Generator—Summer 2022

LARRY & THE LINCOLN HIGHWAY
Smith successfully completed Horatio’s
drive east. After a short break, it was time to
head home.
And this time, he was going to follow the
Lincoln Highway — the first transcontinental
road in the United States.
The highway was dedicated in 1913 and
ran from Times Square in New York City to
Lincoln Park in San Francisco. Cities and
towns along the 3,389-mile route prospered
as travelers took to “America’s Main Street.”
The Lincoln Highway was gradually
replaced with numbered designations in
1926. Much of the route is now U.S. Highway
30.
Smith took a short break in New York
and it was time for Mike Adamski to head
home. But he got a new companion for the
second leg of the journey — his friend Larry
Newland.
Newland was one of the first people
Smith met when his family moved to Morro
Bay, Calif.
Like Smith, he is lured by adventure.
He once walked a portion of the Donner
Party route from Reno, Nev., over the Sierra
Nevada mountains into Placerville, Calif.
He had planned to be a part of Smith’s
1976 skateboard trip, but backed out because
he started a rock band.
“Almost 50 years later, here we are on a
cross-country trip,” Smith said.
There is no fundraising cause for this trip.
“It’s just a fun adventure,” he said.
But their costs were minimal. At night,
the pair typically stayed at campgrounds.
Smith slept in the bus on top of the batteries,
while Newland pitched a tent. They plugged
in the bus to charge overnight so they were
ready to hit the road by morning.
Along the way, they met a lot of interesting
people who were intrigued by the
bus and wandered over to take a look —
young and old, police officers, construction
workers in downtown Manhattan.
“It’s an attention magnet,” Jack said.
“First they come up and they’re excited by
the bus because they think it’s cool,” he said.
“It makes them smile.”
When they found out it was electric, they
wanted to see the motor and batteries.
The pair was always willing to show off
the bus, talk about their adventures, and
answer questions.
The most popular question?
“How far can you go on a charge?”
THE RUST BUS
Smith was only three years out from his
electrified skateboard trip when he watched
“Horatio’s Drive.”
Still, the prospect of another journey was
too exciting to ignore. It wasn’t a question of
if he’d recreate the trip, but how.
He contacted his friend, Michael Bream,
owner of EV West in San Marcos, Calif. Smith
wanted to get some input and ideas for this
trip.
Bream immediately offered the “Rust
Bus,” a 1964 VW van that he converted to run
on all-electric power.
At first, Smith was a little skeptical.
He was hoping for a Tesla, or maybe the
DeLorean that Bream was converting. But it
Jack Smith charged the bus
at Loup Power on May 15
as he journeyed east from
California to New York. He
stopped a second time on
the return journey on June 3.
He took photos of the Rust
Bus all along the way.
They spent most nights at
low-cost campgrounds —
Smith slept in the bus
while his companion
slept in a tent.
They charged the bus at
their campsite overnight.
wasn’t ready.
And so, he decided the two-speed bus
would have to do.
“It’s a very basic vehicle,” Smith said.
“Just as Horatio’s was.”
But basic doesn’t quite describe the
vehicle, with its contrasting vintage frame
and new technology —an electric motor
and charging port, and 800 pounds of Tesla
batteries.
And, Smith realized, that’s just what he
was looking for.
On May 4, he hopped in the rust bus and
headed west from San Francisco with friend
Mike Adamski.
They soon learned they wouldn’t exactly
be traveling in comfort. The bus rattled,
and leaked, and the ride was often bumpy,
despite the upgraded shocks.
They hit cold spring weather and snow on
the early part of the journey. Smith wore long
underwear and gloves. The cold air snuck in,
despite the tape on the windshield and the
added foam insulation.
Still, Smith knew he didn’t have it so bad,
when he compared his experience to that of
Jackson.
“Those guys were in an open-cockpit car
navigating by compass,” he said.
In contrast, he had navigation equipment,
paved roads, modern amenities, and
more.
Twenty-one days after leaving California,
Smith and Adamski reached New York.
1916 Lincoln Highway Official Road Guide
FROM A TRICKLE TO A FIRE HYDRANT
Newland kept a log every day of the
journey. The top speed of the Rust Bus is
about 95 miles per hour. Generally, they took
a leisurely pace of about 40–55 miles an hour
since they traveled mostly on state highways
and some back roads.
He loved that part of the trip.
After all, he asked, are you really seeing
our country if you’re barreling down the
interstate at 70 miles an hour?
They averaged about 20 miles per 10
percent of battery power on their trip west.
That equates to about 200 miles per
charge in ideal conditions. That range
decreased in hilly terrain or windy
conditions.
But a 200-mile range is just fine with
Newland. After a few hours in the car, he
needed a break to stretch his legs and get a
cup of coffee or bite to eat.
He believes that is a business model for
the future. Imagine charging your car while
having coffee with a friend or getting your
groceries. Convenience stores could add
amenities for EV owners who need to take a
break from the road and charge up.
“This trip has helped shape my idea
about the viability of electric vehicles,”
Newland said.
He’s guessing that in 5 to 10 years, most
people will have an electric car that they use
for trips to the store, to school, to work. But
they will also have a gas-powered pickup
or car for their family vacations or home
improvement projects.
He knows not everyone sees electric
vehicles in such a positive light, but he also
witnessed people change their mind after
learning about the bus and their trip.
Some were shocked at the bus’ instant
torque. Others learned that the most they
paid for a charge was about seven bucks— a
lot cheaper than a full tank of gas.
But Newland said the range question is
the main drawback for many.
“When the first question ceases to be,
‘how far can you go on a charge,’ electric
cars are going to take off,” he said.
For true success, he thinks potential EV
owners will need to see charging stations at
every gas station. They will need a range of
300 miles. Five hundred would be better.
And finally, the cost of a new EV needs to
come down.
He knows that will happen. New technology
is always expensive, but eventually
the price comes down.
Smith is also convinced that electric cars
will eventually take off — just like other
inventions throughout history that found
plenty of skeptics. Heck, Horatio may never
have made history if he didn’t bet against
those naysayers more than 100 years ago.
“It’s going to start as this trickle,” he said.
“And then it’s going to be like a fire hydrant.”
The electric motor in the Rust Bus is
powered by Tesla batteries.
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