A man took a retrofitted electric 1964 Volkswagen Bus on a 6,000 mile road trip from San Francisco to New York and back. See inside his cross-country adventure.

Grace KayJul 17, 2022, 19:42 IST

The retrofitted electric 1964 Volkswagen BusCourtesy of Jack Smith

Jack Smith took a 1964 Volkswagen Bus that was converted into an electric car on a 42-day road trip.
The 65-year-old traveled from San Francisco to New York City and back with the electric car.

On May 4, Jack Smith and his long-time friend Mike Adamski took off from San Francisco on a cross-country trip in a retrofitted electric-powered 1964 Volkswagen Bus.

Adamski (left) and Smith (right) on the first day of the road trip.Courtesy of Jack Smith

The trip would take 42 days and would go from San Francisco to New York City and back again.

Courtesy of Jack Smith

65-year-old Smith told Insider he was inspired to take the trip after watching a documentary on the first cross-country road trip in American history.

In 1903, physician Horatio Nelson Jackson (at wheel) and his driving partner Sewall K. Crocker became the first men to drive an automobile across the United States.Getty

At the time, there were less than 150 miles of paved roads and less than 8,000 cars in the US.

Courtesy of Jack Smith

Today, parts of Jackson's original route have become the Lincoln Highway and Interstate 80.

Courtesy fo Jack Smith

"They had this grand adventure and I wanted to retrace their steps," Smith said "But I didn't want to do it in a regular car. Where's the fun in that?"

Courtesy of Jack Smith

Smith picked up the car, dubbed the "Rust Bus," as a loaner from EV West. He'd begun planning the trip about six months in advance, from figuring out sleeping accommodations to mapping EV charging stations along the way.

An EV West technician working on the VW Bus.Courtesy of Jack Smith

Smith picked up the car, dubbed the "Rust Bus," as a loaner from EV West. He'd begun planning the trip about six months in advance, from figuring out sleeping accommodations to mapping EV charging stations along the way.

He'd originally planned to take something more modern, like a Tesla, but the "Rust Bus" had its own charm.

Courtesy of Jack Smith

"The nature of this old crusty-looking Volkswagen bus is that it always gets a reaction," Smith said. "People were always smiling at us or giving us the peace sign. We'd pull into these RV parks next to incredibly expensive RVs and people would gather around this old rust bus."

Courtesy of Jack Smith

"The nature of this old crusty-looking Volkswagen bus is that it always gets a reaction," Smith said. "People were always smiling at us or giving us the peace sign. We'd pull into these RV parks next to incredibly expensive RVs and people would gather around this old rust bus."

In Iowa, the retrofitted electric car caught the attention of "American Pickers" reality TV star Robbie Wolfe.

Price (left) and Adamski (right) at Price's shop.Courtesy of Jack Smith

It wasn't Smith's first major road trip. In 1976, he skate boarded across America with a handful of friends.

Jack Smith skateboards across America with a handful of friends in 1976.Courtesy of Jack Smith

It also wasn't Smith's first experience with an electric car. He'd previously driven a Nissan Leaf for several years.

Nissan Leaf Drive Electric Tour Sneak Preview at Westfield Century City on October 21, 2010 in Los Angeles, California.Charley Gallay/WireImage

"We had range anxiety the first few days," Smith said. "Because you'd start off with this full battery and then watch it tick down. I remember thinking 'We're not going to make it to the end of the day,' but we always did. It just took some getting used to."

Smith driving the VW Bus in California.Courtesy of Jack Smith

"We had range anxiety the first few days," Smith said. "Because you'd start off with this full battery and then watch it tick down. I remember thinking 'We're not going to make it to the end of the day,' but we always did. It just took some getting used to."

Smith said he felt comfortable letting the vehicle go about 160 miles per charge and never saw the battery go lower than 12%.

Courtesy of Jack Smith

Each day he drove between 150 to 200 miles. Then the vehicle would charge all night while they slept at the RV parks.

Courtesy of Jack Smith

They'd plot out charging stations the night before and do some sightseeing or catch up on emails during the day while the car charged.

Newland (left) and Smith (right) visiting the Gemini Giant in Wilmington, Illinois.Courtesy of Jack Smith

Some days it wasn't as easy to find a charging station so they'd pay to charge during the day at various RV parks.

RV Park at Utah/Nevada borderCourtesy of Jack Smith

Unlike most modern electric cars, the "Rust Bus" didn't have air conditioning and often featured a bumpy ride.

Courtesy of Jack Smith

Smith said at times he slept in the back of the bus on top of the car's EV battery.

Courtesy of Jack Smith

In North California, a cold snap forced Smith and Adamski to bundle up. "For about a week, we wore long underwear, down jackets, and driving gloves, the entire time we were driving," Smith said.

Courtesy of Mike Adamski

In North California, a cold snap forced Smith and Adamski to bundle up. "For about a week, we wore long underwear, down jackets, and driving gloves, the entire time we were driving," Smith said.

Their last stop was New York City.

Courtesy of Jack Smith

Smith changed companions in New York, when he and Larry Newland headed back to San Francisco.

Newland, Smith, and Adamski (in that order) in New York City.Courtesy of Mike Adamski

Along the way, Smith and his companions visited everything from side-street attractions like a drive-through liquor store in New York ...

