The VW e-BULLI Concept is an incredible retro EV van

There are many, many companies around the world that’ll restore your arthritic Volkswagen bus and convert it from petrol to electric power. Germany’s eClassics is one such outfit. 

But here’s the thing – eClassics actually has the support of the VW Group. In 2019 it signed a “license and supply contract” with Volkswagen Group Components and at that year’s Frankfurt Motor Show revealed the ‘e-Käfer’ – an old Beetle Cabriolet with the drivetrain from an e-Up. 

The tremendous e-BULLI Concept, pictured, is a collaboration between eClassics and Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles that uses the Group’s “latest electric drive system components”. It was revealed last March and, like the e-Käfer, is essentially an official VWG-approved electric restomod. 

And yes, you can buy one. 

Hold your horses. You can’t just pop down to your local dealer and stick a deposit down on one of these, like you would if you wanted to buy a Golf or Passat. You have to go direct to eClassics in Germany. 

Prices for an electrified T1 start at €79,900, and that doesn’t include the donor vehicle or, by the looks of things, any remedial work that may be required before eClassics can undertake the EV conversion. For a no doubt lofty, undisclosed sum eClassics will do it all for you – from sourcing and restoring a donor vehicle to fitting the EV drivetrain and personalising the whole thing to your exact spec. 

We don’t know how much it’d charge for an electrifed T1 Samba like the e-BULLI Concept. Bet it’s a lot though. 

Yes, but it’s also a hugely collectible version of the classic Volkswagen ‘Type 2’ Kombi with many windows, comfy seats and a large fabric sunroof. This particular Samba was delivered new to the USA in 1966, and spent over half a century happily trundling around California before it was returned to Germany and sensitively transformed into the e-BULLI. 

To keep the centre of gravity low and the e-BULLI stable at its new 80mph limited top speed, its 45kWh battery pack is mounted under the floor and square between the axles. From a full charge VW/eClassics say you can expect to travel “over 124 miles” before you need to stop. Topping-up to 80 percent SOC takes just 40 minutes on a 50kW fast-charger.  

The single e-motor is out back, in the space once occupied by the 43bhp four-cylinder boxer. It makes almost twice the power and torque of the original internal combustion engine – 82bhp and 156lb ft – so the e-BULLI ought to have no trouble keeping pace with modern traffic.

Of course the suspension, brakes and steering have been modified to better match the new drivetrain, and cope with the additional power. The e-BULLI gets new axles, multi-link suspension with adjustable shock absorbers and coilover struts, disc brakes, modern wheels/tyres and new rack & pinion steering. 
 

Sure does. Most people will see the e-BULLI and think it’s little more than a really cool-looking classic VW Bus. But look closely and you’ll spot the differences – the new LED headlights, for example. 

Peer inside and it’s obvious this is no normal Samba. The new console between the front seats is home to a modern VW gear-lever for shifting between P, R, N, D and B (for maximum regen). The original dashboard has been left largely as-is – a modern hi-fi with Bluetooth/DAB has been sympathetically integrated (its speakers hidden throughout the cabin) and there’s a new speedo with a little range display. It’s very well done. 

The seats are freshly-trimmed, while the floor is covered with the same kind of wood used on posh yachts. 
 

Yep (other tablets are available). It can do maps, internet, video – all the things a tablet can usually do. And the e-BULLI is apparently hooked-up to VW’s ‘WeConnect’ service that lets you monitor charging and access the trip computer through a smartphone app or PC. 

Us too. Pricy, yes, but beautifully finished and incredibly cool. If you're going to restomod an old VW van, why not do it properly?