Wood fuel cars are making a resurgence and it has the world paying attention. The technology has existed since the days of the Second World War. By 1945, around one million European vehicles were powered by wood gasification. So now the wood fueled car has made a comeback with renewed interest out of Europe. The world is intensely looking for the next fuel that could move us into the future. Could cars that run on trees be an actual possibility? According to some, the answer has been under our noses for some time.
What exactly do wood fueled cars mean? Is it even possible?
The short answer to that is yes. The technology has existed for a long time already. What is needed is gasification. And according to Johan Linell, a keen inventor in Sweden, he has the answer. He recently took his friends on a road trip around Sweden in his wood fueled car. Stopping as needed to collect wood to put into a gasification chamber in the back that fed tubes to the front engine.
His friends would apparently run off into the forest and return with dry wood which he would then use for the car. A truly remarkable way to get around. The technology was originally invented in 1905 by Thornycroft, an English car company, though it was another 20 years before French chemist Georges Imbert made wood-gas travel a practical possibility. And the technology was then more widely applied to cars.
By the 1930s, four European governments were actively researching wood gasification for mass transportation. The rise of Nazi Germany and the Second World War would push the world even closer to wood fuel because gasoline was becoming very difficult to get hold of. On both sides of the war, necessity proved to be the major factor in innovation and the implementation of alternative fuel options.
Can the world make a return to the wood fueled car?
Since the emergence of the EV sector, the world has been keen on the concept of an alternative fuel source. At first Tesla and the electric vehicle was the perceived answer. However, after a number of recalls and quality problems, not to mention the escapades of a certain DOGE member, the world has grown weary of the EV. Huge investments have been made by the world’s biggest car manufacturers in alternative power solutions.
And the innovation is impressive. The amount of money and resources being spent is insane. When we consider that wood fuel technology has existed for over a century, we must ask the question as to why it has remained out of the public’s eye. Could the answer be that the oil industries of the world became too powerful and the idea of giving up their control of the world economy was simply out of the question.
The idea of a car that runs off of trees could change the world. If the right infrastructure were in place, we could all be driving around and simply refueling in nature as we needed. A novel idea to say the least. The other side of the coin is that the technology died out for a reason. Some point out the sheer challenge in making the technology safe for large scale use.
What will the car of the future look like in the end?
The research and development taking place around the world has been truly inspiring. With some of the biggest car manufacturers committing to a zero-emission future lineup. The world is left to speculate as to what will power the car of the future. Can this wood burning car make an entrance into the alternative fuel sector as a viable option? The options that we currently have is changing, along with the desire to create a sustainable future for the next generations is a desire to push the levels of innovation that have a more immediate effect on us.
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