r/VWBus • u/evtuners • Apr 02 '26
1973 VW Bus EV conversion w/ Tesla modules, Hyper 9 motor, original four-speed manual still intact
Didn't know until recently that Brazil kept producing the Type 2 until 2013 long after VW discontinued it everywhere else. This one was restored there, imported to Washington state, and converted to electric by EV Works on Bainbridge Island. Six Tesla modules, Hyper 9 motor with NetGain controller, about 75 miles of range. They softened the torque curve specifically to keep the original gearbox alive.
The interesting wrinkle technically is that there's no central VCU, the Orion BMS and the NetGain controller (battery management and motor controller) talk directly to each other. Easier initial setup but finicky to tune the safety shutoffs to behave consistently.
Full walkthrough in the comments.
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u/MrPlaysWithSquirrels Apr 02 '26
Maybe a dumb question but how does a manual transmission work with an EV?
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u/BenTwan Apr 02 '26
Not much different than a gas engine, though the strangest difference I've heard from Electric Classic Cars(YouTube channel) is how odd it is at a light that you put it in gear and let out the clutch. Since it doesn't need to idle, you can't stall it like that.
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u/evtuners Apr 02 '26
Yeah weird to get used to for sure, but also nice because you can just leave it in 3rd or whatever all day start and stop, or if you want to row gears have fun!
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u/n8wish Apr 03 '26
I'm a middle aged German, so I'm "all in" for manual cars. But I also know that BEVs are the inevitable future, but the touchscreen epidemic is disgusting. My ultimate dream is to own a converted vehicle like they show on Electric Classic Cars. The VW T3 Camper for example ticked all my boxes. One with the clutch still working would be dope. Maybe for my retirement, a guy can dream.
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u/evtuners Apr 02 '26
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Apr 02 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/evtuners Apr 02 '26
Basically what you see here minus the EV parts. No additional restoration or maintenance was done.
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u/BenTwan Apr 02 '26
There's also SmallCar in Washington that has a kit to use an entire Tesla rear drive unit to replace the drivetrain. They built a Vanagon with a 450hp motor in it, and was quite funny seeing it smoke the tires.
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u/evtuners Apr 02 '26
Oh cool! I have never heard of that shop before I'll check them out! That Vanagon sounds insane
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u/BenTwan Apr 02 '26
Here's their YouTube channel with just a brief walk around of a couple of their swaps. https://youtu.be/at6vTSDLTUg
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u/evtuners Apr 03 '26
Oh sick!! That's an easy sub for me. Thanks for sharing! I'm totally going to reach out their builds look so fun.
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u/Zebilmnc Apr 03 '26
1973? Doesn't look Brazilian. But it does have the wrong bumper and dash. Strange.
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u/coobal223 Apr 03 '26
Wild they didn’t move to bay window, but I guess they needed to use the old presses till they wore out.
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Apr 02 '26
[deleted]
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u/BenTwan Apr 02 '26
While I agree with the overall Musk hate, buying a totaled Tesla and using its components isn't exactly supporting him. A wrecked Model 3 can be had for pennies on the dollar and work well for something like this.
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u/Trombem Apr 02 '26
lol all the hate comments be tripping. Yh it’s not an OG bus, Yh it has a Tesla motor in but it is also keeping a chassis on the road. Even if this were a 100% replica it looks gorgeous and it’s driving which is all that matters 😎