On the One Hand: Monster Trucks

October 7, 2014

ON THE ONE HAND . . .

The practice is known as "rolling coal." Yahoos with something to prove modify their jacked-up diesel pickups to spew huge plumes of black soot whenever they rev their engines. The stunt requires a smoke switch that dumps extra fuel into the engine, causing it to improperly combust, and costs from $500 to $5,000. Coal rollers like to post videos of themselves on social media gassing Prius-drivers, cyclists, pedestrians, and other perceived cultural enemies.

ON THE OTHER . . .

The engine sound is more of a whine than a roar, and there are no clouds of black smoke, but the new all-electric Odyssey Battery Bigfoot No. 20 is all monster truck. Bigfoot is the original and best-known maker of monster vehicles; its electric car-crusher is outfitted with four 66-inch Firestone tires and 36 Odyssey PC 1200 car batteries, weighing 38 pounds each. The result is a 350-horsepower motor with 850 foot-pounds of torque. "Developing a custom electric monster truck is part of our efforts to keep up with ever-changing technology," explains Jim Kramer, vice president of research, technology, and driver development for Bigfoot. Try coal-rolling this, sucker.

Dashka Slater has been a regular contributor to Sierra for more than two decades. She writes about the environment, the law, poverty, education, and many other topics for a variety of publications, including The New York Times Magazine, Newsweek, and Mother Jones. She is the author of eleven books for children and teens, including the beloved Escargot series and the Feylawn Chronicles. Find her at www.dashkaslater.com or on Twitter: @DashkaSlater.