

Corona is to blame for Techno-Classica 2020 being canceled! So we also found a culprit, which is why we were not allowed to see this elaborately restored VW T1 Samba bus from 1966 with electric drive. Fortunately, there is the Internet! Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles (VWN) is showing the purely electric and therefore locally emission-free e-BULLI for the first time worldwide. The study, equipped with the drive components of current Volkswagen electric vehicles, is based on a T1966 Samba bus that was produced and extensively restored in 1. Techno-Classica 2020 should serve as a stage for the world premiere. Since it has been postponed, VWN is now presenting the facts about the e-BULLI virtually in words and pictures. Good news for all fans of the Bulli and electric mobility: the combination of high-end classic cars and high-tech electric vehicles will be real to buy. Because VWN partner eClassics plans to offer T1 conversions and T1 complete vehicles in the style of the new e-BULLI.

Base: 1966 VW T1 Samba bus

Live: 1966 VW e-Bulli T1 Samba bus with electric drive!

It all started with the audacious idea of ​​converting a historic van to a locally emission-free drive in order to synchronize it with the challenges of a new era. To this end, engineers and designers from VWN formed a team with the drive experts from Volkswagen Group Components and the company eClassics, which specializes in converting electric cars. As the basis for the future e-BULLI, the team chose the T1966 Samba bus produced in Hanover in 1, which was in California for half a century before the conversion. One thing was certain from the start: the e-BULLI was to be a T1 that would use the current electric drive components from the Volkswagen Group. This plan has now been implemented with the e-BULLI. The study shows an example of the great potential that this concept holds.

The new electric drive components

Live: 1966 VW e-Bulli T1 Samba bus with electric drive!

The 32 kW (44 hp) four-cylinder boxer engine gave way to a silent Volkswagen electric motor with 61 kW (83 hp) in the e-BULLI. Already the performance comparison of the motors makes it clear that the study shows a completely new drive characteristic, since the electric motor is almost twice as strong as the boxer. Even more: With a maximum torque of 212 Nm, the new drive offers more than twice the power of the original T1 engine from 1966 (102 Nm). The maximum torque is also immediately available - typical for electric motors. And that changes everything. Never before has an “official” T1 driven so powerfully as this e-BULLI. It becomes a new, silent cruiser of this kind, which combines the fascination of emission-free drive with the incomparable style of a classic Bulli.

The power is transmitted by means of a 1-speed gearbox. The drive system is coupled to the gear lever now located between the driver and front passenger seats. The automatic selection levels (P, R, N, D, B) are displayed next to the selector lever. In stage B, the driver can vary the degree of recuperation - the energy recovery when braking. The top speed of the e-BULLI is 130 km / h (electronically limited). With the original drive, the T1 reached a top speed of 105 km / h.

Analogous to the boxer engine of the 1966 T1, it drives in the rear of the 2020
e-BULLI integrated combination of gearbox and electric motor on the rear axle. A lithium-ion battery is responsible for the energy supply of the electric machine. Their usable energy content is 45 kWh. Power electronics in the rear, coordinated with eClassics for the e-BULLI, control the high-voltage energy flow between the electric machine and the battery and convert the stored direct current (DC) into alternating current (AC). The on-board electronics are also supplied with 12 volts via a so-called DC / DC converter.

All series parts of the electric drive are manufactured by Volkswagen Group Components in Kassel. The lithium-ion modules designed there are added from the component location in Braunschweig, and eClassics transfers them to a battery system suitable for the T1. As with the new ID.3 and the future ID.BUZZ, the high-voltage battery is housed in the center of the vehicle floor. This arrangement lowers the center of gravity of the e-BULLI and thus improves the driving characteristics.

Thanks to CCS on the quick charging station, 40 percent power in 80 minutes

Live: 1966 VW e-Bulli T1 Samba bus with electric drive!

The battery is charged using a CCS charging socket (CCS = Combined Charging System). It allows charging with alternating and direct current. Alternating current: The battery is charged with 2,3 kW to 22 kW charging power via an AC quick charger. Direct current: Thanks to the e-BULLI's CCS charging socket, the high-voltage battery can also be charged to 50 percent in just 40 minutes using DC quick charging stations with up to 80 kW charging power. The range with one battery filling is more than 200 kilometers.

