Man who spent 500 hours converting his Volkswagen Passat into an EV says it helped land him a job at Tesla
- A man spent 500 hours converting his Volkswagen Passat into an EV
- He used it as his resume to land a job at Tesla
- He saved money on fuel, charging with solar power
Published on Dec 18, 2024 at 12:31 PM (UTC+4)
by Daksh Chaudhary
Last updated on Dec 18, 2024 at 5:00 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Tom Wood
In 2008, a man named Eric Tischer decided to convert his Volkswagen Passat into an EV.
It was the time when well-known electric cars like the Nissan Leaf or Chevy Volt didn’t even exist.
But Eric Tischer knew what he was doing, and after spending 500 hours – one day a week for a year – he transformed the car into a daily driver.
The best part is that this conversion didn’t just save him money; it also helped him land a job at Tesla in 2011.
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Converting a Volkswagen Passat into EV
This amazing story is shared in a YouTube video by etischer, and it’s fascinating.
The converted Passat was inspected by the California Air Resources Board (CARB), registered as an EV, and exempt from smog checks.
It became his ‘rolling resume,’ impressing Tesla during his job interview.
He even drove it to the interview and gave a 30-minute presentation about the project.
Eric is not the first one to turn a regular car electric – this businessman turned his Rolls-Royce into an EV.
Back to Eric’s car, the total cost of the conversion was $25,000, with $12,500 going to battery cells.
The car’s range was around 100 miles, but he limited it to 70 miles to keep the batteries healthy.
Solar panels at his home generated enough energy to power 19,000 miles annually, reducing his charging costs to just $11 per 1,000 miles.
Eric took care of the safety in the car
Safety wasn’t overlooked either. The car retained its airbags and ABS, and the battery rack was built to be extremely strong.
Custom springs were added for 50/50 weight distribution, and Lithium iron phosphate (LiFePo4) batteries were chosen for their safety, as they are less likely to catch fire.
His practical experience with electric vehicles, combined with his mechatronics engineering background, helped him build a career in the EV industry, and it all started with this remarkable Volkswagen Passat conversion.
