Originally, the VW Variant hit the world with big bold claims: “A sleek new shape” and the new “bonnet which curves smoothly and rakishly down at the front” created an “aggressively styled nose”.
Another celebration or the 412 was the addition of Automatic Transmission, something retained by the electric conversion by eDub. Gear changes are as much a thing of the past as they were in 1973 (apparently) with “lively performance” as a result. If manual gear changes are a struggle for you, then an electric VW Variant is no problem for eDub.
The VW Variant 412 was one of the first VWs to be “Serviceable by computer”, a feature we’ve kept with the eDub conversion. Your vehicle’s health could be printed out and cut diagnosis time by a third! Of course, with the e30 eDub Platform. Diagnosis is lightning fast and the new electric motor requires 0 servicing, as compared to the original engine.
This vehicle had a few interesting specifics the eDub team had to stick to.
- It must stay Automatic (the owner had hand controls fitted).
- It must keep the boot
- It must get better handling.
eDub could achieve all three of these with some clever ingenuity.
Because automatic was essential, eDub installed a Tesla Small Drive unit into the rear of the vehicle, connected to the rear wheels with custom driveshafts. The Drive Unit was limited to 2 driving modes. Regular driving mode limited the power to nearly 204BHP, with the Eco-Lock mode restricting to 76BHP and guaranteeing range of 100 miles. Half of a 35kWh battery pack, made up of new Lithium Ion Modules, was installed above it. All of this was kept snug in the original engine bay, with a tidy cooling system running around the drive unit, to keep everything cool.
The second half of the battery was installed into the front of the Variant, still keeping space for the spare wheel on top. More weight in the front also improved the handling too. With an overall weight of 1326kg and a 55/45 distribution rear to front, the vehicle is so much more responsive and fun to drive.
This vehicle’s battery runs at 380V nominal so if the customer chose to in the future, CCS rapid charging could be installed. In this case, the customer was happy to use the vehicle for shopping and travelling to his lodge in the hills. What a life!
