A VW Microbus Hybrid, an Electric Slug-Bug, and a King Midget

Now that is what I call a "green" Bug!

Yes, I am a fan of older VWs. I have owned several and have wanted to own several others. I also like how easily VWs lend themselves to electric conversion. That leads us to the electric beetle. Yesterday I found myself with a copy of the most recent Costco Connection magazine in my hand and was intrigued by a classic car article. I flipped over to the article and was very happy to see a vintage Beetle that had not only been converted to electric, but had been converted to an impressive electric! Most electric VW conversions use golf cart batteries and have fairly unimpressive speed and/or range. This bad Beetle has a whole lot(!) of tiny 18650 batteries and is impressive in both speed and range. It delivers numbers more impressive than most new electric vehicles. The Costco article says 85 mph and a possible 200 mile range. I found a few other articles about the same car that list it as a more realistic sounding 85mph/100 miles. Either way, Nissan's Leaf and BMW's I3 have reason to be range-envious. Of course, they offer crazy extravagances like air conditioners and air bags that you never see in a vintage VW. Snagit, this thing is cool!

Here is an article/video in case you want to learn more: Green overdrive cruises the streets in an electrified $18,000 VW Bug

Another VW story that has been making the rounds this week is the re-discovery that VW engineers actually worked on a design for a hybrid VW bus in the late 1970s. In case you are into that sort of thing, here's the story from Jalopnik, which appears to be the story's initial re-surface place. Be sure to check out the great diagrams:
VW Could Have Made a Hybrid Beetle [Microbus] Over 30 Years Ago

For those of you who ponder alternate versions of history, it's nice to imagine a world where we truly pursued electric cars and solar panels after the big energy crisis in the 1970s. Hmmm... Hybrid microbuses....

This next vehicle is only tangentially related, but a King Midget was also featured in the Costco article. I love microcars but probably would not have included this one; however, there is a guy here in Lubbock who crusies around in a King Midget that looks identical to this one. Each time one of us sees it, my friends and I snap a pic and send it around to each other. It is as close as we get to a Nessie or Sasquatch sighting around here.

May your green vehicle inspire random acts of violence wherever you go. Pow! Slug-bug green - no hit backs!

The previous Mesquite Hugger Electric VW Posts:

10/21/2013 Electric Beetle Article - ElectroFahrvernugen
11/5/2013 Another Electric Beetle (VW)
1/30/2014 3 VW Microbuses: Old, New, and Electric
 2/6/2014 Vintage Electric Cars Small & Smaller OR Why I Should Be Banned from Ebay
3/3/2014 Gentlemen (and Ladies). Start Your Tivos! (VW and Citicar)
 3/4/2014 Getting Shocked by the Bug (VW)
3/31/2014 Break Out the Tie-Dye and 8-Tracks (VW)
 4/9/2014 It's been a while since MH posted an Electric VW...

What Mad Max REALLY Needed - in Wichita Falls, TX

My family is in search of a fuel efficient car. So, I am being good and searching for realistic cars in which the family would be seen and would have a reasonable chance of arrivng safely and joyfully. I have been avoiding search terms like Rat Rod, Very Rare, Vintage, Home-Built, Unique, and so on. So there I am flirting with the edges of the list last night by typing in Prius. And up popped the only Prius currently for sale in Wichita Falls.

(Sidebar: Wichita Falls is a dangerous place for me. The last thing I bought in Wichita Falls was a half-finished electric pickup project I bought a few years back, knowing that within a few short months, I would have it completed and on the road. If you would like to buy a well-done but half-finished electric pickup - let me know. I have not touched the thing at all and do not see myself getting there any time soon. Wichita Falls is bad juju for me. And, yes, they really do have falls there.)

Do you remember the second Mad Max movie, the one where they went all post-apocalyptic and Mr. Last-of-the-V8-Interceptors spent the whole movie searching for and fighting over gasoline? Well, he would not have had to fight near as much to keep this little jewel fed. Check it out!

Licensed, inspected, and street legal. Where is Tina Turner when we need her?

So no, I will not ask the family to be seen in this one, but If I were an overly wealthy man, I would buy it for my friend Rusty, and I'd offer to drive it a lot! I have a lazy greyhound at home who looks great in doggles - Max had a dog too, you know.

Actor portrayal - not our actual greyhound

Not an actor - this is the real Rusty.

This is what Rusty would look like if he were played by a young Mel Gibson. 

May you not be tempted by any vehicle this ugly - ever!