Turning A Beetle Into A Hybrid

Students at the University of Kansas have built what may be the coolest hybrid ever — a 1974 Volkswagen Super Beetle–series hybrid that burns biodiesel and gets about 50 mpg.

The Super Beetle had been rusting away on a used car lot until it was donated to a mechanical engineering class led by professor Chris Depcik. He turned it over to a group of environmentally conscious engineering students who call themselves the EcoHawks. Over the course of a year, they installed a series of 10 lead-acid batteries and a biodiesel generator. It isn’t very fast — even by Beetle standards — but it runs.

“We have driven it around and reached approximately 30 mph, but this was more of a proof-of-concept drive without pushing the boundaries,” Depcik told Autopia. “We are currently getting the vehicle into road-ready shape to be driven safely in order to determine these values.”

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