Stephen Ruppenthal's 1965 Lithium Ion Volkswagen Type 3 Karmann Ghia Conversion
Updated 7/24/2010.

Here is Stephen's Karmann Ghia at the Sonoma Mountain Art and Wine Festival at Sonoma Mountain Village in Rohnert Park in September 2007.

Here is a view of the rear engine bay, that includes motor, motor controller and 240V charger.

Here is what the engine bay used to look like, with 8 6V flooded lead acid batteries included.

Here is a view of the back seat battery box that holds 24 LiFePO4 cells, plus an unknown 30A gage, and a Zapi controller display. It used to hold 8 flooded lead acid batteries.

Here is a view of the Emeter on the dashboard.

Here is a view of the front trunk compartment, that includes 24 cells, battery management cell boards, and a 120V charger.

Here is what the trunk compartment used to look like when it also had 8 flooded lead acid batteries.

Specifications:

Owner	Stephen Ruppenthal
Location	Sebastopol, CA
Email	s_ruppenthal@comcast.net
Vehicle	1965 Volkswagen Type 3 Karmann Ghia Made in Europe only; rare 4 seat
Motor	8" Advanced DC
Drivetrain	custom motor to flywheel adapter stock 4 speed transaxle
Controller	Zapi 144V with regenerative braking
Batteries	48 3.4V 180 amp-hour CALB (Formerly Sky Energy) LFP180AHA-C LiFePO4 cells 720 amps (4C) continuous, 2160 amps (12C) burst, 29.3 kilowatt-hours, 593 pounds (Was 24 6V Trojan T125 flooded lead acid, 1584 pounds, 991 pounds heavier)
Battery Management System	Thunderstruck Motors TSX-BMS
System Voltage	163 volts nominal (was 144 volts)
Traction Battery Chargers: two	Zivan NG5 240V AC 25A DC Zivan NG3 120V AC 14A DC
Heater	one that plugs in to cigarette lighter
DC-DC Converter	Zapi integrated
Instrumentation	Emeter, battery amp gage
Top Speed	70 MPH
Acceleration	good
Range	Over 100 miles (Was 60 miles with new flooded lead acid batteries)
Watt Hours/Mile	less than 300 estimated
EV miles	Start ~8,000 miles 27,085 miles in May 2010 Total ~19,085 miles
Seating Capacity	2 (was 4)
Curb Weight	TBD
Tires	Jupiter SB-802 165R15
Conversion Time	0 by owner. Was the last EV converted by Steve Heckerouth of Homestead Enterprises in 2000. Upgraded by Thunderstruck Motors in 2010.
Conversion Cost	$15K for original lead acid configuration, including labor. $17K for battery upgrade, including installation.
Additional Features	None

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