% His $30k goal is a VW conversion with a 90hp AC e-motor/controller, a 150mi range, and a ten 3kWh li-ion battery pack(?). 2nd video shows he has already bought the ice and removed the seats. He can be contacted via his gofundme page (Click on the envelope next to his name).
To some this project may seem moot, since the same money can buy a 200mi Tesla-3 or GM Bolt EV. If all he wanted was conversion experience, perhaps he could have bought a used EV conversion cheap, and learned while upgrading it to the specs he wants(?). evtradinpost.com has a li-ion VW Bug forsale for $8k (see links below) % http://www.covnews.com/section/1/article/201013/ High school student raising funds to build electric Beetle April 9, 2016 Sandra Brands [image http://media.morristechnology.com/webmedia/upload/covington_news/article/2016/04/09/0410GRAYSON-beetle.jpg (vw bug ice) ] If Grayson Eady reaches his goal, in just more than three years, he’ll be driving an electric car north to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). The 15-year-old high school sophomore from Oxford is raising money to convert a reddish-orange, 1973 Super Beetle that he plans to [convert] from a gas to an electric engine. “I want to be an engineer; go to MIT,” he said. “I’ve always been interested in electric cars, and I started thinking about it. It seemed, in theory, it wouldn’t be too difficult. But it turned out there was more involved and I’ve been designing it ever since.” It will cost more than he originally expected, too — about $30,000, he said. When people ask him why it will cost so much to make the conversion, he breaks down the math of the purchase of the VW Bug —$2,400 — plus the green upgrades. “The electric motor will cost about $4,500,” he said. “The batteries will cost about $10,000. (Converting) all the other systems bring it up to $30,000. “There are a lot of systems that go into making a one-off electric car,” he said, explaining that it always cost more to make just one of something. “It’s my own personalized electric car. “I have to have a charger that connects to the batteries, that translates the power from the outlet to the batteries, and that’s a couple thousand dollars,” he said. “I have to have a motor controller that controls how much electricity goes to the motor when I put on the ‘gas’.” Working with a VW The son of David and Vicki Eady of Oxford, Eady is a student at George Walton Academy in Monroe. He is building the car as a way to build his resume for college, preferably MIT, Georgia Institute of Technology or the California Institute of Technology. After he and his father, a sustainability consultant, came up with the idea to convert a gas car to an electric car, he began to do his research. Volkswagens, he said, were one of the most popular cars to convert. “They’re pretty easy to work with,” he said. “I’ve done a lot of research,” he said. “I’ve always been into cars, so I felt like I knew a good bit about cars. For the past few years, I’ve been interested in alternative energy. He started researching the more technical aspects of building an electric engine and installing it in a Beetle. To convert a gas-fueled car involves removing the entire internal combustion engine, replacing it with an electric motor and adding a large bank of batteries. Because the solid-state electronics used have no moving parts, the electric engine has a much longer lifespan than a gas engine. More efficient and faster Right now, he said, he’s been drawing out how he’ll do the conversion. He said he’s been in touch with a California company that designs electric cars converted from gas cars and they’ve given him tips. “The (internal combustion) engine takes up a lot of space,” he said, speaking of the VW’s rear engine location. “The electric motor I’d be using is significantly smaller. I’m using the trunk (in the front of the car) and back seat for battery space. I’m going to be using 10 batteries. Each will provide 3 kilowatt hours; that translates to about 150 miles.” The engine will take five hours to charge, he said, but it will actually perform better than the gas engine. “It will have more horsepower. The standard Beetle had about 45 (horsepower); mine will have about 90. Aside from his college aspirations, Eady said he has undertaken the project because he is a “firm environmentalist. This car would be a way to spread the word to those around me to get people interested in alternative energy and how cool electric cars can.” Eady has created a Go Fund Me page, asking for donations to pay for the conversion. He said he uses the page to update people who have donated on the project’s progress and also regularly sends email updates. To learn more about the project and see Eady’s video of the Beetle, visit https://www.gofundme.com/ebeetle . [© covnews.com] https://www.gofundme.com/ebeetle 15-Year-Old Builds an Electric Car January 15, 2016 Grayson Eady [videos https://youtu.be/NXwQHAsYBBQ (intro) https://youtu.be/2UvE7VXPZQM Beetle Walkthrough ] OXFORD, GA ... $3,310 of $30k Raised by 34 people in 2 months Hi, my name is Grayson Eady. I am a high school sophomore who aspires to become an engineer. I am raising money for a project that I strongly believe will launch me towards that goal as well as establish a firm foundation on which to begin my education in this field. I'm going to build an electric car from an old Volkswagen Beetle. The money you donate will be used to buy the car itself and all the parts necessary for the conversion. My hope is to have this car be fully functional and ready to drive by the time I apply for college. Which means I will need funding very soon so that I can get to work. If this project idea becomes reality, not only will one less environmentally- harmful, polluting car be off the road, but also I will potentially have the opportunity to attend the college of my dreams, Massachusetts Institute of Technology. All of the supporters for this project will help me achieve great things, and for this I am truly grateful. UPDATE #6 [See 2nd] video with a walk around of the car and a quick update about some work I have begun on the Beetle. The next step in fundraising for this project is to raise the $3750 needed to purchase the [Electric] motor. I would like to raise this money as soon as possible in order to continue work, so please continue to share my project with those you believe will be interested. Once the motor is paid for I will sell the [fuel] engine currently in the Volkswagen to buy a battery for testing. I have begun reaching out to local businesses and hopefully will have the financial support of one or more in the near future. Thank you for your continued support. I will keep everyone updated as things progress. [© 2016 GoFundMe] % A few EV4Sale sources ... % http://www.evtradinpost.com/list/5 Red 2000 VW New Beetle Lithium EV Conversion $8,000 (+more EVs4sale) ... http://www.greenshedconversions.com/Pages/ForSale.aspx Electric Vehicles For Sale ... http://www.evfinder.com/classifieds.htm EV CLASSIFIEDS ... http://www.e-volks.com/cars.html ELECTRIC VEHICLES FOR SALE ... http://www.ebay.com/bhp/electric-car ebay selling EVs & components For EVLN EV-newswire posts use: http://evdl.org/evln/ {brucedp.150m.com} -- View this message in context: http://electric-vehicle-discussion-list.413529.n4.nabble.com/EVLN-30k-GA-HS-student-gofundme-to-convert-VW-Beetle-to-Electric-tp4681431.html Sent from the Electric Vehicle Discussion List mailing list archive at Nabble.com. _______________________________________________ UNSUBSCRIBE: http://www.evdl.org/help/index.html#usub http://lists.evdl.org/listinfo.cgi/ev-evdl.org Read EVAngel's EV News at http://evdl.org/evln/ Please discuss EV drag racing at NEDRA (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/NEDRA)
