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Air-Car Ready for Mass Production

ecogeek.org — Refueling is simple and will only take a few minutes. Just stop by any gas station equipped with custom air compressor units. The cost of a fill up is approximately $2.00. Drivers will also be able to plug into the electrical grid and use the car ’s built-in compressor to refill the tanks in about 4 hours.

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  • joefreeza, on 10/11/2007, -4/+144I thought of that when I was like 4 and my father told me I was an idiot
    • polymath22, on 10/11/2007, -2/+58i have ideas all the time, but i never do anything with them. i might tell a friend, but nothing ever comes of them other than a conversation.
      I'm sure there are lots of other people out there who are idea generators, too, with no outlet.

      so here is an idea;
      an "exchange site" for people to post these ideas, free to the public, for anyone who wants to pursue your lead.
      I have heard claims that some technologies do not come to market because there are "patent disputes". I say "screw the patent office" and go open-source.

      simply reading about all these other peoples ideas would generate a cascade of new ideas.
      blogs would ensue.
      it would be an "abstract communication medium", if that makes sense.

      here is my second idea;
      plant a tree, so you can look at it when you are old and say, " i planted that!"
    • hankmt, on 10/11/2007, -3/+29@Polymath.
      I've totally had that idea!!! I just didn't do anything with it...

      Actually I'm not kidding. I even set up a design for the idea, with a ranking system and options for signing onto the project / becoming a project leader etc. It'd be like open source idea development. A fine idea, I agree.
    • jewdiknight, on 10/11/2007, -5/+14@polymath22
      You do realize that you came up with a great idea with you "idea making idea"

      But hell, I have several great ideas that I would love to share with the world if I knew that it would be truly open source.
    • blahtastic, on 10/11/2007, -0/+11Your idea idea is pretty great actually. I thought of gathering electricity from already existing waves (radio, micro, whatever can be managed) a couple years ago but honestly don't have the slightest clue about how one could go about that, then a few months ago I see that some University is researching it (i'm sure i wasn't the first person to think of it or anything, just adding to the "i had an idea once" game).

      If peoples random ideas like this could get out to someone who can actually do something with them, a lot more innovation would happen a lot quicker
    • hankmt, on 10/11/2007, -1/+291% inspiration 99% perspiration right?

      More 1% inspiration, 49% perspiration, 20% government grants, 20% kickass marketing campaign, and 10% pure goddamn luck...
    • mikesbaker, on 10/11/2007, -1/+17@blahtastic
      that was tesla's last big thing. too bad he didn't live long enough to develop that tech. What a different world we would live in today if he had. Oh and its completely irrelevant but ***** Edison.
    • Farkeologist, on 10/11/2007, -1/+17I still regret never marketing an idea I came up with about 25 years ago. Now you can buy them in any of a number of catalogs.

      The Mistletoe Belt Buckle.

      *sigh*
    • skEwb35, on 10/11/2007, -7/+5Big oil is expected to put up a good fight against this.
    • BigFloppy, on 10/11/2007, -4/+8Not to ***** on your fire polymath, but something like that wouldn't lead to any gain for the individual. If you could somehow integrate it with 'one-click' patenting (but please don't, the existing system is in a dire state already) then perhaps there might be something to gain, otherwise it's perfectly easy for an existing company with the resources to develop your idea, to steal it, and completely deny having seen it on said site leaving you with no claim to it. As much as you (and I) dislike the existing system, you don't really have a choice.

      If all you're interested in is sharing your ideas for the greater good of mankind, then i think it's a great plan, but personally (and i think i speak for a lot of people), i'd rather make something off _my_ idea.
    • geminitojanus, on 10/11/2007, -2/+4@farkeologist

      I'm still trying to unload my Piano-keys necktie.
    • lemonsensation, on 10/11/2007, -16/+14 hours to refill and has a range of 125 miles. Real convenient.
    • HalFTW, on 10/11/2007, -0/+15http://duggmirror.com/environment/Air_Car_Ready_for_Mass_Production/
    • theLured, on 10/11/2007, -1/+2@polymath22
      GO FOR IT!
      You should be "the one" to let people with ideas share them. You should be the first to do something about your idea before it is stolen.
      I have Ideas all the time and i think that your site idea would be cool.
      Sadly BigFloppy(or not so sadly for the ladies ;D) is right, someone could just steal the idea. So how about only being allowed on the site after you sign up and having to agree to share the product with the idea maker or to share profits, whichever the person with the idea wants.

