Ever since the early age of the internet, memes have been a popular thing, keeping us entertained as we scroll through endless data sheets at work. However, some of them actually sparked debate, due to how ingenious they were.

One of the better-known “engineering” memes is one including a car powered by a magnet attached to the vehicle’s hood.

This is a concept so bizarre that it actually takes effort not to laugh at it, partially due to how stupid it is and, in part, due to how plausible it works.

Hell, if someone were to actually make a car like this, they may just be able to cripple the entire automotive industry, leaving us gas-guzzler-driving doofuses in the dirt, with a huge emphasis on “if.”

Of course, if you paid attention in high school science classes, you may already know the jig is up. No such thing is possible, mainly because that’s not how the laws of physics work.

Sure, magnets do attract when their opposite sides are facing one another. However, Newton’s 1st Law would beg to differ, at least in the case of a magnet attached to a car’s hood, as it’s technically not an outside force acting on the vehicle.

With this in mind, it’s hard to imagine how this concept would work outside of a Looney Tunes episode. Even then, one could expect to receive a lengthy explanation as to how and why magnetic cars just aren’t possible, at least in the same way they’re depicted in the iconic meme.

Back to the drawing board! You may notice the force that magnets can exert on one another isn’t to be sneezed at; they’ve already found their application in transport, albeit not in cars.

The high-speed bullet trains from Asia are powered by magnets for the most part. While these may not be the natural magnets you’re used to seeing on your fridge, they’re equally as effective at generating a force that will push or pull an object in a certain direction.

By maintaining this constant force, the train is essentially allowed to levitate on the rail, cushioned by the magnetic force, while also removing any friction between the train and the track itself.

This allows it to reach inhuman speeds without spending a drop of gasoline.

Fortunately, the gasoline industry is far from crumbling. Magnetic vehicles won’t be around soon enough to see oil companies go bankrupt because everyone is being forced to switch to electric vehicles.