EMP attack - Would/could you keep going?

[benharris]

We've all seen it in the film's - a massive EMP pulse (technically a NEMP - Nuclear Electromagnetic Pulse) triggered somehow, usually by the "bad guys", causes disaster. Everything stops working - computers are dead and helicopters fall out of the sky. That kind of thing.

I'm guessing things like the Presidential State Car and military vehicles are protected against this kind of threat, but your everyday car almost certainly isn't. Anything remotely modern wouldn't stand a chance.

We've had the "zombie apocalypse survival vehicle" thread before, so on a similar-ish theme, how far back do you realistically need to go, in order to find an everyday car (at least for the time), which could carry on going after an EMP attack?

To set the ball rolling it off, I presume anything with an ECU is automatically out of the question, but what about a simple coil and points based ignition - that's all pretty basic stuff, but would that carry on working, post EMP?

I thought it could make an interesting topic for discussion...

[Speed_Demon]

I would think anything pre EFI would be fine?

[rallycross]

Something with an old A series engine, like a rally prepared mini with sump guards and rally tyres that should keep going (as long as it doesn't rain too much) they don't like water, Lucas 'aka the prince of darkness'!

[anonymous-user]

I suspect the EMP would be a precursor to something else, so quite where you would keep going to is another question

[Roguexcess]

A Toyota hilux can withstand any sort of attack
Well I guess it would have to be a 1978 n30 - hardly any electronics

[Reffro]

Any old diesel with a mechanical fuel pump

[Krikkit]

A lot of carb stuff might survive, although the ignition coil might not as they have big windings for induced currents to knacker.

If it comes down to that kind of thing going on I'd rather be dead tbf, just nuke me instead

[Roguexcess]

Post-EMP ideal vehicle would be a diesel pickup or suv stick shift and carbureted engine, likely would want 4WD as assume the roads will be jammed with immobilised wrecks

Edited by Roguexcess on Wednesday 10th June 09:59

[gforceg]

Roguexcess said:

Post-EMP ideal vehicle would be a diesel pickup or suv. Stick shift and carbureted engine, likely would want 4WD as assume the roads will be jammed with immobilised wrecks

On a diesel?

I'll leave "stick shift" to someone else.

[Chris32345]

Where would you be going in this world
Theres would be no shops no food anywhere no traffic lights no power

[benharris]

Moved to "Science" - really!?

It's a pity the mod that moved this didn't appear to make an effort to actually read the topic of discussion. It was a general car related subject, so "General Gassing" seemed the perfect place for it - nothing to do with the the actual science behind an EMP.

Well that's killed this thread then. It looked like it had potential too, looking at the replies. Shame. :-(

[anonymous-user]

Chris32345 said:

Where would you be going in this world
Theres would be no shops no food anywhere no traffic lights no power

This^^

No mains lecy = no water, no sewerage, no fuel, no food.

It'd get nasty, real quick. People were flipping out because they couldn't get their hair cut during lockdown, immagine if the power went out.

The last time we suffered serious long term hardship in the UK (WW2) a quarter of houses had no electricity, there we 41M people in the Uk (68M today) and a large number of people had somewhere to grown their own food.

[bearman68]

Reffro said:

Any old diesel with a mechanical fuel pump

This.

Izuzu 3.1 TD. I see you EMP and laugh in your face.

[Roguexcess]

Chris32345 said:

Where would you be going in this world
Theres would be no shops no food anywhere no traffic lights no power

Reach your bug out destination / escape from the looters/desperate people trying to steal your stuff. Social breakdown will make areas very dangerous a working vehicle would be all the difference post attack.

[KarlMac]

The correct PH answer should be one of the old tank v8s with mechanical fuel pump and carburetor.

Bonus Mad Max points too.

[anonymous-user]

I'd drive this electric car!



Using some solar panels to charge it, meaning no dependance on external sources. I'd also look totally badass cruising the mean streets too :-)

[Kent Border Kenny]

Not a hope in hell. Not only are all of my cars hopelessly digital, I remote into work, use my iPad for meetings, and even need my mobile to log on.

My lights are computer controlled, and my television needs the internet to do anything.

[Ian974]

On a quick dig around the effects of EMP sound like the most likely problem is a need to "turn it off and on again" and if it was parked/ switched off, it would have little effect.

Whatever has caused the EMP I'd imagine would be the more pressing matter!

[anonymous-user]

From what I understand anything with wires or a circuit board would be knackered. You don't need a nuclear blast, you can make one by storing enough energy in capacitors and realeasing it all at once.

[anonymous-user]

Ian974 said:

On a quick dig around the effects of EMP sound like the most likely problem is a need to "turn it off and on again" and if it was parked/ switched off, it would have little effect.

Whatever has caused the EMP I'd imagine would be the more pressing matter!

It depends on the effects of the EMP burst on volatile ROM, which is used to hold the firmware and calibration for most complex systems (simple systems can use One Time Programable memory,that is "physically" written rather than relying on charger stored in a cell. In the same way that ionising radiation can corrupt memory, and hence "space rated" integrated circuits are specifically designed to resist those changes