      For adding to ideas. I get loads and write them down. My favourite one for fun is like the roller blade shoes. But instead of having thick shoe souls, the wheels lie across the top of the shoe(above shoe laces) and there would be a long wire coming from the shoes with a remote on the end so you can press a button and the wheels will follow a track around the side of the shoe and to the bottom and the shoes become roller blades. I think it would be cool to be running normally, jump, press a button and land on roller blades and then to jump, press a button and land on normal shoes.
      If anyone sees these shoes in the future, then my idea was stolen. Dam lol.
    • leszek, on 10/11/2007, -0/+6@polymath:

      In fact someone already had your idea, there was a website now closed because of spam: http://shouldexist.org/
      Related:
      http://www.globalideasbank.org/site/bank/index.php
    • nullview, on 10/11/2007, -0/+3the idea exchange website already exists... http://www.whynot.net/
    • Salgat, on 10/11/2007, -3/+1Probably because storing compressed air requires more and more energy as you get to higher pressures, which in return leads to inefficiency.
    • yusoshi, on 10/11/2007, -0/+2@polymath22
      Re; Your idea idea - it's happening at http://www.cambrianhouse.com/ You could also check out http://www.elephant-design.com/en/ - it's not exactly the same, but they have a great system for getting cool ideas out there by getting people to agree to buy stuff before it's made.
    • PigThief, on 10/11/2007, -0/+2"I thought of gathering electricity from already existing waves (radio, micro, whatever can be managed) a couple years ago but honestly don't have the slightest clue about how one could go about that, then a few months ago I see that some University is researching it (i'm sure i wasn't the first person to think of it or anything, just adding to the "i had an idea once" game)."

      Yeah, I had that idea as well, then I researched it a little and found at how many people were already going to work with supplies far beyond anything I could muster. It's sad, sometimes.
    • cdmarcus, on 10/11/2007, -0/+2@polymath22: It already exists, in the form of http://www.halfbakery.com . Note that many of the ideas on the halfbakery are just for comedic effect, but there are some legitimately good ideas. However, the problem is that you don't get any personal gain... anyone can rip off your idea from the site.
    • ferrofluid, on 10/11/2007, -1/+3@ blahtastic

      Efficiency would be dire, the best for free energy is crystal radio sets and complete with crystal ear-piece to faintly hear a powerful radio AM station.
      Its all about the pesky inverse square law, if you double the distance from a source to a set point the measured energy is 1/4. keep doubling keep quartering.

    • ferrofluid, on 10/11/2007, -0/+2Crystal Radio receivers, can be used for RFID type applications.

      http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crystal_radio_receiver
    • Light11, on 10/11/2007, -5/+3how long until big oil buys the patents?

      100
      99
      98
      ...
    • SickMonkey, on 10/11/2007, -0/+2Here's an idea:

      I wonder how efficient it would be to run micro generators off of compressed air? The biggest problem with wind and solar power is that it is intermittent and expensive to store (in battery banks). If, however, you could use the power to fill up a big air tank instead, so it later can be used later to power a micro generator, it might be a whole lot cheaper and more efficient than storing power in batteries?
    • diabolicdiablo, on 10/11/2007, -0/+4Here's my idea :
      Make an infomercial about how to make money. When someone buys it, tell them to make an infomercial about how to make money.
    • BESTenemy, on 10/11/2007, -0/+5 Compressed air technology is one step above hydrogen tech. Each time energy is converted, a part of it is lost. Hydrogen requires separation (from water or other compound), compression and / or refrigiration for storage, combustion (to form water). Compressing air produces heat and that is the only place we loose energy.

      I have model airplane powered by liquid CO2. The beauty of it is that the engine, instead of warming up, gets cooled down as it runs. As more fuel expands, the more the system temperature drops. That allows the use of cheap materials that don't have to withstand the heat of a combustion engine. Cars that run on compressed air can almost entirely be carbon fiber. Light, strong and efficient.

