I see the shift knob has:
(N)eutral
(D)rive
(R)idiculous
(L)udicrous
(P)laid

This van is from Space Balls!

 

Did you get to speak with the owner of this FrankenBoltagon? Interesting concept.

 

I didn't, although I did sneak a peek at the license plate to learn that the van came from Quebec.

In the first picture you can see the Bolt battery (literally) bolted onto the bottom of the chassis.

 

WOW!

 

Sooo much win!

 

This is amazing! The first sighting of a prototype VW Buzz! That camo is the best I've seen!

 

OK, I give up. What are referring to in photo five? I see what appears to be a small Chinese charger, or inverter, and maybe a mirror, or display screen against the side.

[edit]
OK, I see the battery disconnect!

 

I think the orange cover is part of the Bolt's battery pack. You don't normally see it because it is tucked beneath the floor in the Bolt, and not exposed like it is here.

 

Yup. It is actually right under the seat cushion, easily seen after releasing two latches at the front of the seat cushion.

 

OP - you have to make it your personal mission to track the owner down and get him/her to join the forum. This enterprising individual definitely belongs here and I'm sure a lot of people would love to pick his/her brain about this project.

 

So many questions:

• Were they able to incorporate the BMS into this thing? (I'm going to have to assume they did. But how?)
• If they were able to make this work, would it be outside the realm of possibility to stack another battery on here (to provide more juice/range), and, while they're at it - mount another motor to the rear wheel/axle to provide AWD?

 

I recall the episode "Spock's Brain" in the original Star Trek where primitive, scantily clad, women surgically removed Spock's brain to serve as the controller for the planet. Spock believed he was still in his body, pumping blood and breathing, all while really operating planetary life support systems. William Shatner got to chew scenery.

This Vanagon-Bolt proves that what we judge primitive can be inspired to leaps of creativity that achieve the apparently impossible for little cost. Take a look.

• This is a rear wheel drive vehicle. Why? Look at the DCFC charge port cleverly hidden behind the license plate. No version of the Vanagon Camper would put a fuel tank here because it would go directly into the engine compartment. It is easier to fit adapt a transaxle design like the Bolt EV to another transaxle design like the Vanagon. It looks like the conversion artist picked a spot where they could fit the Bolt EV drive train while not cutting or extending HV cables.
  • There is a lot of room once you drop the orginal engine and get rid of the gas tank--Lots of ancillary coolant tanks for the Bolt could be bolted into the hollows.
  • You really do not want to deal with the front end steering of a Vanagon. It's delicate, tuned and works well. Modifying it would be a major challenge I wonder how or if they implemented the power steering?
  • Front end of a Westphalia Camper is really full. I do not think you can get a Bolt EV drivetrain in here.
  • You do have to find a way of reversing the motor drive. The motor is on the rear wheels that have to push. Perhaps the entire Bolt EV drivetrain has been reversed? Or there has been some clever re-phasing of the inverter?
  • Simple solution. Fit the Bolt EV motor where it naturally connects, make it push the vehicle, then find how to make all of the components connect without overly modifying the HV lines.

There is more room in the back once you drop the engine, VW transaxle, and fuel tanks. The Bolt EV drivetrain should fit.

Gas tank removal. It sits on near the front axles near the passenger seat and takes up space.

• The battery has been bolted on back to front. Why? The orange 'plug' in the last picture is the MSD (Master Service Disconnect) located under the rear seat of the Bolt. The black, bail lock is usually on the right in a Bolt. Here it is on the left against the refrigerator/stove cabinet. So the battery is facing backwards.
  • Placing the battery backward makes all of the connections face the Bolt EV drivetrain. It's simpler.
  • You do have to find where to put Bolt EV radiators and battery conditioning systems, but there should be lots of room with all of the gasoline engine and support gone.
  • (The Bolt EV battery has an internal BMS. All you need to do is send the right signals and it does the rest.)
  • The bottom of the Westphalia Vanagon does have multiple attachment points for things like fuel tanks, propane tanks, and water tanks. What the bump on the bottom of the first picture may be is all of that adapted for the Bolt EV battery.

