In the last few years, there have been a lot of people that have decided that life outside the box is a little more interesting than life in it.
Breaking those expectations that they might feel society has for them is a big step in that direction. But there are a few communities where those expectations aren’t so difficult to meet. The surf community is one of those. And whether it’s because surfers just want to be a little more free than average, or whether it’s because we’re just a bunch of Spicoli miscreants that don’t care about what “the man” thinks, it’s a good thing the surf community is so accepting of something so awesome. The couple in the video above are Val and Tim, and they’ve taken a bus and converted into the world’s best hostel. The idea behind it is that a group of travelers who would normally bunk up in a hostel or a hotel somewhere near where the waves or snow is best can bunk up together in an insane bus and move it to where the waves or snow is best. Genius. Val and Tim took their idea to Indiegogo to get funding for it, and it worked. In one month, they hit their goal of just over $20,000, and got started. They got the bus on eBay, then headed to Tennessee. From there, they drove to Florida and shipped the bus to Belgium. One month later, the bus was on their home-turf, and they started stripping it down so they could rebuild it into something much, much better than a vehicle for a bunch of screaming children. Here’s the original video:
Now, just over a year later, the bus is just about ready. Originally, they wanted to have it on the road to chase snow by now. But after a few problems that arose (which is not surprising), they’re aiming to have it ready for surfers this summer, and it looks like it will be the greatest place to stay in the world. Beef belly.
If you ever find yourself across the pond, you’ll likely see some strange forays into the surf world by companies you might not expect. The most recent of such forays is Jaguar Land Rover’s new surfboard.
You may remember a few years back when Mercedes-Benz got together with Garrett McNamara to make a cork surfboard built for surfing Nazaré, effectively cornering the smallest niche market on earth. It was part of something called the MBoard Project, which saw two Portuguese companies building four surfboards, each made of different materials.
Then Chevy stuck its toes in the water and designed a truck built exclusively for surfers, which didn’t really mean anything except that they did it with Hurley. Yeah, there was some kind of waterproof wristband key, but other than that it was a truck with the Hurley logo on it.
So what’s Jaguar Land Rover’s deal? Well, they launched a surfboard made from recycled plastic. In what they’re calling the Waste to Wave project, the vehicle giant is taking the polyurethane they used in the creation of early design studio models and turning it into surfboards and paddleboards. It’s a nice thought, right?
As human beings, we routinely vomit out vast amounts of garbage. There’s an estimated 8 million tons of plastic dumped into the ocean every year, and although there are a few initiatives (one shaggy-hair Dutch boy genius comes to mind), no one’s making any real headway. A recent analysis of the tap water from 14 different countries found microplastics in over 80% of samples, and there’s much we can do about it. Sure, Jaguar Land Rover’s recycled plastic surfboard is a nice idea, but overall, it’s not doing anything other than paying lip service to a problem that probably can’t be fixed. But lip service is better than no service, I suppose. And here’s an interesting fact that will make you want to buy a Jaguar Land Rover when you run into a whole pile of money: “Annually, Jaguar Land Rover reclaims 50,000 tonnes of press shop aluminum waste – enough to make around 200,000 Jaguar XE body shells.”
The surfboard in question was made with SkunkWorks Surf Co. Then, Lucy Campbell, a wonderfully freckled English women’s surfing champion, took it for a test drive off the coast of Northern Ireland. According to the press release, Land Rover’s is making a whole range of surfboards from entirely recycled plastic.
“Polyurethane is used in the manufacture of life-size clay models which are modeled by hand at the very beginning of the car design process,” a random press release writer wrote. “The polymer forms the ‘skeleton’ of the models, which is normally destroyed once a car is launched, while the clay is recycled and re-used on site. Now, Jaguar Land Rover is ensuring that all plastic is recovered and sliced into blocks ready for a second life as surfboards or paddleboards.”
If you ever find yourself across the pond, you’ll likely see some strange forays into the surf world by companies you might not expect. The most recent of such forays is Jaguar Land Rover’s new surfboard.
You may remember a few years back when Mercedes-Benz got together with Garrett McNamara to make a cork surfboard built for surfing Nazaré, effectively cornering the smallest niche market on earth. It was part of something called the MBoard Project, which saw two Portuguese companies building four surfboards, each made of different materials.
Then Chevy stuck its toes in the water and designed a truck built exclusively for surfers, which didn’t really mean anything except that they did it with Hurley. Yeah, there was some kind of waterproof wristband key, but other than that it was a truck with the Hurley logo on it.
So what’s Jaguar Land Rover’s deal? Well, they launched a surfboard made from recycled plastic. In what they’re calling the Waste to Wave project, the vehicle giant is taking the polyurethane they used in the creation of early design studio models and turning it into surfboards and paddleboards. It’s a nice thought, right?