      This is the best non-chemical, electric car. Pressure can be derived from many forms of energy. Electromagnetic compression, thermal compression, kinetic compressoin.
    • qwertydvorak, on 10/11/2007, -2/+3@polymath22: "simply reading about all these other peoples ideas would generate a cascade of new ideas.
      blogs would ensue.
      it would be an "abstract communication medium", if that makes sense"

      it would probably devolve into:

      first post !

      in soviet russia, idea posts you.

      i'm in your boardz, stealin your ideaz.

      1. idea
      2. post
      3. ????
      4. profit !

      etc, etc, wash, rinse, repeat.
    • Charlotte_Web, on 10/11/2007, -1/+3They aren't the most attractive-looking cars, and their light-weight frames are going to make people leery of buying them. With all of the SUV's on the road right now, it'd be instant death if you got into an accident.

      However, I think the driving force behind this industry should probably be the government. Not so much through grants (though, yeah, I could support that, too, to help seed the industry and get it rolling), but to pass legislation requiring that most government-purchased vehicles go with a single alternative fuel technology like this. Whether or not compressed air is the clear winner of all of the alternative fuel technologies being considered, I don't know, but at some point in the future, the government may want to evaluate which one is the best and throw its considerable weight behind it. With a fleet size numbered in the millions, that would firmly establish an alternative fuel technology and help speed the escape from Middle East oil.
    • mingdamerciless, on 10/11/2007, -0/+1Ah, we all have those painful childhood memories.
    • polymath22, on 10/11/2007, -0/+2@myself, others;
      i was disappointed by a few of the comments about "someone stealing an idea" or " i want to make money off my idea" ;
      1) It's not stealing if you are giving it away. if some company comes along and makes a million dollars on my idea that i gave them, that's fine with me.
      i probably wasn't going to seriously pursue an idea anyway.

      i just ask that the person-who-made-it-rich-off-of-my-idea buy me a coffee if you're even in town.

      2) who DOESN'T want to make money off of their ideas? there is nothing wrong with that, except the fact that most people never will do anything with their great ideas, when they could have been "brought to market".
      if you really think your ideas are that good, start telling everyone about them. maybe someone will recognize your genius and offer you your dream job- working as a full time "idea-guy".

      unless you are activly working on something, why not give it away? it's no sweat off your back.

      and yes, i honestly think that planting trees and refraining from further de-forestation are the most important things we can do.

      my sense of urgency cannot be stressed enough. we simply cannot continue this imbalance indefinitely. the sooner we take corrective action, the better.

      ask the Time Magazine "Person of the Year" what small thing they can do; ask them what big thing they can do.

      there is a proverb that says," even the biggest mound of sand is composed of single grains."

      indeed, little things do add up; but little things can also subtract just as quickly. one person at a time.

      here is a final thought about ideas;

      Edison- familiar to many- invented the incandescent light bulb and the phonograph, both of which are now obsolete.

      Tesla- obscure to many- invented 3-phase AC and radio. 3-phase AC is the worldwide standard, and does not look to be challenged any time soon. Radio has just begun to realize it's potential, many years after the inventors death.
    • polymath22, on 10/11/2007, -0/+1@blahtastic
      there is a little over 1000 watts/ square meter of solar energy available, on average.
      current solar panel technology is about 17% efficient, which means they might get 170 watts/ square meter, which isn't much.
      current solar panel technology uses the photo-electric effect, or the "particle" of light, to knock loose an electron, which then becomes a "charge"
      http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Photoelectric_effect
      the wave part of light has not been harnessed by our technology.
      http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wave–particle_duality

      a major issue is that the "wave" energy of solar power is scattered light.

      how can you "tune in" red light at the same time as you "tune in" blue light? that would be like listening to two radio stations at opposite ends of the dial- at the same time.

      furthermore, at any given frequency, there is just a small bit of available energy to be "tapped into".

      i think that it is possible to gather light (lens, mirrors, etc)
      direct it, (parabolic mirrors, etc)
      filter it into r-o-y-g-b-i-v (prism)
      direct the different colors into a bank of tuned tank circuits.
      run the different AC outputs into bridge rectifiers.
      daisy-chain the DC outputs into a "pile" to boost the output voltage.

      store the energy.

      take a standard battery (of cells) and instead of hard-connecting the cells, "break the circuit" and run wires to a switching device that connects the cells "in parallel" (for charging at low voltage), or in series (for higher voltage output)

      (i got the prism idea when i was watering my lawn, and a rainbow appeared.)
    • ombudsman100, on 10/11/2007, -0/+0"a major issue is that the "wave" energy of solar power is scattered light.

      how can you "tune in" red light at the same time as you "tune in" blue light? that would be like listening to two radio stations at opposite ends of the dial- at the same time. "

      Have you ever heard two radio stations at once? To the solar panel, red light and blue light are close enough on the dial that they're the same station. It absorbs both of them.

