Juan Carlos Pino, a Cuban mechanic with eight years of school experience, may have found a viable way to circumvent the US oil blockade. Showing the ingenuity that many Cubans have shown during decades of American sanctions, Pino, 56, modified his Polish 1980 Fiat Polski.
The charcoal burns inside a repurposed propane tank, sealed with a cap from an old transformer. The filter is made from a plastic milk bottle filled with old clothes.
On the black market, gasoline sells for $8 per liter or $30 per gallon—six times the official price. Official sales of liquid fuel are effectively blocked.
“In a crisis like this, this is the best option we have,” said Pino, who now plans to modify the tractor. “We need mobility, we need to be able to plant crops.”
The Russian authorities have ordered the creation of a post-payment mechanism for parking. Savings have been calculated if Russian truck drivers are replaced by an autopilot. The Lada Niva Travel SUV is equipped with an ax and a shovel.
Meanwhile, UAZ suspended the production of cars in Cuba due to the energy crisis. The reason for the suspension was severe restrictions on electricity supply on the island.
