Guide to EV Conversion Cost

For a car without a dedicated kit, start from a motor-only package (Hyper 9 from about $6,000; Tesla drive units from about $10,000) and add batteries, mounts, electrical components and wiring for your chassis.

Battery: 40 to 50 percent. This is the biggest line and the one with the most room to move. Used Tesla Model S modules (5.3 kWh each) are $1,380 on sale right now (regular $1,580), which works out to about $260 to $300 per kWh. A 26.5 kWh pack in loose modules is about $6,900 to $7,900 before boxes, BMS and cabling. A fully assembled, bolt-in Beetle pack with all of that is $12,750.

Motor and controller: about a quarter. A Hyper 9 motor and controller kit is $5,980. A Tesla drive unit starter kit is $9,900 to $11,900.

Everything else. Transmission adapter, charger, DC-DC converter, contactors, fusing, cable, gauges and throttle. In a complete kit these are included; in a custom build they add up quickly.

For a conversion, the battery is sized to the car. Our average customer buys about 24 kWh, which in used Tesla modules is roughly $6,000 to $7,500 in cells, plus enclosures and a BMS. That gets a light car 80 to 100 miles.

• Keep the manual transmission. Our Hyper 9 kits bolt the motor to the original gearbox, so you skip the cost of a new drivetrain.
• Size the battery to how you drive. Every kWh you do not need is about $260 to $300 saved.
• Skip power assists the car never had. A light car without power steering or power brakes does not need them added.
• Start with a good donor. After $15,000 or more in parts, a rusty car you do not love costs more in the end than a clean one.
• Keep it light and 2WD when possible. Both get you more range from fewer kWh.

Many builders do the work at home with our kits and email support. Plan on 120 to 250+ hours of work for a complete VW Beetle conversion and 100 to 220+ hours for a VW Bus. If you would rather have a shop do it, EV West does not install for the public, but we will recommend a qualified shop nearest to you.