The Gurgel Itaipu E400 was a Brazilian electric vehicle with a plastic body. It was produced between 1981 and 1983. It was produced in two types: van and pickup. The car was essentially a rebodied
Volkswagen Type 2
The Volkswagen Type 2, known officially (depending on body type) as the Transporter, Kombi or Microbus, or, informally, as the Bus (US), Camper (UK) or Bulli (Germany), is a forward control light commercial vehicle introduced in 1950 by the Ge ...
("Kombi"), fitted with an electric engine and batteries. The design was similar overall, but with a rounded, bulbous nose. Its very limited range and expensive
batteries resulted in it being a commercial failure. At a steady speed of , a range was promised.
Gurgel had already built the
Itaipu E150 city car, which was followed by the Itaipu E400 electric van. Around 200 were produced overall, nearly entirely for Brazilian government agencies. One single example was bought by a private owner. In 1983, the weight capacity was increased to and the name changed to Gurgel E500. A version retaining the Volkswagen petrol engine was also built, called the .
References
External links
PhotosSite in Portuguese
1980s cars
E400
Pickup trucks
Electric vans
Vans
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