BETTER PARTSClean Beetle-Cult
Going (Austria), 11. July 2017
Still electric mobility will not come into full swing. Despite the premium at the beginning of 2017, were not in Germany of the year, more than 34,000 of pure E-vehicles are permitted. How can I change that? Robert Tönnies, nephew of the Schalke 04 President Clemens Tönnies, has pursued two concepts. An important role of the VW beetle.
Cheaper in an electric car
However, after the row: at the beginning of 2016 Tönnies has founded in Bielefeld, the Electrify GmbH, a leasing business for electric cars. In the fleet optimized for used cars types of Mitsubishi i-MiEV, Peugeot iOn and Citroën C-Zero, but also the Renault Zoe with a 41 kWh battery. The Rates remain low. These cars are leased one-half by commercial and private users, including the German Red cross. 150 E-cars comprising the fleet, currently, until the end of 2018 it wants to have around 300 to 400 vehicles in inventory. In Bielefeld and Stuttgart Electrify is already active, add, soon, Osnabrück and Dortmund. Sales: 450,000 euros in 2017, Robert Tönnies speaks of a "black Zero".
VW beetle under power
However, Tönnies drove questions: How can you for E-car-enthusiasm and arouses the emotions of the people? Answer: With a classic car! The key data: No rarity as the basis for the current tag, but a convertible with the everyday practicality and a high degree of popularity. And so the decision fell on the VW beetle Cabriolet. In front of one and a half years, the electrification of the 1971 model began, production cost is around 119.000 Euro. New is the idea of power is, by the way-not beetles: The company Zelectric is using this gap in the market out of California. But back to Tönnies-VW. The first Retro beetle is available for 220 Euro on the day of the five-star-Hotel Stanglwirt in Going near Kitzbühel for rent. By the end of 2018 is to be built for more Top-Hotels in Germany and abroad, a series of 25 open bugs.
Double Battery Ground
The special VW "retro beetle" arise in "Murschel Electric Cars" in Renningen, near Stuttgart. There is also the starting vehicles, which arrive in very poor condition bearings. But that doesn't matter, because it is in the case of each electric beetle virtually a new building. The most important Element is the 280-kilogram Lithium-iron-phosphate-batteries-seat passengers in a double floor under the pass. Capacity: 22 Kilowatt-Hours. That's enough for a maximum of 150 kilometers. Not much, but it clearly says: "This is more of a garage car that you drive every day."
Not a cheap pleasure
The 100-Kilowatt electric motor (equal to 136 HP), the engine control and the transmission form a unit, which is housed behind the battery box. Added to this is a height-adjustable suspension. The complete base unit weighs 650 kilograms, add to that the 350-kilogram body. What is going on in the beetle? Not to mention the all-new wire harnesses including CAN are the transmission Bus and an automatic transmission. Due to a lot of manual work each of the beetle will cost 99,000 euros, a Ten-year warranty, plenty of Carbon and leather in the interior to compensate for the high price.
New LED eyes
13,75 kilowatt-hours of retro beetle consumes on 100 km. Up to 150 km/h it is fast. The car is loaded with AC, he is back within an hour. At a household outlet, it takes six hours. Optical detection characteristic of the current-VW are the thickness of soil and new LED daytime running lights.
Pretty fast
And how it drives? Well, first of all, the good workmanship. The space is not better or worse than in a conventional beetle convertible. But the acceleration is not so-but funny as in some of the Tesla, but much faster than the original VW. Add to that the rest of the typical beetle sound is completely missing. Certainly, many beetle Fans exactly this sound, looking for a backdrop. But the Electric version is only created once only on 25 copies. Vintage-lovers, so no need to worry, this is your Hobby by the power in the Retro-optic undermined. In a matter of Tönnies, incidentally, is beetle is quite vintage: When Maneuvering in the Stand must be cranked in the absence of power steering.(rh)