Note the access door on the cabinet in about the middle of the cutaway. The Bolt EV battery faces backwards from here.

• Controls are a sophisticated cut and paste.
  • Only the minimum of electronic shift lever and control display were apparently taken from the Bolt EV and tacked into place.
  • You can extend low voltage control wiring much easier than HV lines.
  • There appears to be some genius in making the control system believe it's still in a Bolt. I do not believe that the artist used the power steering from the Bolt nor the Bosch electronic ABS braking system. Yet from other posts (https://www.chevybolt.org/threads/p...eads/pulled-abs-sensors-test-top-speed-here-is-what-happened.33945/#post-520731) there may be driveability issues. Was the decision to live with the issues or was there a clever solution?
• The rest deserves a book. The artist behind this kinetic art needed to understand exactly what they could dissect from a Bolt and have it still run.
  • Heater and A/C? Was there a modification to the original heater box with extension lines?
  • Bolt EV radiator shutters have a sophisticated speed and control logic. Did the conversion drop these and just live with the alarms (that would appear on the non-existent DIC?
  • Do they have a speedometer? The Vanagon used a cable connected to the VW transaxle. That's gone.
  • More questions and more questions...
  • How much of the Bolt EV do you really need to move a vehicle, and how much is necessary for safety, and how much is just nice to have but you can slash it out?

This looks like a primitive rust pit, but the creator behind this would put all of us to shame.

 

Hippies gone electric! What will they think of next

 

Next? Before buying my used YM240 (a 1970's model, 24 hp Yanmar farm tractor) in 2003, my research led me to one that had been converted, at least 30 years ago, now, to electric. There was an article describing it, in something like the Whole Earth Catalog. Of course it was at a back-to-the earth communal garden.

 

I have a few questions:

1) Did he install a Pedestrian Growler Speaker? Because if he runs someone down, with all the safety equipment in that thing, he's just going to be handing over the keys to his house if he didn't.
2) If he needs to take it in for service, do you think he's going to get his panties in a bunch if he gets an ICE as a loaner (or will he modify the ICE to be a BEV and return it as such?)
3) Is he in a state where there is emissions testing, and if so, did he reclassify the original VIN of that thing as electric, and if so, how easy was that? And no, legally, he can't use the VIN of the Bolt ..... I said legally, not that he didn't pull it off with the don't ask don't tell philosophy that I personally believe in. I live in a country where the loophole, no matter how 'wrong' it is, is the correct answer.
4) How do the chicks react to it? The Bolt style as it is .... is a c-o-c-k block. Except all your wives here, I know they think you guys look cute in yours. I get it. Denial is huge here.
5) Does he wave to a Tesla driver like I do? When I wave, it's envy. For him, it's got to be a grin of a whole different level.
6) How is towing?
7) He clearly solved the uncomfortable seat issue, but does he have a spare? If he has a spare, that's a game changer. I may want this mod. I want a spare.
8) What exactly does the car identify as? If he's on the west coast, that opens it up to a ton of other directions too.

 

CHICKS?
Any man driving a Bolt is more attractive than a man who calls women “chicks.” Trust me on this.

 

OK guys, I found out where this "Vanabolt" came from:

Thread on Samba.com

Here is my Vanabolt, a 100% electric 1980 Vanagon.
In fact, it can look like a Vanagon, but really it's a 2017 chevrolet Bolt. Almost every piece of the Bolt had been integrate in his new VW body.
So, the base vehicle was a wrecked Chevy Bolt. This one have a 60 kWh battery and an efficient drivetrain / design allowing a range* of 300-500 km (190-300 miles) between charge. In his new, wider, bigger, less aerodynamic, heavier, Vanagon body the range* I obtain after a full charge is 200-300 km (125-190 miles).

 

It is from Quebec.

 

@Sean Nelson I stand corrected. The Bolt EV drive unit faces forward even though it is in the rear of the VW.

