re-volt
Photo by Alex Vogel
Fifteen senior design students at Colorado School of Mines worked for all of 2020 to convert a beloved 1979 Volkswagen Bus from gas to electric power.
The Re-Volt project won 1st place Best Overall, Best Societal Impact, and Best Website awards at the Mines Capstone Showcase.
The school helped with just a small fraction of the costs: Click here to donate!
My parents bought this beloved Volkswagen Bus brand new in 1979 for their growing family. It didn't take long for this bus to become a family member itself. Twice in my childhood, the whole family piled into the bus for 6-week road trips around the entire U.S. After my first stint in college, I lived in the bus and lost count of the times I drove it across the country.
While it has functioned well as my daily driver, I am ecstatic to have the augmented performance, reliability, and relevance of an electric vehicle. We retained road trip and car camping capabilities, and aim to reach a 250-mile range and a comfortable highway cruising speed of 70-80 mph.
At last, we have "recharged" this iconic legacy!
