Stephen Ruppenthal's 1965 Volkswagen Type II Karmann Ghia Conversion
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 engine bay, that includes motor, motor controller, 240V charger and 8 batteries.
Here is a view of the back seat battery box that holds 8 batteries, plus an unknown 30A gage, and a Zapi controller display.
Here is a view of the Emeter on the dashboard.
Here is a view of the trunk, that includes 8 batteries and 120V charger.
Specifications:
Owner
Stephen Ruppenthal
Location
Sebastopol, CA
Email
s_ruppenthal@comcast.net
Vehicle
1965 Volkswagen Type II 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
24 Trojan T125 flooded lead acid
System Voltage
144 volts
Chargers
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
Top Speed
70 MPH
Acceleration
good
Range
Currently 30 miles with old batteries
Was 60 miles with new batteries
Watt Hours/Mile
TBD
EV miles
Start ~8,000 miles
Current 24,343 miles
Total ~16,343 miles
Seating Capacity
2 (was 4)
Curb Weight
TBD
Tires
Jupiter SB-802 165R15
Conversion Time
0 by owner. Last EV converted by Steve Heckerouth of Homestead Enterprises in 2000
Conversion Cost
$15K, including labor
Additional Features
None