Magic Tank Promises Peace of Mind in a Plastic Bottle

December 27, 2013 at 10:26:00 AM by Basem Wasef 

I’m one of those hopeless optimists who firmly believe those last few miles can be eeked from the precious few drops of fuel remaining in the tank, and get you where you’re going before you finally bother refueling. I’ve also sputtered to a stop and hiked to a gas station, jerrycan under arm, enough times to know better—which perhaps makes me the target audience for a product called Magic Tank.

Dubbed “magic” for its seemingly supernatural 10-year shelf life and non-flammability, Magic Tank is billed as an emergency gasoline substitute that’s safely sealed in a plastic container. According to the company, pouring the stuff into a tank that’s been run dry enables it to mix with residual gas in the tank, get that blend flowing back to the fuel lines, and run the engine long enough to get you to safety without harming the engine or any related sensors.

Though it can run the engine, Magic Tank is rated by the National Fire Prevention Agency as combustible, not flammable; in fact, pouring the stuff onto an open flame will, according to a company spokesperson, extinguish the flame. Despite its 91+ octane rating, the lead-free liquid contains no volatile butanes, pentane, hexanes, or heptanes, making it safe to store in a trunk for prolonged periods of time. It also delivers comparable MGPs to pump fuel.

Magic Tank was invented in 1999, but has only been on the market less than year, following over a decade’s worth of refinements to meet EPA, CARB, and DOT standards. And while I have yet to test the stuff myself, I’d venture to say its $24.95 per half-gallon price tag is well worth the decade’s worth of peace of mind it promises.

Original article can be found here http://www.popularmechanics.com/cars/news/auto-blog/magic-tank-emergency-fuel