‘AJAX’ . . . THE WOODBURNING, STEAM-POWERED TRUCK

This is an old article on an alternative fuel vehicle from May 1980, but it shows what is possible if you put your mind to it. This truck is powered by burning wood. Perhaps not the most environmentally sound solution, but it is a renewable resource. The author of this article, Tony Kowalczuk, “adapted a two-cylinder steam engine to “mate” with the original V-8’s flywheel and transmission .”

A Car That Runs on Wood

These cars were designed to burn wood. “With the WWII era wood burning cars, wood was heated to a temperature hot enough to decompose the wood, but the gas was not allowed to burn. It was stored in a chamber, and injected into the cylinders of a regular internal combustion car.”

Wood Burning Yugo Breaks Free of Petroleums Shackles

Well, I don’t think that is going to stop global warming, but it is interesting!

Believe it or not there was once a design for an atomic car!

The Ford Nucleon was a nuclear-powered concept car developed by Ford Motor Company in 1958. The vehcile was designed to run of of a small nuclear reactor in the rear of the vehicle and would drive an electric powertrain.

Read the Wikipedia article here.