If the US federal government considers something a threat then let's face it, then it's likely to be a lot more alarming situation than the government is revealing.
If you keep that in mind, the government — which includes many agencies and the military — has admitted that one huge threat in particular is an Electromagnetic Pulse (EMP).
Whether something like this takes place due to terrorism or nuclear detonation or by chance caused by a meteorite, an EMP event would change everything as we know today.
If an EMP event were to happen, a major challenge to overcome would be transportation. Most of the vehicles today rely on electrical components and computers. That means if an EMP were to hit most cars would become mere hunks of rubber, plastic, and metal.
It's important that you know what you should be looking for in a car so that it's EMP proof and on the next page you'll learn what to invest in before this life-altering event takes place.
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Buy an old Lada
Yeah “Protect your vehicle” is abit inaccurate… More like what vehicle to get.
You’ll be an easy target with a running vehicle.
You’ll also be an easy target if you are walking.
I’m pretty sure if there are only a few vehicles running in a particular area that they would be a much bigger target than the hundreds of people trying to bug out on foot
Toyota , Lada or and old Land Rover , and a couple of bikes , PERFECT setup for long term survival . Any vehicle will make you a target , but old vehicles can be disguised to look abandoned or broken down . New vehicles stand out like a red flag in the snow and ex-military vehicles are seen as a threat , so don’t buy one thinking they’ll give you a head start . Let the fools use military vehicles , and when they’re all fighting each other , just sit back and watch the action .
There are different schools of thought behind an EMP. Mainly no one is sure what will happen. Most say if the vehicle is not running you are fine because the circut is not energized.. Others say its going to cook and yet another group argues that a car is baically a fariday cage for te computer but it is a moot point as a car is on rubber tires anf there for can not be grounded. I have a spare preprogrammed for my vehicle PCM in a fariday cage box. As an Engineere and a man who follows alot od science I lean heavily towards nothing will happen, but as there is no sure method to test it I plan for the worst.
Has anyone considered getting a static strap like we have to have on our vehicles while working in the oil field? It’s supposed to supply a constant ground so the vehicle won’t spark an ignition source
My Ram Charger , 4×4 and no electronics to worry about
I have a 2013 jeep so it will be fried like chicken if close enough but I think its highly dependent on how close your are to the pulse [inverse square law yes] I take all the antennas off and park it in a concrete garage [bit of a cage]. I will be putting a ground strap to the body when not in use and also putting RFI chokes on every loom. Bit hard putting all the CPU`s in tin boxes tho. I think the main problem will be looters trying to steal your car when your cruising
Get a Bicycle….
89-93 Dodge Ram with a Cummins. Mechanical injection, minimal wiring.
#7 and #9 are the only points in this article that had ANYTHING to do specifically with EMP prep… Epic fail. I was expecting something that explained the amp threat to a vehicle a little more for those that don’t really understand it…
You make a good point, but an old school carburated or mechanically injected engine with a non-electronically shifted transmission is still the safest way to make sure you will still have a set of wheels!
Michael Paul Roberts
Mythbusters should test this.
Electric fuel pump?
I gotta bicycle.
Distributor
The thing about emp is that it isnt a singular event. The affects would probably last for hours or days if detonated at the right altitude. It wouldnt be an oh good thing my truck was protected. Ill go grab my stashed ecu…it would fry. Glass wont stop an EM wave. It hits any wire and is going straight to all other components. The little battery that keeps your clock going…fried. A truck is not a faraday cage. Your$#%&!@*will get fried. EMP is a broadband wave. 1hz to 1 GHZ. It will get through anything not designed specifically to avoid it. Those wires running to your microwave cage? A clean path. Unless your car runs on sealed fiber modems and filtered straight to ground its going to cook. If you want to be truly safe, take your battery out, drain every capacitor, ground it, find the BS batteries, stick it in a shipping container and weld it shut. just assume its not going to work. Sorry for the doom and gloom, but its not easy to protect from and that’s why its scary.
I think chain would be better. Fuel transport trucks already using it.
Jon Bierbrodt In theory the crcuts of your voltage regulator and balast resistirs are just as fragile. only sure run car we could come up with in school were te old school models like ford model a’s and such.
If the vehicle can not ground how can the circut be completed, that was always the sticking point in school, no one really knows what will happen
Mechanical pump , carb and distributor .
That’s what I’d like to have when the rest of the world is walking . The only running car for miles around. Absolutely no danger there.
Before you go EMP nuts find out what an EMP is many books are wrong or overdo it. EMP mostly kills computer chips if a car or truck has no computer pre 80s than an EMP wont hurt it but you might be a target as a working car has a big bulls eye.
I think Aaron and Chad might want to do some reasearch. There’s a huge difference between electronics and electrical componets.
John Kiestler
Its my understanding that only circuit boards with micro processors are vulnerable to damage from emp bursts . My truck has no components with circuit boards.
Then its Time to pull out the dirtbike. No battery just good old motor
After the event…..Hope you have lots of fuel because there will not be any stations open no electric power for weeks or longer]
Bicycles should be safe.
Diodes in the alternator and voltage reg will pop
Some other things to consider
A pre-computer aged 4×4, w/a push radio,disconnect the clock, jacked up high enough to drive the railroad tracks out of town.
A way to hook up an after market fuel pump w/filters on both ends. Gas line to go to gas tank and enough to go down into storage tanks just below the surface.
A power inverter in a Faraday cage w/a 25ft extension cord,a sawsall with a supply of both metal and wood blades.
A good set of bolt cutters to cut through a fence.
A good long pry bar.
Newer cars/truck have a condenser to hold and leak out enough electricity for memory back up of clock and set radio stations.