      The energy from waves thing is a fine idea, but what's needed is ultra super low power devices to run from that, because there's just not that much energy there.
    • maninalift, on 10/11/2007, -0/+1This doesn't make sense: The way you store the energy doesn't change the cost of the energy. Electrical power is expensive and storing that energy as compressed air may be weight-efficient but even if it were also 100% energy efficient, it would cost more than $2 to do 400km!
  • jewdiknight, on 10/11/2007, -3/+11Its a shame that all the great fuel efficient cars never make it out to the USA. I need a new car and would love to buy one of these things. I am sure that it all has to do with conspiracy and lobbying with the car and oil industry. But doesn't the car companies know that if they sell one of these things that everyone will buy it. Much like what happened when the Prius came out just so Toyota can say they sell a green car, they thought it would fail but its booming. Some people will buy SUVs no matter what, but I think that many people if given the option would buy a cheap fuel efficient car if they could.
  • blahtastic, on 10/11/2007, -4/+23Compressed air, huh? So if I turn it upside down, can I freeze things with it?
    /stupid joke of the day
  • tgunner, on 10/11/2007, -4/+4The idea with using a small gas / diesel engine to compress air for the tanks is very smart. I hope this tech comes to the US.
    • hankmt, on 10/11/2007, -0/+13This is basically the same concept as all "series hybrids" which use on-board fuel to store power for use by an alternative drive train.

      GM's Volt (http://www.ecogeek.org/content/view/420/) and Ford's Airstream (http://www.ecogeek.org/content/view/423/) are both series hybrids that store power in Li-ion batteries. The Airstream concept uses hydrogen (and thus isn't really all that feasible) while the Volt uses gasoline or biofuels and could be on dealer lots as early as 2010. But using compressed air as your energy storage medium is an amazing idea, and it's really exciting to see it heading into production.

      Series hybrids are inherently more efficient than regular (parallel) hybrids like the Prius because the combustion engine can be optimized for efficiency and you don't need to have the extra weight of two drive trains (one ICE and one electric.)

      We're probably gonna do a feature on series hybrids at EcoGeek.org soon (yeah, I'm the guy who runs EcoGeek) because so many excellent concepts (and even production models) are cropping up around the technology.

      Thanks for the Diggs everyone, glad you're enjoying EcoGeek.
    • geminitojanus, on 10/11/2007, -1/+3Seems like you could get more efficiency out of just plain pumping the air through the engine to do work; sure, series hybrids are incredibly nice because they can take so many energy input forms (and they get even nicer when you realize you can move the "engines" out to the wheels and give up the need for heavy drivetrains), but most engines these days are just glorified air-pumps that burn carbon to keep the air pumping.

      Current engine designs would need to be reworked (they're tuned to using gasoline enriched-air, not plain ol' air as a pumping medium), but it's still an interesting path to go down. Makes you really wonder why everyone standardized so quickly on internal combustion as being _the_ way of powering a car.
    • Astaro, on 10/11/2007, -2/+1the problem iwth using compressed air like that is essentially the same as having and electric hybrid use a capacitor instead of a battery.

      that is, the amount of energy you store at any moment is directly proportional to the pressure (or voltage) you are storing it at.

      using the compressed air example ofr a moment.
      imagine you are slowing the car, using the wheels turn a compressor, that charges a compressed air resevoir.
      when you start the pressure is quite low, the compressor easy to turn, but after a few turns, the pressure in the resevoir has risen, and it gets progresively harder to pump more air in.
      when you go to use the stored compressed air, all the power you want to recover only comes out for the first few turns of the air-motor, after that, while there is still some air comming out, the rpessure is so low as to be useless.