New chassis for added comfort, dynamism and safety

The completely different driving experience on board the e-BULLI compared to the T1 is further enhanced by the newly designed chassis: multi-link front and rear axles with adjustable shock absorbers and coil struts as well as a new rack and pinion steering and four ventilated disc brakes contribute to this the new dynamism is confidently put on the road.

VWN modified the exterior and interior design

Live: 1966 VW e-Bulli T1 Samba bus with electric drive!

In parallel with the new electric drive, an e-BULLI concept was developed that was as avant-garde as it was stylish. The new optics and the corresponding technical solutions were developed by the VWN design center in cooperation with Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles Classic Cars and the Communication division. The designers modernized the exterior of the icon, which was painted in the new two-tone “Energetic Orange Metallic” / “Golden Sand Metallic MATTE”, with great sensitivity. It is details such as the new LED round headlights with daytime running lights that indicate the transformation into the modern era from the outside. There are also LED charging indicators on the outside of the rear; As soon as you step on the e-BULLI, you signal to the driver how much energy is left in the lithium-ion battery.

Only when you look through the windows into the eight-seat interior will you realize that some things are not what you would expect from a T1. The designers of Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles have redesigned a lot of the interior without losing sight of the original for a second. The seating system is one of the new features; corresponding to the exterior paint, it is made in two colors in "Saint-Tropez" / "Saffrano Orange". The new automatic selector lever was placed in a console between the driver and front passenger seats. Also integrated here: the start / stop button for the electric machine. Solid wood with a floorboard look is used for the entire floor; this and the friendly, bright leather colors give this electrified Samba bus a maritime character. This impression is reinforced by the large panoramic folding roof.

Live: 1966 VW e-Bulli T1 Samba bus with electric drive!

The cockpit was also carefully modified. The new speedometer is based on the original; an integrated, two-line display builds a bridge to modern times. The digital display in the otherwise analog speedometer informs the driver of the range, among other things. LEDs also indicate whether the parking brake is applied or the charging plug is connected. Small but nice detail in the middle of the speedometer: a stylized Bulli symbol. A large amount of additional information is displayed on a tablet integrated in the roof console. Via Volkswagen "We Connect", the driver of the e-BULLI can also use the smartphone app or the PC and a corresponding web portal to provide information such as the remaining charging time, the current range, the kilometers traveled and driving times or the energy consumption Call up including energy recovery (recuperation). The music brings a retro-style radio on board, but with the latest technology such as DAB +, Bluetooth and USB. The radio is coupled to a sound system with invisible components including an active subwoofer.

Live: 1966 VW e-Bulli T1 Samba bus with electric drive!

Anyone who has now been electrified by the new e-BULLI can fulfill their dream of a locally emission-free T1 at eClassics. The T1 conversion is offered there at prices from 64.900 euros including the newly developed front and rear axles. EClassics also offers T2 and T3 conversions. EClassics also offers qualified dealers a ready-to-install parts kit. If we receive timely information on further changes, there is of course an update for this report. You will be informed if you simply use ours Feed subscribe to. Have fun watching the pictures and stay true to us!

Live: 1966 VW e-Bulli T1 Samba bus with electric drive!

Photos: Volkswagen (VW)

Live: 1966 VW e-Bulli T1 Samba bus with electric drive!

Of course that had not been the case. Our tuning magazine has tens of thousands more tuning reports in stock. Do you want to see them all? Just click HERE and look around. Or are you particularly interested in cars with a conversion to electric drive? Then the following excerpt is definitely the right thing.

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Live: 1966 VW e-Bulli T1 Samba bus with electric drive!

1966 VW e-Bulli T1 Samba bus with electric drive!

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About Thomas Wachsmuth

Thomas Wachsmuth - He has been an integral part of tuningblog.eu since 2013. His passion for cars is so intense that he invests every available penny in them. While he dreams of a BMW E31 850CSI and a Hennessey 6x6 Ford F-150, he currently drives a rather inconspicuous BMW 540i (G31/LCI). His collection of books, magazines and brochures on the subject of car tuning has now reached such proportions that he himself has become a walking reference work for the tuning scene.  More about Thomas

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