As human beings, we routinely vomit out vast amounts of garbage. There’s an estimated 8 million tons of plastic dumped into the ocean every year, and although there are a few initiatives (one shaggy-hair Dutch boy genius comes to mind), no one’s making any real headway. A recent analysis of the tap water from 14 different countries found microplastics in over 80% of samples, and there’s much we can do about it. Sure, Jaguar Land Rover’s recycled plastic surfboard is a nice idea, but overall, it’s not doing anything other than paying lip service to a problem that probably can’t be fixed. But lip service is better than no service, I suppose. And here’s an interesting fact that will make you want to buy a Jaguar Land Rover when you run into a whole pile of money: “Annually, Jaguar Land Rover reclaims 50,000 tonnes of press shop aluminum waste – enough to make around 200,000 Jaguar XE body shells.”
The surfboard in question was made with SkunkWorks Surf Co. Then, Lucy Campbell, a wonderfully freckled English women’s surfing champion, took it for a test drive off the coast of Northern Ireland. According to the press release, Land Rover’s is making a whole range of surfboards from entirely recycled plastic.
“Polyurethane is used in the manufacture of life-size clay models which are modeled by hand at the very beginning of the car design process,” a random press release writer wrote. “The polymer forms the ‘skeleton’ of the models, which is normally destroyed once a car is launched, while the clay is recycled and re-used on site. Now, Jaguar Land Rover is ensuring that all plastic is recovered and sliced into blocks ready for a second life as surfboards or paddleboards.”
The Chevrolet Bolt EV. You might never visit a gas tank again. (Photo: Martin Klimek/Chevrolet)
I might be the least qualified human to test-drive a new vehicle and speak with any degree of authority about the experience. I know jack about cars. I don’t drive them for performance, racing, sportiness, etc… or understand much about what distinguishes good from great. I never even learned to drive stick. I realize no self-respecting man should never commit that last sentence to print. Or pixel. But it’s true. I grew up in a world of automatics, and for the sake of transparency, felt we should get those formalities out of the way before proceeding further. I’m not an automotive expert.
So when Chevrolet invited me to test-drive their new all-electric car, the Chevy Bolt EV, I felt a little under-credentialed to participate. That didn’t seem to matter to them, which in some respect I understand for one simple reason: Most people are not car experts. In that respect, we can relate. And beyond that, when it comes to electric vehicles, the potential for mass adoption of the technology is relatively new, so it’s important for the everyman to start getting their hands on them in order to ease them into the zeitgeist. This becomes that much more interesting when framed with the question most relevant to our readership: Will Chevy’s new electric vehicle work for surfers and outdoor enthusiasts? User Manuals.
First, let’s look at the vitals.
This is the only electric vehicle currently on the market for less than $30,000 (after a $7,000 Federal Tax Credit, which puts the list price at $37,495) that gets 238 miles per charge. The only other electric vehicle that tops 200 miles per charge and falls into a mass consumption price range is the Tesla Model 3, which is widely anticipated and not quite available yet. Priced at $35,000 before incentives, the Model 3 begins production in mid-2017. And even if you’re willing to pay $1,000 to get on the waitlist, you’re not going to back that baby out of your garage until mid-2018 or later. So don’t be in a hurry. As for the Nissan Leaf, which is priced at $30,680 before rebates, it only gets 107 miles per charge.
Steve Henry, 46, the fellow who hosted the test drive in San Francisco and one of the first Chevy Bolt EV owners and evangelists, regularly surfs Ocean Beach, paddles out a Maverick’s on big days, and generally enjoys a range of no-bullshit ocean activities in the Bay Area. According to Henry, the vehicle works for virtually all of his surf needs. “If you’re going to be driving more than 230 miles to surf, there are other things you need to worry about beyond a charge,” he said. “This vehicle works 99% of the time for me.”
And I was curious about this. Does this car actually work for surfers?
In a very complex form of heavy-duty, professional vehicle testing, I put one of Henry’s shortboards in the trunk. It fit! Henry says he also stuffs his 10’ paddle board into the car no problem.
It fits! And It’s a sick Danny Hess board, too. Style points.
So how does it drive?
It drives well. It’s got what I like to call serious pop, which is probably a function of the 266 lbs./foot of torque the Chevy team proudly emphasized. It accelerates quickly and actually has a feature where it will brake automatically when a car slows unexpectedly in front of you. That happened to me during the test drive when traffic came to a halt around a tight curve. The car stopped. Not me. It also has a one-pedal driving feature, which I didn’t fully understand. Essentially, the vehicle will begin to come to a stop when you take your foot off the accelerator. That’s a bit jarring when you’re not accustomed to it, but it serves the function of recharging the battery during the deceleration process. It requires practice to do effectively, and over the course of an hour drive winding around hilly San Francisco, I began to grow more acclimated to the feature.
So how about the logistics of no longer owning a gas-powered vehicle?
That’s probably the biggest question that looms not just for the Chevy Bolt EV, but for all electric cars being introduced to consumers at a mass-adoption level.