Courtesy of Jack Smith

... to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Woodstock Bus in Cleveland, Ohio.

Smith (left) and Adamski (right) at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Ohio with the crew that recreated the Woodstock Bus.Courtesy of Jack Smith

The trip wasn't without its mishaps. In Nevada, Smith and Newland jumped out of the bus when a warning light went off: "GET OUTTA THE CAR! ITS GONNA BURN!!"

Courtesy of Jack Smith

Ultimately, Smith said the trip was an overwhelmingly positive experience: "Any given day we never really knew what was going to happen. Every day was a new adventure on this trip, where we stayed, what we ate, the people that we met. If we'd taken a regular car that probably would have never happened."

Smith and Newland arrive back in San Francisco on the last day of the 42-day road trip.Courtesy of Jack Smith

Ultimately, Smith said the trip was an overwhelmingly positive experience: "Any given day we never really knew what was going to happen. Every day was a new adventure on this trip, where we stayed, what we ate, the people that we met. If we'd taken a regular car that probably would have never happened."

Range anxiety has been identified as a key barrier to EV adoption. In June, a reporter from The Wall Street Journal said she struggled to find chargers during a four-day road trip. She was one of several reporters to highlight the difficulties of taking an electric car cross-country.

An EV charging station.Francis Energy

Range anxiety has been identified as a key barrier to EV adoption. In June, a reporter from The Wall Street Journal said she struggled to find chargers during a four-day road trip. She was one of several reporters to highlight the difficulties of taking an electric car cross-country.

"I'm always baffled by the people with these horror stories," Smith told Insider. "It's obvious they either did not do their homework or just do not understand how to find chargers. It can be as simple as a Google search."

Courtesy of Jack Smith

"I'm always baffled by the people with these horror stories," Smith told Insider. "It's obvious they either did not do their homework or just do not understand how to find chargers. It can be as simple as a Google search."

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A man took a retrofitted electric 1964 Volkswagen Bus on a 6,000 mile road trip from San Francisco to New York and back. See inside his cross-country adventure.

On May 4, Jack Smith and his long-time friend Mike Adamski took off from San Francisco on a cross-country trip in a retrofitted electric-powered 1964 Volkswagen Bus.

The trip would take 42 days and would go from San Francisco to New York City and back again.

65-year-old Smith told Insider he was inspired to take the trip after watching a documentary on the first cross-country road trip in American history.

At the time, there were less than 150 miles of paved roads and less than 8,000 cars in the US.

Today, parts of Jackson's original route have become the Lincoln Highway and Interstate 80.

"They had this grand adventure and I wanted to retrace their steps," Smith said "But I didn't want to do it in a regular car. Where's the fun in that?"

Smith picked up the car, dubbed the "Rust Bus," as a loaner from EV West. He'd begun planning the trip about six months in advance, from figuring out sleeping accommodations to mapping EV charging stations along the way.

He'd originally planned to take something more modern, like a Tesla, but the "Rust Bus" had its own charm.

"The nature of this old crusty-looking Volkswagen bus is that it always gets a reaction," Smith said. "People were always smiling at us or giving us the peace sign. We'd pull into these RV parks next to incredibly expensive RVs and people would gather around this old rust bus."

In Iowa, the retrofitted electric car caught the attention of "American Pickers" reality TV star Robbie Wolfe.

It wasn't Smith's first major road trip. In 1976, he skate boarded across America with a handful of friends.

It also wasn't Smith's first experience with an electric car. He'd previously driven a Nissan Leaf for several years.

"We had range anxiety the first few days," Smith said. "Because you'd start off with this full battery and then watch it tick down. I remember thinking 'We're not going to make it to the end of the day,' but we always did. It just took some getting used to."

Smith said he felt comfortable letting the vehicle go about 160 miles per charge and never saw the battery go lower than 12%.

Each day he drove between 150 to 200 miles. Then the vehicle would charge all night while they slept at the RV parks.

They'd plot out charging stations the night before and do some sightseeing or catch up on emails during the day while the car charged.

Some days it wasn't as easy to find a charging station so they'd pay to charge during the day at various RV parks.

Unlike most modern electric cars, the "Rust Bus" didn't have air conditioning and often featured a bumpy ride.

Smith said at times he slept in the back of the bus on top of the car's EV battery.

In North California, a cold snap forced Smith and Adamski to bundle up. "For about a week, we wore long underwear, down jackets, and driving gloves, the entire time we were driving," Smith said.

Their last stop was New York City.

Smith changed companions in New York, when he and Larry Newland headed back to San Francisco.

Along the way, Smith and his companions visited everything from side-street attractions like a drive-through liquor store in New York ...

... to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Woodstock Bus in Cleveland, Ohio.

The trip wasn't without its mishaps. In Nevada, Smith and Newland jumped out of the bus when a warning light went off: "GET OUTTA THE CAR! ITS GONNA BURN!!"

Range anxiety has been identified as a key barrier to EV adoption. In June, a reporter from The Wall Street Journal said she struggled to find chargers during a four-day road trip. She was one of several reporters to highlight the difficulties of taking an electric car cross-country.

"I'm always baffled by the people with these horror stories," Smith told Insider. "It's obvious they either did not do their homework or just do not understand how to find chargers. It can be as simple as a Google search."