Recently John and I got onto the topic of “End of the World” vehicles (Editor’s note: For certain values of “recently”). Would a big RV work? It has lots of space, though it has poor gas mileage and isn’t very maneuverable. What about a big pickup truck? Lots of cargo space, better gas millage, can store more fuel, but still not very maneuverable. Motorcycle? Ultra good gas millage, but very limited on the cargo space and the extra fuel you can take along (this is what Milla Jovovich used in Resident Evil: Apocalypse). Really this is a philosophical question, not one that can be answered right or wrong. For me, as much as I’d love to have a motorcycle for the end of the world, the fuel & storage space of a pickup far outweigh the maneuverability & fuel mileage concerns.
It is all moot in the end though, because I’ve found the ultimate in “End of the World” Vehicles. Allow me to introduce the EarthRoamer XV-LT. It is a “compact, energy efficient, solar powered home, built on a Ford F-550 truck chassis”. It runs on diesel, so you can burn a number of different things it its engine and get away with it. It has solar panels on the roof and plenty of space for you, a few friends, and your survival gear. Most importantly it has an option for a “Rainbow 36A Air Filtration System – Provides ISO 9001 compliant protection against chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) contamination for up to six people.” Yea, it is essentially a portable HAZMAT shelter.
They’ve also got bunches of fun “End of the World” friendly options, like increasing the fuel tank to 90 gallons, stainless steel coffeemaker (wouldn’t want to leave civilization behind when it is destroyed), Air ride suspension, military internal beadlock aluminum wheels, 8.5kw mobile power generator, satellite internet (because the internet might survive the end of the world), and a iPod ready entertainment system w/ Garmin GPS. Of course it will cost you a pretty penny, and don’t even think about trying to finance this and stiff the guys when the world ends, I’m sure they’ll have an entire fleet of these to come after you with. If you must know, the cost for just the basics (Truck, Camper & Air filter) starts at around $220,000 USD.
The real question: Will it withstand Zombies?