Germany: Iconic GDR Trabi gets ELECTRONIC makeover

The classic GDR 'Trabi' automobile has gone electric, with automobile company 'ReeVolt!' showing off the modified version of the vehicle in the northern village of Schwerin on Thursday. The company, working together with H. Busse Automobile, implemented one of its latest electronic engines into the Trabant 601 to offer an old fashion design with a quiet and eco-friendly car. The company is able to transform Trabis in good condition into electric cars, with orders reportedly piling in. ReeVolt! director Raymond See confirmed the all-new e-Trabi is "exclusive" due to only a "limited number still in working order." The 11KW battery of the e-Trabi lasts up to 130 Km (80 miles) and takes five hours to charge from a household power source. As well as the Trabi the kit can be implemented into other classic cars, including the classic Volkswagen beetle. The transformed Trabi costs €13,500 ($14,365). The original Trabi was produced between 1964 and 1988. After the fall of the GDR the car became an icon of the former East Germany, with companies offering tours of Berlin in a fleet of the vehicles.