Description
* FOR SALE* 1979 Elektro-transporter
Up for sale is this little piece of history - I absolutely love this bus but sometimes life gets in the way and it’s now looking for a new home that will love it as much as I have.
Purchased from Volkswagen in 79’ by the ‘Electric Power Research Institute - Tennessee Valley Authority’ (EPRI-TVA) this Late bay was 1 of 5 microbuses converted to electric for research purposes with the aim of putting EV’s into mainstream use.
Originally this van would’ve housed 24 lead acid batteries in the cargo area used to power it down the road, unfortunately with the added weight the stats on the electric engine weren’t record breaking with a top speed of around 35mph and a range of approximately 60 miles.
With only 47k miles on the clock the majority of its life has been spent being tested around a circuit in Tennessee before the project was scrapped, with such low mileage it still drives like a new car.
It has a few features that make it what it is, like the twin sliding doors with vents grafted in to help aid cooling the batteries, the electric port located at the rear of the vehicle, and the reinforced chassis to cope with the extra weight, I even have a copy of the original electric owners manual.
It’s still wearing it’s stand out paintwork / stripes and original sign writing with a subtle patina, it’s not a showroom car and with its history has been very much used, some of the paintwork has been repaired previously with slightly different shades of orange. Having said this it still looks presentable and gets a smile everywhere it goes. Structurally this van is solid in all the right places, it’s one of the reasons I purchased it.
It is however just starting to go a little bit on the left side of the lower windscreen just below the window seal, this hasn’t put me off at all and it could be fixed or just run as is for a few more years.
After being imported in 2012 from the states the original Siemens electric engine had seized and was replaced by a 1600cc twin port engine, this has proved to be very reliable and I wouldn’t hesitate to drive this van anywhere. I have recently fitted E10 compatible fuel lines in the engine bay. Suspension wise it’s very much standard other than dropped spindles being fitted up front and lowered one notch at the rear.
Originally this van wouldn’t have had an interior fitted just a drivers seat purely for testing purposes, it now features an Early Bay Westy interior in great condition - this has been so practical for me on trips away, the headliner could do with some attention but again this hasn’t bothered me too much.
All in all this is such a great opportunity for someone to own such a cool bus with a great history, with Volkswagen of America now owning 1 of the 5. It’s also recently been featured in Hayburner & Camper and Bus magazine. If you’re interested and have anymore questions please get in touch, the price is £17, 500 located just outside of Coventry, Midlands cheers.
