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

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