Watch here:

http://www.ktvz.com/news/27649529/detail.html

Very Cool. I think there are or were two electric 914s on here. I would love to see more of them.

I initially bought my 914 to convert to electric (after looking at Beetles), but figured out pretty quick that for a car with any decent range - you're looking at big bucks for batteries.

So now I'm building a /6 instead.

Heck I have 2 in Corvallis alone. Otmar live's here from Cafe Electric. Also there is Greg who I sold a very nice silver 74 too. I am hoping to get both of them to bring them down for WCR.

A Google for 914 EV brings up a whole list around the US etc.

There's also a group in OR/WA IIRC which sells a trun-key EV motor/controller/battery/etc. set-up specifically for the 914 conversion, but IIRC it's also about $8-16k to get that for any of them. Using LI, NiMH or the racing Lead Acid dry cells would run up the price a bit more, but it beats $200k for a Tesla Roadster!

I'd considered converting whatever was left of my parts shell (lightened by taking off what I need for my 73 2L's resto/repair), but alas it's longs were shot at the jack posts - so much for the "free" shell"!

I've done the conversion, and can safely tell you it is easier than putting in a V8. However, to have 914 that can safely drive the wilds of the San Diego freeways, you need power - at least 40kw continuous - and you need batteries - at least 20kwh.

Figure on $20k for all the parts to make a Real Car that runs on electric. That would give you a range of 100 miles and the ability to out race the rice rockets.

Gotta figure, if Sean is interested, then I must be doing SOMETHING right. Can't wait to autocross my car with the newer motor. (pix later).

Thompson - right on!
Post some links or photos if you have them

I bought my 914 for an EV too. BUT that old 1.7 is still going (when it starts) strong. Will I be able to afford the EV stuff now that I have a different job than when I originally bought the 914? Maybe not. In the mean time I still read all about them when I can, and the EV drag race scene is growin! I have always thought the double motor Otmar did would be awesome, but with one an AC driving the recharge and the other a DC for fast action. Complicated, but with modern electronics, almost anything is possible.

Here's info on mine. Easy to convert, way too much fun!

http://www.evalbum.com/3439

WOW, those Li-polymer batteries are pretty big. Did you consider trying to squeeze them in where the fuel tank used to be? Can you share how much $$$ the batteries cost total? Nice look on the all-black Riviera wheels

Chris, you should see what a lead acid electric 914 looks like.

By volume, the LiFePO4 batteries have more than twice the rated capacity compared to lead acid batteries, flooded or AGM. When you factor in the Peukert's Effect (reduced battery capacity under high amp loads) the Lithium batteries will carry you more than 120% farther for L/A batteries that takes up the same amount of space and weigh more.

LiFePO4 cells work out to be somewhere around $0.45/Wh of rated capacity, so the 28kWh battery pack in JTG's car would cost a little more than $12,000 today. But you get a 914 that can travel more than 100 miles on a single charge, better than the 70 mile (100 mile under optimal conditions) range of a $32,000 Nissan Leaf. The 914 will get to 60mph two seconds quicker than a Leaf.

So really, the electric 914 is a very viable alternative today.

PS. I worked on a couple of L/A 914's more than 15 years ago. I recently bought an electric driveline (Warp 9 motor, etc.) to convert another 914 in the near future. I got re-interested when I converted my 30' sailboat to electric with LiFePO4 batteries over the last year.

Thanks Chris for the nice comments. Actual cost of batteries was $9,800 two years ago. Spent 9 months + on the restoration and about 3 on the electrical conversion. Fun to drive! 0-60 in less than 9 sec with my weak driving skills. 148 mile actual range with a mix of city and highway driving. Total cost including donor car was less than $20,000. (I hate rust!) The batteries I bought didn't fit the gas tank area very efficiently so I put the charger, 12v battery, etc there. My front trunk has room for 8 bags of groceries and the rear is completely empty and useable.

Jim