According to Alternative Fuels Data Center there are over 46,648 public and private electric charging stations and outlets in the US. There are about 18,000 in California, which is far and away the most EV-friendly region in America. Texas is number two with over three thousand. When it comes to coastal California, there are a lot of charging stations. The Midwest not so much. You literally cannot drive this vehicle across America, so that’s a serious consideration. It’s also something to consider if taking a trip down to Baja or from San Diego or Los Angeles to Big Sur. You’re going to need to think harder about logistics, and it might not work. But when it comes to your daily commute, the majority of Americans, who average about 40 miles per day, will be more than fine.
And if you want to buy your own charging station for your home, which seems like a very good idea if you plan to own an electric vehicle, that costs $699. But that means you’ve got a full tank of 238 miles to spare every morning. Bolt also offers a DC Fast Charging option, which will expedite the charging process to 90 miles in about 30 minutes of charging. The other two options (option one: a common outlet) provide four miles per hour of charge and (option two) 25 miles per hour of charge. So it might be a bit better for the earth to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels but, it’s not as simple as a two-minute fill-up at your local gas station. You’d learn to pair a charge with a restaurant stop and maybe a selfie-filled cultural outing.
Here’s your new at-home charging station. It runs about $700.
Here’s the handy screen that will tell you where you’re going to get the nearest charge in a pinch.
While the design of the dash felt a little clunky and Jetsons-ish, I liked that the Apple Carplay feature converted the control center into my phone’s home screen. I also thought it was magic that side panel cameras on the car stitch an overhead image of the vehicle when reversing into parking spots. It looks like a drone is following you at all times. But it’s not. And you won’t reverse into a parked car because of it.
And the net impact?
Ultimately, at $30,000 the Chevy Bolt EV provides a seriously compelling option for a surfer or outdoorsman/woman living in California. Especially for those looking to close the loop with regard to sustainable consumption. We love the places we play, and while all materialism has a net impact – electric vehicles included – electric-powered cars have the potential to take a giant dent out of the emissions that trail gasoline dependent cars. According to studies completed by the Union of Concerned Scientists, battery electric cars cut global emissions by more than 50 percent compared gas-powered cars. That takes into account producing the electric vehicle battery (which is recyclable and reusable). While battery production emits on average one extra ton of emissions than gasoline vehicle production, those emissions are offset in less than one year of driving, and over the course of a vehicle’s lifetime, the reduction in emissions is gigantic.
So if you can get to the beach and kill fewer things – like your wallet and your earth – in the process, the Chevy Bolt EV is worth a serious look. Right now, the vehicle is only available in California and Oregon, though it will roll out to the rest of the country this year.
Did I mention we drove to Maverick’s?
‘Cuz we did. Here’s Jeff Clark for proof. He was very nice.
The VW campervan is a staple of both surf culture and bohemian lifestyles in general. For years Volkswagen’s surf bus carried boards to the coast and hippies to their fields, the “Bus” became the symbol of 1960s counterculture.
Since the original VW campers were discontinued, it has become more and more expensive to buy a genuine version of the motor, so they have begun to only be seen accompanying older, wealthier people.
Now, the Volkswagen is back with a new bus, but it looks very different than it ever has before….
The new VW Campervan is not only a fully electric engine, it is also self driving, not exactly the unassuming little van it once was.
The bus, which can drive unto 270 miles between each charge, still has some nods to its boho past, along with its low carbon footprint it also features ambient lighting, but also has some pretty high tech aspect to boot. The self driving van has seats that can turn to face each other in the rear of the vehicle to create a moving living room.
Pretty fancy, ey?
After Volkswagen’s shady past of lying to its customers about the environmental damage its vehicles can cause and attempting to cheat government emissions tests around the world, we appreciate the company’s attempt to be more green.
Sure the bus doesnt look as cool anymore, but if it is good for the planet, we’ll give it a chance, as long as one thing hasn’t changed…
Does it still have room to stick a surfboard out of the top?
If you weren’t sure what you wanted for the holidays, let us inform you of your latest obsession: The newest trailer from Airstream. The compact Basecamp trailer, which sleeps two and just started shipping this fall, is small and light enough for just about any adventure, and still sports that timeless shiny steez of the classic Airstreams. At just 2,500 pounds (and an equally hefty $35,000), the Basecamp can be towed by just about any SUV and comes equipped with a bathroom, shower and fridge, two-burner stove. And at only 16-foot-long, she can be maneuvered into tight campsites and roads too narrow for traditional Airstreams. The shower has a built-in portal that allows for the head to be passed through so that you can hose down your wetsuit, your dog and yourself without muddying up the interior. Surfboards and bikes can be stashed in a storage area accessed through a backdoor. Yeah, there are tons of nifty little trailers and sleep setups on the market these days (and even more for creative people who build their own). But it would be kind of sick to own that Airstream like you’ve always wanted. Only a lot more practical for the strike missions to the surf, cliffs or mountains.
