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Subscribe to RSSWhy yes, officer, that is a wood-burning stove in my glove box.
It's hard to imagine what led Pascal Prokop to install a wood-burning stove in his 1990 Volvo 240 station wagon. Though we're safe to say that the trend won't catch like wildfire.
Arnd Wiegmann / Reuters
Smoke rises from a chimney atop Pascal Prokop's 1990 Volvo 240 station wagon near Zurich on Thursday, Feb. 9.
Arnd Wiegmann / Reuters
Wood burns in a stove as Pascal Prokop drives his 1990 Volvo 240 station wagon during cold winter weather on a road near the town of Mettmenstetten, south of Zurich on Thursday, Feb. 9.
Prokob built and installed the wood-fired stove himself and got an operating permit from the Swiss technical inspection authority.
And you thought old Volvo station wagons weren't hot...
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Sweet pollution...How many trees per mile?
He should probably be a little concerned about carbon monoxide.
Not in the least. The smoke (and CO2) vent up through the stack. Just as if it were in a home. Completely safe. One thing I'm wondering though, is I would think that would be pretty hot next to that door and dash?
As for the trees? Most people burn DEAD wood...meaning the tree has already lived - and died. Get over it. As for those who attempt to burn 'green' wood...Hope you have lots of starter-and time. Pain in the butt to get a greenwood fire going-and messy. Which is why 99% of people who burn wood, burn dead, seasoned wood.
well thats a big word carbon monoxide for somone that really does not know anything about it but is willing to make stupid comments like that people should really learn more about what they are willing to comment on, knowledge is what is lacking in the world to day and that is what is wrong with are world. please dont make comments like this next thing there will be a new law due to ignorance and we sure dont need any more of that!!!!!! there are far more worries that i would have with a stove in my car other than carbon monoxide which would would be very hard to have, but what about if you have an accident with red hot coals that might be trouble?
Sad that the first thing that comes to mind is that this would never be allowed in this country thanks to, you guessed it, our beloved lawyers. Would anyone on this vine be surprised if somehow a person obtained the proper licence, after paying the fees and completing the forms after finishing the state mandated training course for operating a vehicle with wood fired heat, then got an ember in his eye and ran his car into a tree wouldn't win a lawsuit against the maker of the car for building a floorboard that supported a wood stove?
It looks kinda cozy with snow outside and all, plus, if you ever run out wood you only need to pull over and grab a few dead branches.
This is a good idea, but not a new one...my husband set up a wood burner in his Ford Econoline van in the early '80's! He put a stove made out of a welded oilfield pipe behind the front passenger seat, and ran an exhaust pipe from a semi up through the roof, complete with a little flapper on top. It would seem that common sense would dictate against this contraption, but it worked for him for years! It was a hoot to see peoples' faces when they would notice smoke coming out of his smokestack as he drove down the road. You would think he'd get pulled over by the police, but he never did! This was all because the heater went out in his van, and instead of fixing the heater, he put in the woodburner! Made a great steak, too!
Sounds wonderful - perhaps it will become a trend. I sure could have used it in my old 1969 VW bug years ago, when I had to scrape ice off the INSIDE of the windows.
Yes, you should have tried all the VW busses we drove 6 years in the mil in Denmark 45 years ago, a tiny bit of heat after warm up and NO driving, possibly you could thaw the front window on the inside..
But I am surprised this storey was not about driving on the generated gaz made from a chocked furnace like many cars second w. w.--That would have made a lot more sense.
BTW heating the car in a very cold winter does take a little more gas if the engine is very large otherwise the little engines have to be cooled anyway..
ah yes, the forced air heater systems of the VW was so cool. I remember going out and buying an auxiliary dash mounted heater/fan. Still didn't help much on the really cold days.
My old VW was the same. Heard a joke from a comedian - don't remember who said it: "A volkswagen heater was like standing naked in a freezer with your left foot on fire!"
I laughed so hard! So true!
I know of a guy who put a wood stove in his Ford van. One night the shag carpet caught fire and he made it out OK. The contents of the van, everything the man owned was reduced to ashes
it only proves that the swiss have zany people also
I got a woody when I read this article!! Ya think the kids in the backseat can have a weenie-roast too?
