I wouldn’t say I’m a huge fan of steampunk, but I love learning about ideas that could’ve been. The monowheel is a perennial favorite of mine (and one that would do well to return today), as well as Henry Ford’s early experiments with ethyl alcohol-powered cars - which had been a feature on many Model T’s until the technology was killed by the Prohibition. It’s a shame that some ideas, especially that one, were abandoned irreversibly (in the mainstream, at any rate) by chance.

One such topic I’ve recently become aware of, however, is the wood gas car. Like the ethyl alcohol car, which ran on that because it could be made easily on a farm, it was born out of necessity. During World War II, wood gas (also known as producer gas) vehicles became a popular and essential substitute for gasoline and diesel, which were rationed for military use. And it wasn’t just one side, either; the technology was popular throughout Europe, everywhere from Scandinavian countries (with over 110,000 between the three of them) to central Europe (France was especially notable, having 65,000 during the period). Germany actually had around half a million wood gas vehicles during the war.

(Image Credit: Automotto.com) Read more about Wood Fired: Producer Gas Vehicles During World War II