      There is one advantage to using compressed air like this,
      with apropriate plumning, you can use the cars existing engine as both a compressor and an air-motor. some busses allready do this.
      they can get away with the wildly varying power input partly because there is room in a bus to use a very big air tank, to smooth it out, and partly because busses are heavy.
    • freehand, on 10/11/2007, -0/+2Wouldn't it be more efficient to just have the gas/diesel engine power the wheels rather than have the energy go through another conversion before it powers the wheels?

      Gas -> ICE -> Wheels
      more efficient than
      Gas -> ICE -> Compressor ->Air Tank ->Air Engine -> Wheels
    • ferrofluid, on 10/11/2007, -0/+1Also regen braking with commercial vehicles.
    • hankmt, on 10/11/2007, -1/+3@freehand:
      Interestingly, Gas -> ICE -> Wheels isn't more efficient. In order to have a the ICE turn the wheels at varying speeds and torque, the car engines have to be able to run at a huge range of speeds. In a series hybrid, the ICE can be tuned to run extremely efficiently at one speed, instead of inefficiently at a wide range of speeds.

      Which is one of the reasons why series hybrids are such a good idea.
    • Charlotte_Web, on 10/11/2007, -1/+2@freehand:

      Actually, power plants tend to be much more efficient than ICE's. Plus, the benefit of moving the consumption of fossil fuels to the power plants and out of the ICE's is that you can locate those power plants far away from dense population areas. Could you imagine cities like Los Angeles and New York being virtually smog-free within 50 years?

      The only downside is that it's going to seriously tax the power plants and the power grids we have in place now, for a few decades, until we can build up the infrastructure to support it. Just like with the oil refineries, it'll take ten years to build new power plants; the main difference being that oil refineries are facing a decline in use over the long term as alternative fuel vehicles take off, so it doesn't make sense to invest in new refineries.

      We need for Congress to revisit all of the existing laws governing nuclear power plant construction and strip out all of the laws and regulations that the anti-nuclear lobby forced into there to kill off the nuclear industry. There hasn't been a new nuclear power plant built in the United States in over 30 years, even though demand for electricity is going to climb steadily for as long as we can imagine.
  • laterthandawn, on 10/11/2007, -6/+11...Soon to join the Water Car in the "***** Brilliant Ideas that Somehow Never Quite Made it to Mass Production" bin.
  • HenvY, on 10/11/2007, -4/+2This is great, biofuels suck. Stop global warming by destroying the planet right? Yeah, someone give the guy who came up with that one a raise.
    • themajor, on 10/11/2007, -5/+4actually, you're still using fossil fuels. Compressing the air takes electricity and that is obtained from burning coal or from a gas-turbine plant (currently) Granted, it has the possibility to be fossil fuel free, but not in the near future.
    • Charlotte_Web, on 10/11/2007, -0/+1Not to mention that the single power plant is significantly cleaner and more efficient than the multitudes of cars generating the same power.

      The combustion engine in automobiles is horribly inefficient, so a lot of the energy from petrol is wasted.
    • BESTenemy, on 10/11/2007, -1/+2People use the "energy comes from fossil fuels anyway" argument as if it is somehow a car problem. Leave the car alone and start fixing your powerplants - turn them solar, wind or nuclear.
    • Wacer, on 10/11/2007, -0/+1@themajor

      They are also making new technology that will let power plants capture most of the CO2 to be stored deep underground or at the bottom of the ocean.
  • LeadHead, on 10/11/2007, -0/+21A car running on air, sweet!
    Everyone will want one!
    My friends will be so jealous!
    I can't wait to see the sexy desi- DEAR GOD.
    • calvmari, on 10/11/2007, -0/+5Hey you should have seen the original prototype. At least this one was a plastic box on wheels. The first design was a cardboard box on wheels, but it was stolen by a group of hobo's that now roam the countryside.
  • Kormiku, on 10/11/2007, -4/+2a great idea for a car
  • Hallucinogirl, on 10/11/2007, -1/+19And I thought it was going to be a flying car..
    • Charlotte_Web, on 10/11/2007, -0/+4This is better.

      I get nervous in traffic when I see some of the drivers out there and how they handle their vehicles. I don't want to think about those same people soaring through the air anywhere near the vicinity of my home.

