In Outbound, your van doesn’t run off of gasoline. Instead, you will need to collect materials to fill your power unit, or upgrade to solar, wind, or other types of power to keep on the road.
1. Power Options in Chapter 1 in Outbound
At the start of Outbound, your motor runs on Fiber or Everwood placed in the power unit next to the engine. These materials only add a small amount of charge, but Chapter 1 also lets you unlock wind and solar power. Building extra chargers does not appear to affect your van’s weight, so you can add as many as you want without upgrading weight capacity.
- Solar Panels work best when the sun is out, making them almost useless when it is raining, cloudy, or foggy.
- Wind Turbines only charge in windy weather, so they do not work well without wind.
- Power Units are backup chargers; add Wood or Fiber to keep charging when weather-based sources are not producing.
Each unit charges your engine independently, so two solar panels will charge twice as fast as one. Therefore, you want to build as many as you can.
The energy build menu in Outbound with all energy sources unlocked.
2. All Charging Options in Outbound
There are a total of seven different blueprints that can be used to charge your van. Each are unlocked at a signal tower by using a download voucher.
| Type | Cost | Unlocks | Usage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Solar Panel | 5 Scrap Metal | Map 1: Forest and Farms | Charges when the sun is out |
| Efficient Solar Panel | 1 Electronics, 2 Sheet Metal, 2 Bolts | Map 2: The Coast | Charges when the sun is out |
| Wind Turbine | 5 Fiber | Map 1: Forest and Farms | Charges when the wind blows |
| Efficient Wind Turbine | 2 Cloth, 2 Thread | Map 3: The Canyon | Charges when the wind blows |
| Rainwater Turbine | 5 Fiber | Map 2: The Coast | Charges when it is raining |
| Efficient Rainwater Turbine | 2 Strong Weave, 2 Hardened Metal | Map 3: The Canyon | Charges when it is raining |
| Power Unit | 3 Rocks, 3 Fiber | Map 1: Forest and Farms | Charges when you put Wood or Fiber into it |
The power unit that comes with the van, located by the engine.
3. Best Power Builds by Map
Each map has different weather patterns, so you will want to match your power setup to the conditions. Keeping more than one energy source available is the best way to play.
- Map 1: Forest and Farms – Using a mix of both Solar and Wind is the best option here, utilizing the Power Unit when it is raining.
- Map 2: The Coast – It rains quite a bit on the coast, and is also often windy. A mix of Wind and Rain Turbines will charge the fastest.
- Map 3: The Canyon – Focus entirely on Solar and Wind power, since it never rains here.
- Map 4: The Celebration – Use a balanced mix of every energy type so your van can keep charging across changing conditions.
