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It would be a useful tool in a post-apocalyptic scenario: > During the Second World War, many motorized vehicles in continental Europe were converted to drive
by h0l0cube 3y ago
It would be a useful tool in a post-apocalyptic scenario:
> During the Second World War, many motorized vehicles in continental Europe were converted to drive on firewood. That happened as a consequence of the rationing of fossil fuels. Wood gas vehicles were a not-so-elegant alternative to their petrol cousins, but their range was comparable to today’s electric vehicles. In Germany alone, around 500,000 wood gas cars, buses, and trucks were operated by the end of WWII. An even more cumbersome alternative was the gas bag vehicle.
> Nowadays, there’s much less firewood available than in the 1940s, especially in industrialized regions. So, what would be the solution to the disruption of gasoline or electricity in the Third World War? Dutch designer Gijs Schalkx found another fuel supply, which is abundant: plastic waste.
- tourmalinetaco 3y agoIt could be useful, at the beginning, but sooner rather than later you’re running out of fuel. A wood gas car is infinitely renewable. Wood gas may not work as well in cities, but in a truly post-apocalyptic world cities are the first to go anyway. In an SHTF situation, such as a country at war? I can sooner believe that, since plastics are more energy-dense than woods. It’s still not all that useful, but at least there is some minor niche it could possibly achieve.