      The only way I can see for flying cars to succeed is to have the navigation system completely automated, and that's going to take infrastructure.
    • Disodium, on 10/11/2007, -0/+1i cant agree more, as an air traffic controller the idea of all the idiots on the road trying to comprehend the intricacies of flight scares the living hell out of me
  • weezcnr, on 10/11/2007, -0/+5I wish someone would do this with a Tesla Turbine.
  • srosebush, on 10/11/2007, -2/+19I got my hopes up in regards to the title, because I want my flying car... =[
  • chojin42, on 10/11/2007, -2/+3One thing which should be noticed about this car, is that it takes the majority of its air from the outside and filter it in the process. Which means, that it even purify the outside polluted air :)
  • wunderdog, on 10/11/2007, -1/+10This is the type of technology that has to be developed! We HAVE to get away from using oil!
  • evodevo1, on 10/11/2007, -2/+5Does this actually do better than a gasoline gar? I mean if you made cars as light as one of those guys, I bet you get pretty good gas mileage too. One still have to power the compressor to get the air in the tank, so don't think you are getting something out of nothing.
    • GigEmAggies06, on 10/11/2007, -2/+2I agree with you to some extent. The article brushes by some of the negative aspects of the car that really make a difference when comparing them to gasoline. I don't have enough information to do a complete energy balance on my own, but I don't see these cars being able to reduce global warming simply by releasing cool air. Though the cool air will absorb some heat, one must not neglect the heated air that was created in the refueling. That heat would be transferred into the atmosphere and would likely counteract the benefit of the cool air. Even if you take into account the work done by powering the car, the thermodynamic inefficiency of the compressor and air engine would still likely produce a net gain in heat released to the atmosphere. The only thing that would seem to benefit the air car would be the relative affects of burning coal to make electricity which the article suggests is cleaner as compared to burning gasoline in an engine. The second point is the safety of the car. I don't see that car doing much to save your life in a crash at 68 mph. Once again, looking at this from both sides, people already drive motorcycles in the US which I would imagine would be less safe than these cars. Maybe if the engine could be scaled down, an air powered motorcycle would be a better option. Overall, I am all for alternative energy sources but I don't see this one catching enough steam to ever make it to the US. The final solution will likely come from advances in fuel cells, electric batteries, or biofuels.
    • calvmari, on 10/11/2007, -1/+1It's better because air doesn't heat up the same way explosive fuels do. That way they can use much lighter metals.
  • cfarmer8, on 10/11/2007, -2/+8
    Who Killed the Electric Car?

    next

    Who Killed the Air-Car?
  • derwarnochfrei, on 10/11/2007, -12/+2This is a SCAM. Sorry. No need to create a new car. Just get a patent for the motor and f**king build it, if its good we'll buy.

    The "air motor" guys tried to trick people to give "venture capital". Its just fraud, nothing else. Since years this is "near to being built"... yawn...
    • MisterWhite, on 10/11/2007, -1/+1I know you're getting dugg down, but you're right. History is full of air-car scams and this is one too. The thermodynamic physics of air compression/decompression is very inefficient and no amount of venture capital will change that.
  • rAAkjoer, on 10/11/2007, -0/+1Wait, isn't that the taxi from Total Recall?
  • ElbridgeGerry, on 10/11/2007, -2/+9A Digg haiku:

    I've Got A Cool Site.
    What The *****? So Much Traffic!
    Now My Server's Down.
  • cielo23, on 10/11/2007, -1/+1Down the article they mention a hybrid version that uses gasoline to recharge the air tank during drives....genius. I want one.
  • Scrubby, on 10/11/2007, -0/+1Air Jammer Road Rammer
  • CaviMike, on 10/11/2007, -1/+0"And this isn't the last we'll here of the technology."

    Do I really even need to comment on that?
  • mcarrera, on 10/11/2007, -0/+0This one, as well as the Hydrogen car, is not going to solve our dependency on fossil fuel. It's a good step though.
  • Rastar, on 10/11/2007, -3/+0This thing is a piece of crap, like most hybrides and alt fuel vehicles, there are literally no savings or economy when compared to an EXACTLY same configured gas car, this thing has about the power and capacity of a scooter, which will probably be more reliable, have a greater range, and be cheaper to fill up.

    Build an alternative fuel vehicle with a 400 mile range, can carry 6 passenger, has trunk space, 0-60 in under 20 seconds, and with the same safety features as a gas car, and power everything, AC, then we can talk, mostly likely you will end up with a piece of crap that doesn't even come close to a gas car.

