zerowaste

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Discussing ways to reduce waste and build community!

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JacobCoffinWrites

What to do with fuel-burning cars -- convert them? (self.zerowaste)

submitted 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) by activistPnk to c/zerowaste

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The avg. age of a car bought in Africa at the time of purchase is 21 years old. All these people buying EVs think they are taking a gas-burner off the road. But in fact cars do not get thrown away. They get shipped to Africa where they live on and continue to emit GHG for decades longer.

So what’s the answer? Destroying the car is a non-starter, as no one would throw away value. It would be like asking people to set some of their cash on fire.

Why not remove the engine and repurpose it as a backup power generator for power outtages? Then convert the rest of the car into an EV.

Conversions are being done. There are some companies offering to do the work. But these are very small scale operations that are rarely spoken of. I have to wonder why (what seems like) the best solution is being overlooked.

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[–] JacobCoffinWrites 2 points 1 month ago

There's conversion to EV, conversion to run on woodgas or possibly conversion to an alcohol engine - I think it depends on what's readily available locally in parts and energy sources. If you have a sawmill or work construction or deconstruction and can be burning wood scraps for fuel that already exist, gasification might make sense. If you live in a place with lots of sugarcane or another source of alcohol, that might work. Ideally your energy source is a waste product of something that's already there, and your use doesn't incentivize more deforestation etc (that's the hard part).

I also started a list of car parts that can be used/repurposed for other tasks, mostly based on stuff I'd seen on permaculture and tool forums: https://jacobcoffinwrites.wordpress.com/2024/09/04/using-every-part-of-the-car-a-resource-for-solarpunk-writers-and-artists/ it's intended more for writers/artists, but some of the links might be interesting.