California Center for Sustainable Energy

Sometimes it’s hard to wait for corporate America to catch up to consumer desires, so people take things into their own hands by converting what’s available into something they really want. Such was the case for Vickie Randle, who just couldn’t get by without the electric vehicle (EV) of her dreams, so she decided to build her own “solar Beetle,” a 2000 Volkswagen converted from gas to all electric. And it deserves the name solar, because Vickie charges up at home with 20 photovoltaic panels that power her home.

Vickie is a member of San Diego’s Kick Gas Club, a small group of EV enthusiasts who conduct conversion workshops and, in their spare time and weekends, take on club member’s conversion projects one at a time. Her solar Beetle has a range of 15-20 miles, which fits into her daily commute of only five miles from home to work, and plugs into a standard 110-volt outlet.

“I wanted to get an electric vehicle no matter what the range, as I think it is important to show the world EVs are a priority,” Vickie said. “I'm voting with my dollars and not supporting an energy system I disagree with.”

The cost to convert a car varies widely, but Vickie reports spending about $13,000, saying, “It can be more or less than that, because there are so many variables one needs to consider: their range of travel, weight of the car they want to convert, if you want to pay someone to do the conversion and if you go with used or new parts.”

Leading by example, Vickie is proud of her bright yellow and silver solar Beetle, adorning it with stickers and information sheets and taking it to community events where she promotes EV technology. CCSE salutes Vickie’s dedication to sustainability in our community.

For information about the Kick Gas Club, visit their website. You can see what others have done nationwide at EValbum.com where owners post their photos, performance data, expenses and parts used.

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