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Automotive

Magic Tank keeps your car going when the gas runs out

By Ben Coxworth
October 23, 2013
Magic Tank keeps your car going when the gas runs out
Magic Tank squeezes every last drop of gas out of your car's "empty" fuel tank (Photo: Shutterstock)
Magic Tank squeezes every last drop of gas out of your car's "empty" fuel tank (Photo: Shutterstock)
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Magic Tank squeezes every last drop of gas out of your car's "empty" fuel tank (Photo: Shutterstock)
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Magic Tank squeezes every last drop of gas out of your car's "empty" fuel tank (Photo: Shutterstock)

Keeping a jerry can of gasoline in your car may help if you run out of fuel, but it's also highly dangerous and is therefore illegal in most places. According to the Makers of Magic Tank Emergency Fuel, their product is the safe – and legal – alternative to packing a jug of gas.

When Magic Tank is poured from its container into a car's fuel tank, it will apparently allow the vehicle to continue traveling as far as it could using an equivalent amount of gasoline.

The liquid is derived from gas, but contains "no volatile butanes, pentane, hexanes or heptanes." To you and me, this means that it's officially designated as non-flammable. It will ignite if exposed to a spark or flame at a minimum temperature of 105ºF (40.5ºC), but that's far higher than the flash point of gas. It's also biodegradable, and reportedly won't harm the engine.

So, if the stuff is so much safer than gas, why not just run your car on it all the time? Well, because it works by displacing the residual gas that's still in the bottom of the tank – even when your car can't go any farther – pushing that gas up so it can be used by the engine.

Magic Tank is available via the link below, with prices starting at US$29.99 for a half-gallon (2-liter) bottle. For those of you who might remember Spare Fuel or Extra Fuel, it's the same formulation as those now-defunct products.

Source: Magic Tank

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AutomotiveDrivingEmergencyFuelGasoline
19 comments
Ben Coxworth
Ben Coxworth
Based out of Edmonton, Canada, Ben Coxworth has been writing for New Atlas since 2009 and is presently Managing Editor for North America. An experienced freelance writer, he previously obtained an English BA from the University of Saskatchewan, then spent over 20 years working in various markets as a television reporter, producer and news videographer. Ben is particularly interested in scientific innovation, human-powered transportation, and the marine environment.

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19 comments
T N Args
I don't understand why cars don't have a 'Reserve' switch just like all motorbikes used to have. Two outlets from the fuel tank. The 'normal' outlet is a bit above the bottom of the tank, and the 'reserve' outlet is right at the bottom. So when you 'run out of fuel', you press the 'reserve' switch and bingo, you have access to the bottom 5 or 10 litres.
Rt1583
"it will apparently allow the vehicle to continue traveling as far as it could using an equivalent amount of gasoline."
This statement is entirely misleading. If you pour five gallons of this stuff into the tank and it displaces whatever gas remains in the tank, say 2 gallons, and it is not a fuel in and of itself then there is no way you could get equivilant distance out of equivilant amounts.
Darkoneko
Getting the engine to run on "the bottom of the tank" fuel is generally a bad idea, with all the crap down there the filters takes a bad hit.
David Clarke
A simple solution to this would be to have an alarm signal in your car, to warn you that you are running low on fuel. I'm sure this actually happens already. Why would you want to pay all this money just to pour some unknown substance into your tank? I would imagine the outlet from your tank to the engine is positioned so that it does not suck up particles from the bottom of the tank. Another simple solution would be to carry a small can of petrol in your trunk (or boot, as we call it in England) I'm not sure if this is illegal, but what happens if you need to get some fuel for a lawnmower, for example?
Billy Sharpstick
Prestone "Rescue" was a product that did this 15 or 20 years ago. I think it was just really low octane petroleum product that was not considered dangerous enough to blow up your car. How is this different? Carrying a spare gasoline can in your car is not safe or legal. The 1956 VW van had no gauge, but it did have a reserve knob. As soon as the engine started to sputter, you pulled the knob and got a gallon or two extra fuel. It probably just lowered the inlet pipe an inch or two.
ActiveGuitar
Come on... I drive since 1984 and have NEVER run out of fuel. Just need some care and planning. Most cars shows an alert much earlier than it become an emergency (you can drive about 60-70 miles more). It's the driver's fault to be so ignorant to don't look for a gas station.
Otherwise I don't think it's a good idea to use the last drops at the bottom of the tank. Usually it's full of small debris, dirt, etc. I think, even your car's injector nozzles could be clogged....
John Coryat
What happens when that stuff gets sloshed into a full tank and sucked into the engine? I can't imagine it would be beneficial. No wonder those two other products named that were similar are now defunct.
All cars today have an idiot light to warn operators of a low fuel level. If that isn't enough to motivate, then actually running out will be a good lesson.
Don Duncan
I sold the most mechanically reliable car I have ever owned (after 8 years) because it had no air, was a 5 speed manuel, was under powered, and the fuel gauge was designed to register empty at one third full. With a 10 gal. tank I had to stop too often so I started using the trip meter to estimate.
I knew I had 160 miles left when it said "empty" (I experimented) And I hate filling up. So I estimated and it worked, mostly. I ran out about 5-7 times over an 8 year period. I was so irritated I decided to sell.
I still wonder what the manufacturer's reason was for this design.
carbon
Perhaps in Canada carrying a can of gasoline is illegal, but nowhere that I have ever been in the US or even Central or South America prohibits carrying gas cans. Nor have I ever encountered this issue in Africa. Metal cans (the old US military jerry can, and the new NATO 5 cans) are probably safer than that flimsy metal tank exposed under your vehicle that carries your fuel. There is absolutely no more danger from a jerry can than a gasoline tank built into a car. This seems to me to be a solution in search of a problem and at $60 per gallon, it is ridiculously expensive.
Dennis Learned
Yes, I guess it's not safe to transport gasoline in your car, never mind that the gas tank is just a big container of gasoline. I used to own a 'safety' gasoline container that was designed to be transported. It was metal, had a spring loaded cap, and some sort of flash or spark suppressor built into the fill hole. I don't know where mine is and I haven't seen any of those advertised in awhile, but I wouldn't be fearful of transporting gasoline in one of those. As I recall, it was more expensive than the cheap metal or plastic 'gasoline' containers that are currently available.
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