This electric VW Beetle is purpose built to do one thing: live life a quarter mile at a time. However, it wants to be more than a 10 second car. This electric bug is aiming to run the 1/4 mile in 7 seconds, and be the quickest EV in the world.
To get down the 1/4 mile faster than most cars can go zero to 60 mph, the electric Beetle has four permanent magnet Axial flux AC three-phase motors. Each motor has a continuous power output of 565 horsepower, so that’s 2,260 constant horsepower all together. However, the motors can make peak power of 1625 hp each for short periods (enough to run down the 1/4 mile). Think of it as the overboost feature on a Porsche 911 Turbo. All 6,500 hp goes to to the rear wheels. Each wheel is powered by two motors.
Since the car’s life is confined to a drag strip, range is not an issue. The EV Bug uses a small 22 kWh battery pack built by Current Racing. The battery has a maximum voltage of 800 volts and can recharged in an hour using the CHAdeMO charger installed in the front of the car, hidden behind the VW logo.
The brothers who created this monster hasn’t done a full speed 1/4 mile run yet. However, you can see the shake down run, and get all the info on its making in this video from The Lake Brake Show.
