PORTSMOUTH, R.I. (WPRI) — There’s no denying that Wyatt Zani has a sweet ride.

The 16-year-old has been driving around in his very own 1977 Volkswagen Bus, which he and his father spent countless hours converting into an electric vehicle.

Zani officially got his driver’s license back in December, but knew he wanted to invest in the future of electric vehicles long before that.

He decided that converting an older gas-powered vehicle into an electric one would be a worthwhile challenge, especially since that would become his first car.

It was also a chance for Zani to bond with his dad.

“We have wanted to do a project like this together for some time,” he said.

Zani and his father found what would eventually become his first set of wheels in Vermont.

“The owner was the original owner,” his dad Mike Zani recalled. “He had a list of buyers that were ahead of us, but when I told him about our project, he said, ‘You’re at the top of the list now.'”

For Wyatt, it was love at first sight.

“It was in remarkable condition,” Wyatt said. “We had the parts and we just decided to go for it.”

The father-son duo spent more than 1,200 hours restoring and converting the bus.

Wyatt said it wasn’t an easy feat.

“We would work on a problem for hours and wouldn’t figure it out,” Wyatt said. “But once we got it working, or figured out a solution, we were super happy.”

“I remember when we first got these wheels spinning,” he continued. “We were just jumping for joy, and it was great sharing that moment with my dad.”

Even though a lot of time and money went into the bus, Mike said the memories he made with his son were priceless.

“He’s pretty crafty with how he approaches learning,” Mike said of his son. “There were times where I was like, ‘Is he paying attention?’ Then I’d be like, ‘He’s totally paying attention.'”

“He’s got a sharp wit and there were a lot of times that we would crack each other up,” he continued. “The hours we spent in the shop are a gift that I will cherish forever.”

Wyatt echoed his father’s sentiment.

“We spent a lot of time in the shop together under a dirty car, so there was a lot of father-son bonding going on,” Wyatt said.

It’s not lost on Wyatt that the bus is nearly 50 years old.

“I have to be really careful and gentle with her,” he said of the bus. “Things are constantly breaking … I just have to keep her in good condition.”

Despite this, Mike said the bus has come a long way.

“It gets a little squirrelly above 65 mph, and that’s not because it’s electric, that’s just the old mechanics,” he explained. “It’s really tricky in crosswind, but it’s much quicker than it was when it was an original.”

Wyatt said his friends are impressed and can’t wait to see the bus in action.

“They’re going to want to ride in it,” he said. “I have a list of people who I need to take for a ride.”

When it comes to Wyatt taking the bus out on his own, Mike said he isn’t that worried.

“Young drivers definitely have some learning moments, but he’s pretty capable,” Mike said. “Driving in this car with him is a treat.”

Wyatt said the first car he ever learned to drive was the bus.

“It helped me with my driver’s test,” Wyatt said, noting that the bus is a stick shift and doesn’t have the same features that newer cars do.

Mike and Wyatt believe the bus, which only has roughly 81,000 miles on it, will last 10 to 15 years before any big problems arise.