Too much information Floss.
Seems he's preparing for the possibility of homelessness.
Could be SweetPea, and, more power to him. Back in Sept. '06 I gave up my apartment and took off down the road in my little Ford Ranger, and, with my two little dogs. I was homeless until Oct. '07, living on my Social Security benefit. Wandered around to different National Parks and Monuments staying in campgrounds, sleeping at night in the Ranger. I was thinking seriously about doing exactly what this guy did, putting in a small wood-burning stove. There were times, during the Winter, when that stove would have come in handy. Hell, I may still get a cargo van and do it. I hope the next thing he does is put in some kind of AC deal. I'd like to figure out how to do that too because it gets pretty hot at Big Bend, Joshua Tree and Death Valley National Parks. Well, AC would be easy enough but I avoid the extra "Hook up" fee just to have electricity.
Only problem is nowadays the cops would think it's a mobile meth lab!
Wish I thought of doing this for my Durango before I got rid of it. What a pathetic heater it had!
this is nothing new, my friend installed a woodstove to heat his van about 5 years ago.. lol
smores anyone??
Thanks for the news leak! now they will out-law wood burning stoves like cell phones!
Hey Dave Taylor you need this in your Land Cruiser!.
What a wonderful idea... just imagine if everyone had one of these. It would be like driving through southern California in August.
Looks like thats the closest thing to a hottie he will ever ride with.
Only one thing.....When you turn the ignition key to off the stove keeps perking... probably should park it outside lol
hmmmm, So you get in a wreck , your trapped inside, and you have a fire going inside the car? that would be a horrible death.
That was my first thought to. Being a fire fighter I've been on some pretty bad wrecks and that would be a nightmare.
USA, I suspect that other drivers, seeing that smoke flu, would give the vehicle a wide berth, lol. For that reason it might be safer.
What was old, is now new again. This was done all through out Europe and Japan during WWII because of the gasoline shortages.
No texting... No hands-on mobile phone... but sure! --- go ahead and stoke that fire!!!!!!
Yeah, that sounds real safe! NOT!
I thought this would be about a car running on a wood stove. They used to have large numbers that ran on charcoal. I saw what was left of a KDF Wagon that had one in a junkyard in Germany fifty years ago.
Did he burn his scalp on the test drive?????
This is the stupidest thing I have seen all year! Way to go idiot.
It doesn't exactly make him an idiot. He wanted to do something and he did it. Just because it doesn't appeal to you doesn't make it stupid >_>
Hard to imagine what inspired him, unless you consider it could have been a 2008 episode of Top Gear. Look on YouTube under "Quaint my ride."
ROTFLMAO! That was hilarious!
Are you quite certain that's not a Chevy VOLT?
From what I've heard ???
Gives a whole new meaning to "burning off"... Interesting though... think about it: you go to work on a freezing cold day, and before you go inside to work you bank the fire and close the door on the stove. When you come out at the end of the day, you come out to a nice warm car, all ready for the drive home...
Lets go car camping!!
A great way to camp outdoors without having to worry about tents, campfires, bugs, dirt, and bad weather!
Now I can finally get my girlfriend (little princess) to go camping.
I do not beleive he is just heating his car with this. He is using the off-gases to be piped to the engine and those gases are powering the engine. There are a number of these running. It was common in WWII by the Germans because there was little or no gasoline available.
lumpysand...heaters work on hot water, not gas in cars...! that said, many school buses converted to moterhome have wood burner installed...nothing new here, but still a bad idea if you get into a wreck..!
just a note here for ice build up inside your car, crack your window to let the moist air out...take it from an Alaskan...it works
Yes it would be impressive if he was able to produce wood gas from the furnace but it seems too small, wood must be heated in a tank that is surrounded by a fire then a fuel ling brings the condensed gas to the engine. Still it was enough to make me leave a comment.
err fuel line... can't edit past posts
sideways impact anyone??? what a dumbass.....wants to get scarred for life or blow up the gas tank. F-ing moron
That's what I thought! A fire in a car - with gasoline? CRAZY!