Bradley Electric in Victoria, British Columbia for sale

Year
1981
1981 Bradley GT 2 Electric
Bradley Automotive began in 1970 designing and installing fiberglass-bodied cars on a VW Beetle chassis. through the 70s they became the largest producer of kit cars and car kits in the US. An increasing interest in the late 70s in electric cars led them to develop the Bradley GTE, first available in 1980.
Although there had been other electric kit cars, the GTE was one of the most sophisticated alternate-fuel vehicles on the market at the time. The VW floorpan and transaxle were retained, but the suspension was beefed up with overload shocks, front and rear, to handle the increased weight of 17 lead-acid batteries. Bolted to the transaxle was a General Electric Tracer I 20.7hp direct-traction electric motor. The GTE was developed with GE, who also supplied their EV-1 controller system. Production figures claim that only 500 of these cars were ever built.
I bought this car three years ago and was impressed by it's excellent original condition. I replaced the lead-acid batteries, built battery hold downs, replaced the air springs on the doors and rear window and a few minor things. The car is a blast to drive and gets tons of attention wherever you go. Unfortunately I found out that the charger has a fault and does not turn off when the batteries are fully charged. As a result I overcharged the batteries and now their capacity is almost zero. This car is a significant part of EV history but it is one of too many projects for me. Looking at the candles on my birthday cake and my bank balance some things have to go.
It wouldn't be too expensive to replace the batteries, 16 six volt golf cart batteries and repair the charger. OR, you could upgrade with lithium batteries and AC motor and new controller