That's not as direct as it might seem because access to the electronic modules would be very difficult if these were mounted 'facing forward'. Yabert, the creator of the Wesphalia/Bolt has solved the problem with a lot of engineering skill and grit. It's worthwhile looking at his (17 page) forum description to learn about all types of Bolt EV secrets. https://www.diyelectriccar.com/forums/showthread.php/westfalia-t3-chevy-bolt-drivetrain-198653.html

Yabert has no fear in welding, machining, and generally rewring any part of the Bolt EV system to make it believe it's still a Bolt. Dissecting out all of the Bolt harnesses is no problem (added handicap-do this in during the Quebec winter in a plastic carport):

As for the drive unit, new mounts and new frames to hold the electronics, charging, and auxiliary power modules so that they may be serviced using the rear hatch of the VW:

The drive unit faces forward, but for us Bolt drivers, we are seeing the back. Now add the modules on newly fabricated frames.

Then patient wiring

You are also right that Yabert mounted the battery in the forward facing orientation with a good amount of frame welding.

It also seems that much of the ABS system was carried over, as were the electric parking brakes. All of it was integrated to make the Bolt think it was still a Bolt, even though living in a VW body. For example, I did not know that DCFC would be limited if the air-conditioner sensors were not reading correctly in order to prevent battery overheating. Yabert figured out how to do it. There are also clever hacks for the wheel speed sensors to get the Bolt brake system to work.

If you have time, it's worth a read.

 

@Sean Nelson Yabert has no fear in welding, machining, and generally rewring any part of the Bolt EV system to make it believe it's still a Bolt.
.....
All of it was integrated to make the Bolt think it was still a Bolt, even though living in a VW body.

I applaud this guy's abilities. I want him on my team during World War Z and any last standing survivor situation but I'm puzzled by your frequent use of statements that this thing thinks it's still a Bolt. Surely if he installed the camera, it can see for itself it's not a Bolt and based on this guys pics, Home Depot has been trying to call him to use his dashboard as an Xmas lights display based on all the error lights he has ...... He still gets an A+, we have a curve here in America, but .....

 

My first thought was ice hole or Bolt hater but no that is quite the conversion job. I hope he used a crashed donor Bolt!

 

Boy, that’s some impressive camouflage. The designers are REALLY trying to keep things under wraps, eh?

 

I strongly recommend clicking the link to his build. This was one **** of a project, the owner posted many photos, & answered many questions.
He also is driving a round Canada/USA road trip.

 

I love that the vehicle is a sleeper. That paint.

And it's poetic because the weakest link on those Vanagon/Westies was always the underpowered gas motor.

I'm so impressed with this project I've decided to declare my 2019 Bolt stolen, collect the insurance money, and convert a Eurovan (the preferred platform suggested by the artist) with my Bolt parts. The cops will never check for them in a VW van.

 

I love that the vehicle is a sleeper. That paint.

And it's poetic because the weakest link on those Vanagon/Westies was always the underpowered gas motor.

Yep 4x the hrspwwwrs and 5x the torks as the rolling roadblock of a factory van.

 

OUCH! The donor Bolt.

The most intimidating part of the thread was this, with the builders caption,
“The wiring harness, motor, charger, inverter, dc-dc and battery inside our house for debuging the all system during winter.”

 

It seems he has all bases covered, bicycles if everything else goes to ****.

 

Everything about his project is perfect...except for where the van operates. In the SW USA, we have VW vans of that age with absolutely no rust and perfect paint...but still old and cheap. So, now you know where to look to, in order to obtain the van.

 

Earlier on the builder posted that good vans were expensive, & this was what was available.
It would be slick to have a 9/10, but, you have to admit, there is some cachet in driving what looks to be a Rat Van, then getting silently passed on a steep grade in the B.C. mountains.
He has stated the suspension needs work, front springs are near bottomed, & he has only about 6” clearance.
As of a day or so ago, the builder was in Bryce, has done 10,000km so far.

 

Sounds like he's in tourist country. So he's going to see some of those flawless Southwest (and California) Vanagons there, that he probably didn't believe exist.

 

Nothing better than this van will ever posted on this forum. EVER.

 

Yeah but I wonder about the heat? Weren't those things horrible with a gas engine heater?

 

Yeah but I wonder about the heat? Weren't those things horrible with a gas engine heater?

The bugs were, Transporter and Bus were larger so even worse. (BTDT). But I thought by the time of the Vanagon they were water cooled so had a better heating system.