Firewood Powered Cars

While many people are trying to save trees, apparently some people think the future of cars depend on firewood

During World War II, almost every motorized vehicle in continental Europe was converted to use firewood, according to an article in Low-Tech Magazine. The Swedish government, and Volvo, have been working on more updated versions of this seemingly outdated technology.

A guy known as Dutch John converted a Volvo 240 to run on wood in 2009, which has a max speed of 68 mph. It gets about 1 mile per pound of wood, and has a "fuel tank" that can carry 66 pounds. Sounds comparable to some electric cars.

Despite its industrial appearance, a wood gas car scores rather well from an ecological viewpoint when compared to other alternative fuels" the magazine says.

Wood gasification is slightly more effiicient than wood burning, as only 25 percent of the energy content of the fuel is lost. The energy consumption of a woodmobile is around 1.5 times higher than the energy consumption of a similar car powered by gasoline (including the energy lost during the pre-heating of the system and the extra weight of the machinery). If the energy required to mine, transport and refine oil is also taken into account, however, then wood gas is at least as efficient as gasoline. And, of course, wood is a renewable fuel. Gasoline is not."

For his part, Dutch John argues in favor of wood as a fuel of the future.

I consider wood as a battery for solar energy. The tree uses carbon dioxide and water to grow, and in this way it "charges" its battery from the sun. However, merciless sceptics will tear me down on the low efficiency fact and in that sense they are right. What the sceptics do not take into account is that manufacturing and recycling an ordinary battery costs energy, precious raw materials and it cannot be made locally. An ordinary battery discharges itself after time and thus shortens its life span. Wood has none of these disadvantages, but has the advantages of providing shade, food, oxygen, building materials, removing CO2 from the atmosphere and then still it can serve as a fuel."

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