Project: Electric GTI

This website documents the electric conversion of my VW Rabbit GTI.

History

I currently own and drive a 1976 VW Rabbit that I converted to electric power during my high school junior and senior years in high school. Its components include:

16 US8VGC 8 volt lead-acid batteries, for a total of 128 volts
A 7.6" diameter series DC motor by Prestolite Electric
A Curtis (or Cursit as it is commonly called) 1221B motor controller, which can put out a peak of 400 amps
A Zivan NG3 charger to keep the batteries topped up (it plugs into a standard 110v outlet)

More pictures of the old Rabbit (including pictures under the hood) coming soon.

I've had the car up to 80 mph. It handles quite well, though the tires aren't sticky enough, so it looses grip fairly quickly. The batteries even out the weight balance to nearly 50-50, so it oversteers when I push it too far. It has pretty good acceleration up to 40, but starts to lose a bit after that. The Curtis just doesn't give out enough juice.

I'm proud of the Rabbit, but it's time for a change. The interior is in horrible shape. The transmission is old, and the shifter has the longest throw I've ever seen. The body has a lot of rust, the paint is faded, the back up lights still don't work, one of the doors doesn't open, and it doesn't have full seatbelts in the front.

So I was thrilled when my friend Royce Chow gave me a call and asked if I would be interested in a 1983 VW Rabbit GTI with a blown engine. For free.

So that started Project Electric GTI. I decided that the best course of action is to take the EV components out of the Rabbit, and put them in the GTI. This web site will chronicle that adventure.