[Philkotse guide] Things you might not know about EMP attack on your car!

For vehicle enthusiasts, there is also a tragic future that could or couldn’t be waiting for us. Trust us. It’s not the Carmageddon we’re experiencing now. In fact, it can even be more tragic than that!

What Philkotse is talking about is the long-discussed possible occurrence of the EMP event. This topic has been talked about and discussed in various forums. Most of these discussions can be found and accessed online.

What Would Survive An Electromagnetic Pulse Attack?

But the question to be answered is, what really is an EMP? How will it affect your beloved mechanical investment? Are there any types of vehicles that are safe at all? What else is there about EMP that you should know about? Get all the need-to-know info right in this article from Philkotse.com:

1. What is this, “EMP?”

The term “EMP” is also referred to as electromagnetic pulse. It is also referred to as transient electromagnetic disturbance. This is a short but powerful burst of electromagnetic energy. These pulse’s origins could be man-made or natural. These can also occur as electric, radiated, conducted electric current, or even a magnetic field.

An electromagnetic pulse is also referred to as transient electromagnetic disturbance

Though electromagnetic pulses are generally not harmful to people, its aftermath can possibly cause destructive and long-lasting effects that can eradicate half a country’s population. With the word “electromagnetic,” one would immediately assume that it can affect electronics. This is in fact, true.

An EMP can damage electronics even if they’re miles away. These “electronics” can include your TV sets, Bluetooth speakers, your beloved smartphone, and yes, even your car.

2. Electromagnetic pulse on vehicles

There are tons of competing research and opinions about this matter. You can even find a lot if you happen to come across related forums. People have varying opinions on what a nationwide EMP will do to our vehicles. Some even ponder on the possible damages of the two forms of EMP. What can an EMP attack do? What will a natural phenomenon (e.g., coronal ejection) do to vehicles?

But the question to be answered is, what really is an EMP? How will it affect your beloved mechanical investment?

The sensible wisdom behind an EMP attack on vehicles relies on sensitive electronics. The more electronics in your vehicle, the more equipment will be toasted. This is the same statement that built the idea that cars manufactured after the 1980s aren’t EMP-safe. But the population of believers was quickly stirred because of modern-time tests. These tests were conducted with EMP simulators and produced different results.

Regardless of which group you belong to, there is only one fact that we can warn you about. After a strong coronal mass ejection or record-breaking EMP attack, two systems in your car will likely go offline.

The sensible wisdom behind an EMP attack on vehicles relies on sensitive electronics

These are the distribution systems and fuel production. If this tragic event happens and you have no alternative fuel source, you can expect getting stranded. But that’s not actually the worst that could happen. For starters, you will live to tell the tale about the EMP attack, but your car might not be as lucky.

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3. Sources and causes of electromagnetic pulses

Over the years, solar flares have been creating the first EMPs. This caused damage to the satellites that we put up in space. There have also been weapons that were developed to disable vehicles remotely. These weapons utilized electromagnetic pulses after people figured out how to “create” them. When people say “EMP attack,” they are referring to one of these two types of weapons.

• The first is a non-nuclear weapon. The devices under this category utilize non-nuclear related methods. This will be used to achieve a discharge that will bring a great amount of electromagnetic energy. Tools like microwave generator and capacitor bank can typically be used here.

Non-nuclear weapon is used to achieve a discharge that will bring a great amount of electromagnetic energy

• The second is nuclear in nature. It also involves a sudden discharge of a large burst of electromagnetic energy. This will usually follow a nuclear detonation. In a common doomsday set-up, a lot of nuclear weapons will be called as a high-altitude magnetic pulse or HEMP.

Nuclear in nature involves a sudden discharge of a large burst of electromagnetic energy

You can detonate this device and have an effect over one whole country. In some cases, even a continent. This would also kill other power grids. It can also damage unprotected electronic devices all over the entire country.

But regardless of what its source is, there is only one fear associated with EMP attacks. This is the strong outburst of electromagnetic energy that can obstruct your electronic device’s operation. Some electronic devices may shut down temporarily as a precaution. There are also other devices that could go coo-coo and malfunction during/after the surge. Other complicated units and devices may become permanently damaged or wrecked for being unable to handle the power.

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4. Which vehicles are safe from an EMP attack?

The idea behind planning an EMP attack is to take out sensitive electronics. As we know it, our vehicles today are tuck-filled with electronic devices. As mentioned earlier, our conventional wisdom actually makes sense. Any car built after the 1980s will most likely be vulnerable to EMP attacks. Using that same logic, just imagine how many vehicles would be affected in today’s world filled with smart cars?

The vehicles we have today use a bunch of electronically-controlled systems. These control even the most basic actions from transmission controls to rolling the window open. It would only be logical to think that a powerful EMP attack would shut these systems down. EMP can turn your vehicle into a massive and expensive paperweight by rendering the electrical system useless.

Any car built after the 1980s will most likely be vulnerable to EMP attacks

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With this idea in mind, vehicles that don’t use complex electronic systems are marked safe. These are the vehicles that are built and manufactured before the 1980s. But the small tests conducted to test this theory isn’t ready to confirm it yey due to varying results.