EMP impervious vehicle

[Mortblanc]

It is not what the old vehicles had that matters, it is what they did not have, which was computer controlled electronics in the fuel control and ignition control systems. They had a simple carburetor which very inefficiently mixed the fuel and air, and a set of simple spark plugs connected to a coil and magneto or generator/alternator, to produce spark and power.

All of that is now done by tiny computers which are scattered all over the vehicle. They are not just in one location so you can wrap them in foil and forget about them. They are also all interconnected so if your tail lights do not work the engine will not fire, a single diode failing in your alternator can burn out your entire electronic system, your key fob lock popper failing indicates major electronic problems, and low pressure in your tyres will not allow the vehicle to move since it affects the ABS system. Not precisely but you get the idea.

Over here one is good until the early 1980s and then there was only a sensor in the carb that never worked anyway.

Not that the era was the hey-day of either design or engineering.

As it is I have enough trouble keeping a 1997 Jeep operating, can not imagine what keeping a 40-50-60 year old rig going would be like.

"Never used" does not mean never maintained and as LAC stated, spare parts are an issue since belts, hoses, seals all degrade with time and not just use. The worst thing one can do with a vehicle is to store it and never run it.

Strangely enough, parts for Land Rovers are still being made by after market suppliers, so an antique LR might be ones best bet for post apocalyptic transport.

You should check into the military applications of shielding and protection of sensitive gear. They have done extensive testing. Most of the tanks, trucks, and armored fighting vehicles have enough steel around them to protect the electronic bits.

Or do what NASA does with the satellites out in space exposed to mass coronal ejections, then them off, then turn them back on.

Most vehicle computers can be reset by disconnecting the power source, the vehicle battery, for a specified length of time. If the vehicle is not running when the event occurs there is little likelihood that an EMP will affect it.

And there is also the logical thing about EMP. If there is an EMP event where do you think you are going to go?

How are you going to get there on roads clogged with abandoned stalled cars? They would still be where they stood when the strike occurred and roads would be impassible. I use one of our major motorways constantly and find the traffic nose to tail at 70mph almost 24 hours a day and I am well outside of any urban center.

I would not wish to be the only human still able to drive down the green lane after EMP. The sound of your motor would travel for miles and anyone would be able to hear you coming in plenty of time to block your path and and ask your business or ambush you. I live out in the countryside and I can hear my neighbors fire up their engines from 1/2 mile away. I can hear their tractor start up a mile down the road and across the fields.

The post event world is almost incomprehensible to most people. You will have no where to go, you will not need a means to get to nowhere your chances of being welcome once you get to nowhere are slim.

This is why we prep. So we can stay home where it is safe, and listen for the sound of engines in the distance...hey kids, did you drop that tree across the road like I told you...get the shotgun and lets see who that is...