The Legendary VW XL-1

[Peter Jorgensen]

I’ve never really read much about the VW XL-1. I’m realizing now I want one. I like Aptera more, but this thing is crazy cool too. We need this sort of thing too in mass production.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dFoNWEK84RU

https://youtu.be/ozqSdnkYxJM

[Alain Chuzel]

A few moons ago (early 2014) there was an outfit pitching EV motors and controllers that was trying to get their hands on one of these for the purpose of converting it to solar electric. They contacted me for custom solar. We built them a bunch of weirdly shaped 800 gram per square meter solar panels with 22%-ish SunPower cells and when they couldn’t get one of the VW XL-1’s they put the solar panels on a golf cart…..

• This reply was modified 1 month ago by  Alain Chuzel.

[Peter Jorgensen]

If Aptera didn’t exist… I’d pay a lot for one of these with an EV drivetrain and solar.

Why didn’t they just put it on a gen 1 Honda Insight?

[Alain Chuzel]

“Why didn’t they just put it on a gen 1 Honda Insight?” Great question. My sense at the time was the outfit was struggling and they began to really, really cut corners and all they had in hand was an electric golf cart. Kinda sad….