this is not an answer to the question at hand

It is. If you can't get gas or oil, where are you getting your solar kit from? If you get it prepared "just in case" then you already have your EV. Tracking etc...may not be a worry as society has collapsed. A horse and cart would be a viable alternative

To me these kinds of discussions always just illustrate what a LARP all this "SHTF" scenarios really are. Because it's either something that's short-term, in which case the power is turned back on and there's no point in making a bunch of prep for a situation in which there's an extended blackout... Or if things REALLY breakdown long-term, you're looking at a scenario where you can't get access to basic medical care, or even basic aspects of industrial production (wires, screws, etc) and you're just going back to the Stone age anyways no matter how much you've "prepped." This is also why those discussions by billionaires, where they want to build their New Zealand "bug out compound", always end in ridiculous places like " how do I ensure that my helicopter pilot remains loyal to me? Do I hold his family hostage?" Etc etc

you're not wrong. and I'm no prepper