Check Out This Drag Racing VW Beetle EV – Geek Review

Although it may sound a bit strange, people Really likes to turn old VW Beetles into electric drag racers. The practice dates back twenty years, and in 2011, two brothers shocked the world with their Black Current III electric Beetle. Now they’re back with an even more ridiculous car, the V8-killing Black Current IV.

Note: Various media are clinging to this story under false pretenses. The modified VW Beetle EV does not have 6500 horsepower, that rating is outrageous and clearly incorrect. ‘The Late Brake Show’ admits it made a mistake, but other publications aren’t doing their due diligence.

We decided to share this story because it’s really cool. It highlights a scene of enthusiasts who are integral to the rise of electric vehicles. Horsepower doesn’t matter.

While previous Black Current electric vehicles were based on too old VW Beetles, the new model is a heavily modified 2013 mk2 New Beetle. It now has a full carbon fiber body, plus a custom 22kWh battery pack and 800V architecture. In particular, it works with a total of four inverters, which diligently control the rotational speed of four permanent magnet axial flux AC three-phase motors.

Brothers Olly and Sam Young, who built the Black Current IV, think it can go a quarter-mile in seven seconds or less. That would make it the “world’s fastest” electric vehicle, which is shocking, given that it’s a modified Beetle. Y It’s street legal. (The Young brothers haven’t taken this thing up to full speed yet, so we can’t confirm how fast it actually moves.)

For reference, the Tesla Model S Plaid recently completed a quarter mile in 9.4 seconds. And the current world record holder, the Rimac Nevera, made his journey in 8.52 seconds.

This shouldn’t come as much of a surprise: the old Black Current III set a record in 2011, even though it was powered by a repurposed milk float motor (an electric motor from a UK milk delivery truck). The only reason Olly and Sam Young started working on this new Black Current VI is because the previous model crashed at 140 MPH during a drag race in 2017.

Anyway, you should watch the video above made by The ultimate brake show. It covers Black Current VI and its history in more detail than I have provided. Also, it’s a video, and I know you want to see this weird electric drag racing vehicle.

Source: The Late Brake Show