VW EV Conversion Backstory

Way back in 2015, I purchased a green 1969 VW Beetle from a friend who was leaving town. It was an awesome little car, but with no heat or AC, it was a fair-weather car only. I have two distinct memories of that bug: wiping freezing rain off the windshield with my hand in the dark on my way home, and how the world was a cheerier place when I drove it–people would smile and wave when I drove by. With our rental situation at the time and the very strict HOA rules, I wasn’t able to do much with it, so I sold it to a VW enthusiast not long after. But I missed that little bug.

Since then, I’ve dreamed of owning another VW Beetle, and converting it to be an electric vehicle (or even a hybrid like my Prius). With 4 kids and other hobbies on top of work, it seemed like a dream for retirement rather than something I could do now. As context, I’m not a “car guy” by any stretch. I know some things, but I don’t even change my own oil (anymore). My mechanical skills are pretty basic, but I do have some electrical and programming experience, so I figured I could handle the EV conversion side of things.

In 2025, I finished my masters degree in Biblical Exposition, and started wondering what project I should tackle next on evenings and weekends. A VW Beetle popped up on Marketplace for a great price, and I showed it to my wife. To my surprise, she said I should get it and start the conversion project! Someone else got that one, and the next. But I’m not bad at waiting and getting decent deals, so I kept an eye out. Finally, I found a 1974 Super Beetle in decent shape for a great price.

My dad and I drove a few hours to pick it up after Thanksgiving.

When we pushed it up on the trailer, our hands came away orange from the paint, and the trim molding tried to fly off on the highway. We pulled over and taped it down (with painter’s tape, I’m not a monster). The car had clearly been sitting for a long time.

It has some rust issues, at least 2 squirrel nests (in the engine bay and under the seats), and enough mouse poop to account for a small village. The engine wouldn’t turn–but I didn’t want that anyway. Still, $1500 was a great price for a solid starting point.

I don’t want to spend too much time and effort on the outside of the car until after the conversion, but a wash and wax was necessary so the paint didn’t smudge off on me as I work on it. After a polish, it looked like a different car!

The Plan

I decided I didn’t want to buy a full EV conversion kit–they’re very expensive, and I wanted to learn as much as I can doing it myself. So I started researching parts and options. My basic plan is:

1. Sort our the legal stuff (title/registration)
2. Clean up the car interior (bonnet, engine bay, inside)
3. Remove the gas tank & engine
4. Install an electric motor, motor controller, and batteries (get it into a drivable state)
5. Make it roadworthy (lights, brakes, horn, wipers, etc)
6. Register it as an EV
7. Make it all-season (heating, cooling)
8. Make the inside nice (seats, sound, android auto, HUD?, etc)
9. Maybe make the body nice (paint, rust repair, etc)

I have a long way to go, but I’m excited to document the journey here on my blog. As I write this, it’s Feb 2026, and I’m backdating these posts to reflect when I actually did the work. My goal is to document the decisions I make as I go, so others can learn from my experience (both the successes and failures).

All the VW EV Conversion posts