Fuels for a post-apocalyptic world | Fuel Tips

Photograph Courtesy Steve Harvey/Unsplash

It’s the end of the world as we know it. No birthday party. No cheesecake. No jellybean. The big question: How on earth are you going to power your post-apocalyptic death machine?

Colin Wood Associate Editor
1/27/21 10:12 a.m.

I've always considered what my ride would be for the "after times," but I guess I never considered what I would put in it to keep it running.

lotusseven7 (Forum Supporter) HalfDork
1/27/21 10:21 a.m.

That picture reminds me of one of the old abandoned gas stations from the movie The Last Chase. It's one that most have probably never seen. It stars Lee Majors and a Porsche 917-10 "clone". Cheesy movie from back in 1981. Go look it up all you car guys......

David S. Wallens Editorial Director
1/27/21 10:33 a.m.

Colin Wood said:
I've always considered what my ride would be for the "after times," but I guess I never considered what I would put in it to keep it running.

See, exactly. Sure, you have already planned out your DeathMobile, but how will you keep it running? Can't outrun the mutants if you're outta gas.

ChrisTropea Associate Editor
1/27/21 10:50 a.m.

What about a wood powered engine?

https://www.youtube.com/embed/FK2qK-NCQH8?rel=0

Gearheadotaku (Forum Supporter) GRM+ Memberand UltimaDork
1/27/21 10:55 a.m.

3 choices.

1. Find a producing oil well and build a refinery there. (Don't know how, but there must be a low tech way to do this. You probably won't get 100 octane race gas though)

2. Start disilling alcohol, hope you have a good field of grain and sugar cane.

3. Take over a hydroelectric dam. Lots of power for an electric car. Put additional batteries on a trailer for more range.

tomtomgt356 (FS) GRM+ Memberand Reader
1/27/21 11:04 a.m.

Steam power! As long as you have water, you can run on anything that burns!

RevRico GRM+ Memberand UltimaDork
1/27/21 11:16 a.m.

Alcohol still or electric. Batteries are easy enough to come by that short of another ice age finding supplies would be easy, solar farms and wind farms can be taken over or even moved to better locations. Anything that grows can be convinced to ferment with fire, water, and time.

I'd be trying for electric personally, less moving parts to deal with means less drastic means of repair and replacement.

MadScientistMatt UltimaDork
1/27/21 11:18 a.m.

Bicycles tend to get oddly overlooked in postapocalyptic movies and literature, but they seem like they'd be very useful when fuel is hard to come by.

David S. Wallens Editorial Director
1/27/21 1:16 p.m.

In reply to MadScientistMatt :

I was thinking that or a horse.

Paul_VR6 (Forum Supporter) SuperDork
1/27/21 1:18 p.m.

Look at what our Amish neighbors do, and copy that. I see lots of horses, walking, little scooters. If things get really desperate methanol and ethanol aren't THAT hard to make. Probably worth printing the how-to and keeping it in your safe.