Kingman: Route 66’s Electric HQ & Gateway To Easy EV Adventure

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It’s hard to miss the Powerhouse Visitor Center when you roll into Kingman. This massive building went up in 1907 to supply electricity to the town and local mines, but today it’s a completely different kind of hub. It serves as the main event in Kingman’s Route 66 scene, and if you’re driving the Mother Road, it’s a mandatory stop.

The main draw is the Arizona Route 66 Museum. It doesn’t just show you old license plates and vintage cars. The exhibits trace the entire history of travel along the 35th parallel. You get to see how the path evolved from early trade routes and wagon trails all the way into the iconic highway we know today.

But, for those of us obsessed with cleantech, Kingman has some things that most other towns don’t. In many ways, it could be the most EV-centered town on the Mother Road.

The Electric Main Street

The Route 66 Electric Vehicle Museum (part of the main museum) is operated with the Historic Electric Vehicle Foundation, and it’s literally the first dedicated EV museum in the world. They have some wild artifacts tucked in there. You’ll find a 1930 Detroit Electric, the famous Buckeye Bullet 2.5 that smashed land speed records, and even a custom electric golf cart that once belonged to Willie Nelson. It really puts our modern EV road trips into perspective when you see how far back the history of electric cars actually goes.

The EV love doesn’t stop inside the building. Out in the parking lot, there’s a huge bank of 16 Tesla Superchargers. It’s incredibly convenient to have a major fast charging hub right at a historic site, letting drivers easily juice up their batteries while they check out the electric history inside.

Before you leave the lot, you have to get a picture with the giant drive thru Route 66 shield. They put up this massive permanent neon sign back in 2021, and a paved loop lets you drive your car right under the shield for a perfect photo. Just a heads up if you’re hauling a camper or a trailer on your trip. The sign has an eight foot clearance and trailers are completely off limits, so you’ll have to either drop your trailer somewhere first or just hop out of your vehicle to take a selfie.

Sharp-eyed EV fans will notice some more electric history across the street at Mr. D’s Drive In. Mixed in among the classic cars, the restaurant has a couple of Vanguard CitiCars. Shaped like little wedges, these EVs were made during the 1970s fuel crisis. Despite only achieving 30-40 MPH top speeds, they allowed their owners to skip the gasoline lines and high prices when they needed relief the most.

Why Kingman Has All This Electric History

I knew that the museum had a special section for EVs, but I was a little surprised at how many EVs were on display. Add in the Supercharger station (open to all EVs via adapter) and the CitiCars across the street, and you might start to wonder if Kingman had some kind of amazing EV history that led to this. 

While the history doesn’t go back to the peak of Route 66 travel, there’s still a cool story behind all of this. Long story short, Roderick Wilde took part of his massive historical EV collection and showed it off during the 2014 Route 66 International Festival. The exhibit was such a huge hit that it made sense to make it a permanent exhibit in the Route 66 museum.

Have you been out to Kingman’s Route 66 Museum? Be sure to let us know in the comments what your favorite part was!

One Of The Longest Segments Of The Original Route 66 Awaits

In 2026, it’s usually easiest to just follow I-40, I-44, and I-55 to cover Route 66. Missing and abandoned segments, washed out bridges, and many other things make it impossible to take all of the original route. But, there are some shining examples of original Route 66 where you can stay on for dozens of miles. Arizona State Route 66 gives you exactly this, and you can start the journey with a fresh charge in Kingman.

One of the first stops you’ll see along AZ-66 is Antares. There, you’ll find an old trading post with Giganticus Headicus (a statue that looks a lot like Squidward from Sponge Bob). Not long later, you’ll see the historic Hackberry General Store, along with several other old gas stations. Each of these may be worth a stop, but we were in a big hurry to make it in time for something even cooler.

In Valentine, Arizona, Keepers of the Wild works to give the best life possible to wildlife that can’t be returned to the wild. Often, these animals were unlawfully kept as pets by people who should have known better. Sometimes, people would abandon the animals. Other times, tragedy struck when the animals were far more trouble than expected. Everything from tigers to lions to bears (oh my!) now call Route 66 home.

I’d highly recommend signing up for the afternoon feeding tour. Not only is it interesting to see how they safely feed the animals, but feeding time encourages even the most skittish and quiet ones to put on more of a show.

If you’re on an electric RV trip like we were, I’d highly recommend staying at Grand Canyon Caverns. Not only is the RV park EV-friendly (they don’t mind if you plug in and charge while you sleep), but the cave tour is worth the money. It’s a dry cave, so don’t expect a bunch of stalactites and stalagmites, but there’s some interesting mummies, some Cold War history, and interesting views nonetheless. There’s also an opportunity to have lunch underground, and it’s worth the extra money.

Finally, the restored Burma-Shave signs along this segment make the drive a lot of fun. The series of signs include messages like, “If Daisies Are Your… Favorite Flower… Keep Pushing Up… Those Miles Per Hour.”

Getting Along This Route With An EV

Once you’re back on the Interstate, the next charging stop is in Ash Fork, only 114 miles from Kingman. Most EVs would have no problem navigating this segment, but if you’re using something like an F-150 Lightning with the smaller pack option to tow, you’ll definitely want to charge up at the Caverns.

All photos by Jennifer Sensiba.