Switched has a new home! Huffpost Tech.

Click here to visit the new home of Switched!

Hot on HuffPost Tech:

See More Stories
AOL Tech

Students Attempt Fastest Canada Crossing in Electric VW Beetle

by Amar Toor on September 1, 2010 at 03:30 PM

screenshot of electric vw beetle
For people of a certain age, the mention of cross-country road trips instantly evokes the memories of youthful hedonism, the fragrances of patchouli and the stench of an old, gas-guzzling Volkswagen van. A group of college students in Canada, however, recently went through the rite of VW road trip passage in a decidedly more eco-friendly way. As Techi reports, members of the Electric Car Club at the University of British Columbia have embarked on a quest to set the record for the fastest cross-country Canadian road trip in an electric car. Their ride of choice? A souped-up 1972 Volkwagen Beetle EV.

To render the car eco-friendly, the team combined a three-phase AC induction motor with a lithium ion phosphate battery, allowing the beast to run for about 185 miles at a speed of 60 mph, or over 340 miles at 30 mph (see it in action here). So far, the eco-explorers have completed about a third of their 4,000-mile long odyssey, and have been documenting ever second of the trip on their blog. The record may be far from sealed, but the UBC team is already looking forward to entering their retro-lectric creation in the Zero Race, an 80-day, round-the-world race for electric vehicles. Even if they don't win the event, they'll certainly win plenty of style points.

Tags: beetle, canada, car, cars, cross country, cross country trip, cross country trips, CrossCountry, CrossCountryTrip, CrossCountryTrips, Electric car, ElectricCar, ElectricCars, ElectricVehicle, environment, environmental, environmentally friendly, EnvironmentallyFriendly, race, race zero, races, RaceZero, top, volkswagen, Volkswagen Beetle, VolkswagenBeetle, vw

HuffPost AOL Social News Most Popular