Bring it! Good old fashion breaker point ignition
Having an old car or truck that is emp proof typically means rebuilding it with new components. A far less expensive option is owning a quality bicycle. Because remember when an emp hits there won’t be any electricity. No gas deliveries. No motors to run the gas pumps. Bikes are people powered, can haul a decent amount of stuff if set up right, can go places a car cannot, are far quieter and less noticeable. I say buy a good bicycle that can handle your area’s terrain and put the money you saved by not buying/restoring an old motor vehicle on other supplies.
Keep spare electronics for your vehicle in a Faraday cage
What they did with gun rights there sucks Christopher
My SHTF vehicle, it’s EMP proof.
If a vehical is not running at the time of an EMP it’s doubtful there would be any damage at all. I wouldn’t be overly concerned about it to be honest, if it was to take everything else out you likely wouldn’t be able to find gas anyway. I remember 9-11, where I live people went stupid and bought up all the gas that could be had. We were without fuel for three days. Just imagine how panicky people would be in a long term national situation. Be best to bug in and let the insanity weed it’s self out! Here’s a link to a field study on EMP effects.
http://www.empcommission.org/reports.php
http://www.empcommission.org/reports.php
True, but that is something that could be easily repaired when compared to a fried computer…
depends, some old cars are hard to get parts for. All I am saying is nothing is 100% guarenteed in an EMP because we have no idea what will actually happen. I have a spare PCM for my truck in a cage in the back so I am good.
More emp ignorance. Nice.
Points and condenser
Not likely!
Quote
“Automobiles
The potential EMP vulnerability of automobiles derives from the use of built-in electronics
that support multiple automotive functions. Electronic components were first
introduced into automobiles in the late 1960s. As time passed and electronics technologies
evolved, electronic applications in automobiles proliferated. Modern automobiles
have as many as 100 microprocessors that control virtually all functions. While electronic
applications have proliferated within automobiles, so too have application standards and
electromagnetic interference and electromagnetic compatibility (EMI/EMC) practices.
Thus, while it might be expected that increased EMP vulnerability would accompany the
proliferated electronics applications, this trend, at least in part, is mitigated by the
increased application of EMI/EMC practices.
We tested a sample of 37 cars in an EMP simulation laboratory, with automobile vintages
ranging from 1986 through 2002. Automobiles of these vintages include extensive
electronics and represent a significant fraction of automobiles on the road today. The
testing was conducted by exposing running and nonrunning automobiles to sequentially
increasing EMP field intensities. If anomalous response (either temporary or permanent)
was observed, the testing of that particular automobile was stopped. If no anomalous
response was observed, the testing was continued up to the field intensity limits of the
simulation capability (approximately 50 kV/m).
Automobiles were subjected to EMP environments under both engine turned off and
engine turned on conditions. No effects were subsequently observed in those automobiles
that were not turned on during EMP exposure. The most serious effect observed on running
automobiles was that the motors in three cars stopped at field strengths of approximately
30 kV/m or above. In an actual EMP exposure, these vehicles would glide to a
stop and require the driver to restart them. Electronics in the dashboard of one automobile
were damaged and required repair. Other effects were relatively minor. Twenty-five
automobiles exhibited malfunctions that could be considered only a nuisance (e.g.,
blinking dashboard lights) and did not require driver intervention to correct. Eight of the
37 cars tested did not exhibit any anomalous response.
Based on these test results, we expect few automobile effects at EMP field levels below
25 kV/m. Approximately 10 percent or more of the automobiles exposed to higher field
levels may experience serious EMP effects, including engine stall, that require driver
intervention to correct. We further expect that at least two out of three automobiles on the
road will manifest some nuisance response at these higher field levels. The serious malfunctions
could trigger car crashes on U.S. highways; the nuisance malfunctions could
exacerbate this condition. The ultimate result of automobile EMP exposure could be triggered
crashes that damage many more vehicles than are damaged by the EMP, the consequent
loss of life, and multiple injuries.
Trucks
As is the case for automobiles, the potential EMP vulnerability of trucks derives from
the trend toward increasing use of electronics. We assessed the EMP vulnerability of
trucks using an approach identical to that used for automobiles. Eighteen running and
nonrunning trucks were exposed to simulated EMP in a laboratory. The intensity of the
EMP fields was increased until either anomalous response was observed or simulator
limits were reached. The trucks ranged from gasoline-powered pickup trucks to large diesel-
powered tractors. Truck vintages ranged from 1991 to 2003.
Of the trucks that were not running during EMP exposure, none were subsequently
affected during our test. Thirteen of the 18 trucks exhibited a response while running.
Most seriously, three of the truck motors stopped. Two could be restarted immediately,
but one required towing to a garage for repair. The other 10 trucks that responded exhibited
relatively minor temporary responses that did not require driver intervention to correct.
Five of the 18 trucks tested did not exhibit any anomalous response up to field
strengths of approximately 50 kV/m.
Based on these test results, we expect few truck effects at EMP field levels below
approximately 12 kV/m. At higher field levels, 70 percent or more of the trucks on the
road will manifest some anomalous response following EMP exposure. Approximately
15 percent or more of the trucks will experience engine stall, sometimes with permanent
damage that the driver cannot correct.
Similar to the case for automobiles, the EMP impact on trucks could trigger vehicle
crashes on U.S. highways. As a result, many more vehicles could be damaged than those
damaged directly by EMP exposure.
So short answer appears to be alternators aren’t in much danger. It’s not a guarantee but an indication that the impact to alternators is unlikely and will be low if at all. “
A bicycle is a 100% safe bet…just saying.
Own a pre 1973 breaker point ignition, carburetted vehicle will help too