1983 Volkswagen Rabbit Convertible EV Conversion

Description for Volkswagen Rabbit 1983

You are bidding on a 1983 Volkswagen Rabbit Convertible converted to full electric. The car runs from ten 12V Lead acid deep cycle batteries (120VDC) powering a 9.1" diameter Series Wound Electric motor (ADC FB1-4001A). The motor controller is a 144V 500Amp custom design. It is equivalent to the Curtis 1231C but without the annoying whine at startup. The 120VAC "on-board" battery charger is also a custom design, ncorporating a 3 stage charging algorithm. There is also a custom LCD readout in the dash for displaying real time battery pack volts, otor and battery amps, iles to empty, nd temperatures of controller, otor and battery compartment. There is a second battery monitor above the stick shift which shows a bar graph of the individual battery voltages. A 120V to 12V DC/DC converter powers the vehicle accessories and charges a small 1U battery used during initial startup.

This is a clutchless system directly coupled to the 5-speed manual transmission. The motor has great low end torque, o you can run in from 0-45MPH solely in second gear. The only time I shift to 3rd is on highways, here I've run her up to 70MPH. 4&5th are never used. Clutchless shifting is a little slower than with a clutch (1-2seconds) and relies on the synchros. Brake assist is provided by 12V vacuum pump tied to existing brake booster.

The heater core has been replaced with a 1500W Electric heater running from the main 120V pack. Safety features include a cutoff of the main power solenoid via emergency stop button on dash or by inertia switch. The clutch pedal has also been repurposed as a direct mechanical disconnect of the battery pack from the motor. Pedal has been shortened to prevent accidental disconnect.

The car body is in great condition being garage kept. It is virtually rust free. When purchased, t did have a few dents. Filled the one over rear driver's side fender and replaced passenger side door. All pictures are after this work was done. I also restored some of the interior and installed new carpeting. There are two small patches made on the vinyl roof . The struts, trut mounts, hocks, ear coils and front wheel bearings were replaced during conversion.

The car shows 74,382 miles on Odometer with only a few hundred as an EV. Carfax shows last reading before exempt status at 178,113 in ‘02. Could be the instrument cluster was replaced without being adjusted. I bought this in '09 and did the conversion myself over the next two years. I'm an engineer with a background in new product design for industrial applications (electrical, echanical & software) so this is professionally done. I have complete wiring diagrams, chematics, nd operation manual for charger & LCD instrumentation.

The conversion was done as a challenge and not for my daily commuter since I drive 180 miles daily. The batteries will need to be replaced. They have severely lost capacity, robably from infrequent use and allowing them to overdischarge when sitting. I used inexpensive deep cycle marine batteries which gave a 25 mile range when new. 12V golf cart or floor scrubber batteries will give greater range but may need modified battery racks & suspension due to extra weight. Two good quality replacements would be Trojan's 30XHS or US Battery's US-31DCXC. Neither requires suspension modification. The 30XHS "may"require modified racks due to battery length. If you have the money for lithium batteries you could achieve over 100 miles easily since this is a small light car. Vehicle has modified vehicle registration (due to conversion) and current PA safety inspection good thru July 2016.

Additional pictures and PDF documents can be viewed in my dropbox folder-

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/dupoffh1or01nge/AAAaHyITuocPFmBkU0zYN8dDa?dl=0

Here is a 19 minute video tour of the car-

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7YAZCuAAVHs