Electric VW Beetle Sets Off On Trans-Canada Trip

Here we have a group of university students driving an electric vehicle that can travel 185 miles traveling 60 miles per hour. Meanwhile, GM feels good about themselves in creating a 40 mile EV Volt. Are we missing something here? I would love to be able to walk into a dealership and buy an electric VW with these range figures. Their bug can travel 340 miles at 30 mph. For a commuter who does not leave the city limits, this means they could almost go two weeks between charges. Well done.

From Inhabitat:

There’s nothing better than a road trip, unless it’s an emission-free road trip where you break a record. A group of students from the University of British Columbia are attempting to set a record for the fastest coast-to-coast drive across Canada in an electric vehicle – in this case, an electrified classic Volkswagen Beetle.

In an adventure that could easily be dubbed “Herbie Does Canada”, the group of students left Vancouver last week hoping to make the 4,000 mile journey in their electrified 1972 Vee Dub E-Beetle. The car was converted by the UBC Electric Car Club to run on electricity — it features a three-phase AC induction motor hooked up to a lithium iron phosphate battery.

With the new modifications, the Beetle is capable of traveling 185 miles at 60 mph and over 340 miles at 30 mph. As such, the team walks a fine line between a decent driving speed and making sure the battery didn’t go flat — especially considering that it takes four hours to recharge the battery. Impressively, the E-Beetle is capable of reaching a top speed of 85 mph and boasts four wheel discs with regenerative braking.