Cuban Truck Uses Cooking Oil as Fuel, Igniting Social Media Frenzy

A passenger truck making its journey from Camagüey to Havana took an unusual step amidst the ongoing fuel shortage in Cuba. On Tuesday, the vehicle's operators resorted to pouring 30 bottles of cooking oil into the diesel tank, mixing it with the scant petroleum left to complete the trip.

This incident was captured on video and shared with the independent outlet elTOQUE. The footage quickly gained traction on their Facebook page, going viral within hours.

The individual who reported the event summarized the island's energy paradox with a telling remark: "Petroleum is more expensive than oil." According to the video's audio, each bottle of cooking oil costs about 1,500 Cuban pesos.

With diesel prices soaring on the black market to as much as 4,500 pesos per liter and a half or even more, cooking oil has become a more feasible alternative for travelers stranded on the road.

Images of oil being poured directly into the truck's tank sparked a flurry of responses on social media, blending surprise with dark humor, criticism, and technical concern.

Nicknames like "The Fryer Truck" emerged, with one user quipping, "If I saw this while on the truck, I'd get off before they announce the fare price."

Some viewers reacted with sarcasm to the unusual scene: "The highway chefs," "Add some chips for a snack," and "There should be French fries coming out of the exhaust pipe."

Others cautioned about the potential repercussions of this experiment. "No injection system can handle that. Only a madman would come up with such an idea," warned one user; another noted, "This isn't fuel and will cause so much carbon build-up in the cylinders and pistons that it will ruin the engine."

Insights from experience also surfaced: "Old school folks know that petroleum is pricier than cooking oil; old oil is used too." Another added, "For those unaware: if the engine is running, it's fine, but once turned off, the diesel and oil won't mix and will damage the injection system. Terrible idea."

The debate also included skepticism and disbelief: "This must be a joke," wrote one commenter, while another asserted, "It's false; cooking oil doesn't blend with diesel and wrecks the injection system."

Deeper reflections on the country's reality weren't missing either.

"We're alive by sheer miracle. Cuban creativity knows no bounds," remarked one user. "Necessity is the mother of invention."

The economic impact of the situation was also noted.

"Watch as cooking oil prices skyrocket," predicted one commenter, while another joked, "I can see oil bottles competing with petroleum."

Amidst the humor, some questioned the outcome of the journey: "Give us the full story: did the truck reach Havana?" inquired one user, while another jested, "Legend has it they're still in Camagüey."

Severe Fuel Shortage in Cuba

Since February 6, 2026, Camagüey halted interprovincial transport and gasoline sales at state-run gas stations due to a lack of fuel, forcing drivers and passengers into increasingly desperate measures.

Private fares on the Havana-Camagüey route have skyrocketed to as much as 15,000 pesos.

This is part of a broader transportation crisis: by late 2025, out of 558 interprovincial buses, only 219—40% of the fleet—remained operational.

The fuel shortage has sparked desperate creativity: recently, a viral story featured a Fiat Polski modified to run on charcoal, another testament to Cuban ingenuity amid the energy crisis.

Beyond the viral anecdote, this episode highlights the extreme measures the energy crisis in Cuba is forcing its people into, where ingenuity coexists with risk and scarcity.