Re: Is an Ion pulse capable of disabling a vehicles electrical system.

The reason electronic devices stopped working in the movie you were 
watching was not an ion pulse, but rather the electromagnetic pulse (EMP) 
generated by the nuclear explosion. 

An EMP is the electromagnetic radiation from a nuclear explosion caused by 
Compton-recoil electrons and photoelectrons from photons scattered in the 
materials of the nuclear device or in a surrounding medium. The resulting 
electric and magnetic fields may couple with electrical/electronic systems 
to produce damaging current and voltage surges. 

Although such a pulse may also be caused by nonnuclear means, I don't 
believe it could be achieved safely and economically for your application.

For more information on electromagnetic pulses from nuclear weapons:
heritage
swbell