While taking place in an entirely fictional universe in which terrifying, flesh-eating Walkers decimate humanity, fans of AMC’s The Walking Dead still have no problem spotting factual plot holes in the series. One error, in particular, revolves around the fact several of the characters are able to drive despite being several years into a post-apocalyptic world where gasoline/petrol wouldn’t be readily available.
The plot hole with the cars and motorcycles stems from the shelf life of gasoline.
One The Walking Dead fan pointed out on IMDb: “The fuel they are using in their vehicles if it was an ethanol blend, would have degraded significantly in just 12 months,
“And this show takes place over a number of years, by which time the fuel would be unusable, and yet they seem to be using it without issue.”
According to UK automotive services company RAC, the TWD fan is, in fact, correct.
READ MORE: The Walking Dead: What happened to Enid? Why did Katelyn Nacon leave?
RAC says: “Once you’ve put fuel in a jerry can or other containers you only have a few months before the quality starts to fall away – even less if the fuel is contaminated in any way.
“Generally speaking, petrol has a shelf-life of six months if stored in a sealed container at 20 degrees – or just three months if kept at 30 degrees.
“If the container isn’t sealed, you’ll be able to keep it for even less time.”
Therefore, the gasoline fuelling the motorcycle of Daryl (played by Norman Reedus) surely wouldn’t work.
Not only that, the fuel could even damage the vehicles it’s being used in.
When asked if older fuel could damage newer engines, RAC says: “Possibly, although that largely depends on what the fuel is and how old it is.
“If you use old petrol, at best you’ll suffer a significant loss of performance that you’ll probably be able to rectify once the old fuel has been consumed and you can re-fill the tank.
“However, if oxidisation of the petrol has occurred, it could cause deposits and other impurities to clog up the inner mechanisms in your engine, and lead to substantial damage.”
