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Coal Powered Transport Will Save Us

by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 12.22.07
Cars & Transportation

2007-12-22_085211-coalpower.jpg

The American Happy Motoring way of life as we know it is safe; we have lots of coal, and can import a massive fleet of steam engine equipped, coal powered buses and transport trucks to achieve instant energy independence. They built them in the UK since Victorian times and kept it up until 1950.

2007-12-22_085321-fleet.jpg

It won't do much for our carbon footprint but lets keep our priorities straight here.

2007-12-22_090243-winnebago.jpg

Winnebago is updating this typhoo for the RV crowd, complete with steam heat and a steam table to keep your food warm.

2007-12-22_085417-coaltanker.jpg

Tankers will supply CTL (coal to liquid) fuel to those with legacy internal combustion powered vehicles.

2007-12-22_091109-publictransport.jpg

But the government won't forget its obligation to public transit, and will supply every major city with one steam powered bus.

All images (and lots more to see) from Avi at ::Dark Roasted Blend


Comments (12)

WTF!??!?! Coal is fing dirty... and that would be the entire world going backwards?!?!?

WTFudge!??!
DELETE THIS $^%$&#$&#&!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

jump to top Maria Bolton says:

Perhaps you need to recalibrate your irony meter?

jump to top Christian says:

Maria, Maria, Maria.... Let's not forget our sense of humor. Perhaps the holidays have you too stressed out. Don't know the bloke who wrote this but I'm 100% sure it's a joke.

jump to top Bob F says:

I do know the bloke who wrote this and can guarantee you that he is being sarcastic - very effectively so. And his sarcasm is eliciting the correct response from Maria and David. We should all be saying: coal-powered transport, WTF?!

jump to top houston says:

I don`t think that coal will save us because look how much polution is coming out of those pipes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! like seriously how stupid do u have to be not to see all that polution. Now if they were coal officient meaning they were filltered about 3000 times before they were put in the vehicle then i would say ya go for it but if u don'` clean it and filter it then it`s just or mabye even worse than using gas!!!

jump to top Danielle G. says:

Yeah "WTF" was my reaction until I realized it HAD to be a joke as coal powered transportation would only expedite our journey to hell on Earth via "Global Warming".....notwithstanding the fact of how freakin' silly?? Although I wouldn't put it past anyone in this country to try something so ridiculous the one thing that would save us from Americans actually doing it is their vanity. I couldn't imagine anyone driving around in something so ridiculous.

jump to top Karine says:

The person who wrote it was trying to be FUNNY, initial poster....that's all. He/she did a pretty good job too, though clearly they're not fans of coal.

It does raise the larger question though--what do we replace gasoline with? Oil is too danged valuable to burn and on that basis alone I'd want to see a substitute but it does seem no one substitute is going to replace gasoline by itself.

A good mix of electric, biodiesel, hydrogen, maybe CTL and the ever-popular "something that hasn't been invented yet" looks like the way to go, and would provide a more stable and "mixed" economy anyway--always a positive.

jump to top Ferretman says:

Pollution? What pollution? Oh, a little bit of coal smoke won't hurt anything.

jump to top Charles Hope [TypeKey Profile Page] says:

what the heck are these idiots thinking this is a gigant step backwards in technology. and besides didn't we already try this technology and it was a bust. besides back then the electric vehicle was more popular. so......

jump to top Jordan Foss says:

To whomever posted this little article: thanks for providing me with much needed laughter! I almost choked on my breakfast due to my hard to control laughter.

jump to top Tom Over says:

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