Visitors to Fieldays at Mystery Creek, Hamilton last week (June 14-17) would have met Kev on the Volkswagen New Zealand stand: a 1966 Kombi that’s been converted to zero-emissions power (Kombi Electric Vehicle, get it?).
Ideally, Kev would have been alongside an example of the ID.Buzz, the all-new retro-futuristic VW EV van that’s heading to NZ. But that’s been pushed back a bit for the local market… and another story.
Still, Kev has cool history: once used by the Dunedin Health Board, in fact. But this classic Kombi has had a ground-up reboot and been converted to pure-electric power by VW NZ.
There’s not a lot of specific technical detail available, but VW NZ has provided a rather delightful pseudo-sketched “Greenprint” that gives tips on how to convert a classic Kombi to be just like Kev. It’s available as a free download via volkswagen.co.nz/ekombi.
Max van den Bergen, special vehicles manager for VW NZ, says the change from classic to e-classic has been rewarding: "I know Kombi owners are super passionate about their vehicles, so it’s great to share our journey and plans required to turn their classic into a full EV.
