Generator—Summer 2022

LEADING THE CHARGE
Electric motors give new life to classics
Michael Bream owns
EV West in San Marcos,
Calif. The company
converts vehicles to run
on electric power.
Above: Some “new”
electric vehicles.
Photos courtesy of EV West
Story by Stacy Wemhoff
Back in 1974, the parking brake on a Volkswagen
bus failed and it rolled down a hill.
Right into an elm tree.
The owners pulled it back to their property where
it sat for more than 40 years. Then they asked Michael
Bream if he’d like to have it.
“It looked really bad,” he said. “So of course we
were interested.”
Bream took the 1964 VW bus back to his business,
EV West, in San Marcos, Calif. There, he and his team
fixed the frame as best they could.
They removed the old combustion engine, and
replaced it with an 88-kilowatt AC motor (about 120
horsepower). Then, they added Tesla batteries.
It went into the business’ vehicle pool and
employees put about 40,000 miles on it in a few years.
“Because it came in so messed up and the fact that
it’s now so capable, it’s become very endearing for the
employees and the people around here,” Bream said.
“Everybody just loves the Rust Bus.”
The bus is one of many vehicles Bream has
converted to run on all-electric power. He worked on
Tony Hawk’s Corvette Stingray this summer. Add to the
mix a 1951 Chevy pickup, a few Porche conversions,
and several more VW buses.
But he doesn’t do it for the environment. Or
because gas prices are so high. It’s not a political
statement.
He does it to save the classics.
“We just wanted to highlight the performance,
highlight the fun, highlight the fact that you can save a
classic car like this bus,” Bream said.
HOT ROD CULTURE
Bream’s interest in cars stems from his father.
“My dad grew up in West Hollywood in the ’50s and
’60s and there was a lot of hot rod culture,” he said.
He began racing cars and did that for about 5 years.
While that was a lot of fun, Bream is an engineer, and
decided he wanted to step things up a notch.
“I just wanted something more cerebral,” he said.
“I wanted to push the limits a little bit more.”
He decided to build an electric race car and
compete in the Broadmoor Pikes Peak International
Hill Climb — an annual race to the summit of Pike’s
Peak. The event is the second-oldest motorsports
race in America. It began in 1916 and was halted only
during both world wars.
The 12.42-mile course has 156 turns. It begins at
about 9,300 feet and ends 14,115 feet above sea level.
Bream and his father built their electric car over
a year and a half and were ready to compete in 2012.
They broke a record in their class and beat out cars
that were funded by multi-million dollar companies.
The David-versus-Goliath win led to news stories.
His name began circulating among car enthusiasts.
“I think that was the major impetus for what is now
EV West,” Bream said.
SAVING THE CLASSICS
Bream’s business has continued to grow as more
and more people decide to save their classics by
converting them to electric power.
Again, Bream said he and his customers don’t
have an altruistic motive for doing so. They enjoy the
We’re like a bunch of kids having
fun with classic cars that drive much
“better than they did 50 years ago.
instant power and low maintenance that comes with
an electric motor.
“We’re like a bunch of kids having fun with classic
cars that drive much better than they did 50 years
ago.”
Plus, gas is a finite resource and gas engines have
a lot of moving parts and therefore a lot of potential
problems. The problem is compounded in classics
because of their age.
“But you put this electric drive line in it and
going back and forth across the United States is no
problem,” Bream said.
It wasn’t a problem for his friend, Jack Smith, who
traveled back and forth across America in an electric
vehicle as he recreated “Horatio’s Drive.”
Bream learned about that first trip across America
when Smith gave him a book about the journey.
“I was so fascinated by it,” he said. “It’s a snapshot
in time when something seemed so unobtainable. To
drive across the country seemed impossible.”
And so, when Smith wanted to recreate the journey
in a unique vehicle, Bream offered the Rust Bus.
The vehicle was up to the task. And while Smith’s
adventure is now complete, the bus still has work
to do. It’s headed to Canada this month to join other
vintage VWs on a trip from Canada to Mexico. It will
most likely amaze and delight those who come over for
a closer look. Just like it did on the Smith’s trip.
“It’s fun to have something that was the total peak
of unreliability and then doing the exact opposite with
it — making it something that can drive around the
United States with virtually zero maintenance.”
LEARN MORE:
“Horatio’s Drive” on PBS
to.pbs.org/39zWtqc
Learn more about the Ken Burns documentary on Horatio Jackson Nelson that
features Tom Hanks as the voice of Dr. Jackson. This site includes video clips,
photos, an automobile chronology timeline, and more.
Following Horatio’s Route and the Lincoln Highway
bit.ly/FirstRoadTrip
Jack Smith documented his travels on his Facebook page. Search “An Electric
Tribute to America’s First Road Trip and The Lincoln Highway.” Mike Newland
shared pictures on Instagram under the handle @horatio1903.
Beyond the Sidewalk
bit.ly/1stSkate
“Beyond the Sidewalk” is an eight-minute short film about the first skateboard
push across America in 1976.
Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History
s.si.edu/39K67X3
Several of Smith’s possessions are now part of the permanent collection at the
Smithsonian National Museum of American History: the first skateboard Smith
used in 1976; his gray suede Vans shoes worn on the 2013 trip; and his electric
skateboard, T-shirts, and safety vest from 2018. Pictures of the items are posted
on the museum’s website.
The museum also has items from Horatio Nelson Jackson in its collection.
View the car, Bud’s goggles, and more at s.si.edu/39Ew3n2
The Lincoln Highway
lincolnhighwayassoc.org
The Lincoln Highway Association is dedicated to preserving and celebrating
an important part of American history.
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