I’m wondering if this is a completely stupid idea, I’ve done some research already about where to put the batteries (can likely be wired up in the boot with motor in the front, or potentially have a bank under the bonnet in lieu of where the fuel tank would live anyways) but I am somewhat worried about the weight… however I suppose given modern batteries it should be just about doable.

Would be a fairly cheap project anyways, the actual car can be bought on the cheap as barely anyone wants Trabi 1.1’s for some reason & second hand batteries are always a possibility. Might even try and find a regular Trabi with a blown engine (as often happened) as they often go for nothing.