Well, it’s really not Herbie but his younger sibling, a 1966 Volkswagen (VW) Beetle, that becomes an electric vehicle. The VW Beetle, the original “people’s car”, has always stood for reliability and simplicity. And in Herbie, the German automobile found a way to live the American Dream and compete in the most American of all races – NASCAR.
But then David Bernardo of Zelectric Motors had other dreams for this baby, he took a 1966 VW Beetle and turned it into a Zelectric bug at the end of last month.
The Zelectric bug can go as far as 80 to 110 miles (128 to 176 kilometers) on a single charge, depending on how one drives it. Because it runs on an electric motor, it has high torque and has a zippy drive. But if you take it to the highway on a long ride, you will hit only 80 miles. The good news, though, is that your daily commute gives you more bang for your charge.
Speaking of zippy, the car goes up to 90+ mph (144 kph), which is slightly faster than its gas powered siblings.
And the unassuming car doesn’t pull around a lot of weight, tipping the scale at half a ton less than the Nissan LEAF.
Overall, it’s a bargain at $45,000, especially since with a battery life of between 12 and 15 years. The battery can be upgraded in the future to get more range or power, maybe even both. Which would be more than enough time for yet another sequel, or for Lindsey to be, well, available.
