Cuban Mechanic's Charcoal Car Defies US Oil Blockade

Juan Carlos Pino, a Cuban mechanic, has developed an innovative solution to circumvent fuel shortages caused by U.S. sanctions. He modified a 1980 Fiat Polski to operate on charcoal, a more accessible fuel source on the island. Pino constructed the entire contraption from scrap and repurposed items in his workshop in Aguacate, a town east of Havana.

The charcoal burns within a converted propane tank, with a filter made from a milk jug and old clothes. This invention emerges as a critical response to Cuba's prolonged scarcity, exacerbated by the U.S. cutting off oil shipments and threatening tariffs on fuel suppliers. Gasoline is now strictly rationed and expensive on the black market.

Pino's charcoal-powered car, which made its debut on March 4, successfully completed an 85-km trip at a top speed of 70 kph. This feat has garnered admiration, with locals hailing it as a significant invention. Pino plans to adapt his skills to modify a tractor next, emphasizing the need for continued mobility for essential tasks like crop planting.