    Alternative fuel vehicles always fail because they dont replicate all of the current features of vehicles we have now, they simply reduce or remove them to appear to be more efficient.
  • PerroLoco, on 10/11/2007, -2/+1If compressed air existed naturally (I don't think anyone is prospecting for a compressed air mine), this would be a good idea. I remember people touting compressed air cars during the OPEC embargo in the early '70s. Compressing air is an inefficient process. There is no net reduction in carbon footprint.
  • shatdow, on 10/11/2007, -1/+3I'm a little weary of how often stories on zero-emissions vehicles include this same caveat: "But don't let anyone tell you this is an "emissions free" vehicle. ...But, chances are, fossil fuels were burned to create the electricity."

    That's why we need to work in parallel with the energy industry to switch over to clean sources of electricity as well. A zero-emissions vehicle is a step toward a clean energy economy, and this trivial detail is overemphasized.
    • 3eeedeee, on 10/11/2007, -0/+1i can easily imagine in the future there will be high tech air tanks at every service station that use integrated solar panels and/or windmills to re-pressurize themselves, no outside energy source or even batteries needed.

      i'm not sure about that Tata air car though. it may be cheap to run but it is LOUD like a jackhammer. imagine thousands of those clogging the streets. the air pollution would be less but the noise pollution would be unbearable. the australian rotary-style air motor in the "beyond tomorrow" youtube clip seems a lot quieter so i think it is a more promising technology.
  • sevenoh, on 10/11/2007, -1/+0"With Bush we didn't have flying cars that run on vegetable oil"

    http://youtube.com/watch?v=VqfnXX4XN9c
  • Light11, on 10/11/2007, -0/+3i wonder how these would work in -30 up here in canada. if pressure is lowered would you have to fill up more often or what.
  • complainforever, on 10/11/2007, -2/+2Every basic engineer should know that compressed air is much more expensive/ inefficient to generate than any other form of stored energy with the same energy content
    • techmaster, on 10/11/2007, -1/+4There's a lot of problems with this car that nobody is noticing or pointing out. I saw one of them pointed out in the comments of the actual page, that you have a tank with that high of pressure in it, and get in a wreck, it will not be good. Also, this will NEVER work in America. Its range isn't enough to get many Americans to from home to work and back. So, you would have to fill up before heading off to work, then fill up before you head back home. Its range is terrible! That might be fine if you have to drive a block or two to go work at 7-11, but people with real jobs aren't going to go for this. Also, one thing I'm surprised nobody has commented on yet... Have you noticed on nearly every video, the only thing you can hear is the music playing and the "narrator" explaining how the car works, as you see a video of the car going along...and you can't hear the car? Is it because it's silent? No, it's because they muted the sound of the original recording, and put their own soundtrack over it. Only the last video on the page lets you actually hear the car's engine, and you hear it from INSIDE the car...and it sounds like 10 jackhammers being used all at once! Can you imagine driving a car that is this noisy? You would have a headache before you even get out of your neighborhood!
  • newstart, on 10/11/2007, -0/+2Apparently the company making the Air Car, Tata is one of the coolest companies on earth. They make almost everything you can imagine. From cars, to tea, to steel, to software, to jewlery, hotels lol..... you gotta check there website out

    http://www.tata.com
  • choy, on 10/11/2007, -2/+1LOL
    Here's a way to kill 2 birds with 1 stone: get the chinese to go harvesting for sharks fin there.
  • Tarvok, on 10/11/2007, -3/+2"Unfortunately, the streets of North America may never see the Air Car, though"

    Hooray for Big Brother!
  • mykos, on 10/11/2007, -0/+1I used to have this clear car that looked like VW Beetle, and you'd pump air into it and it would putt around the room. Did anyone else have one of these (circa 1985).

    Edit:
    LOL TATA MOTORS
  • zovres, on 10/11/2007, -3/+1and for some reason we're still stuck with gas cars although we claim to be more technologically advanced than anyone. oh right we are but our administration needs to milk us for all we're worth before we can move forward.
  • moofer, on 10/11/2007, -1/+2Combined with my solar install, this is free and zero-emissions sustainability. Oh man, the next few years are gonna be awesome. Now, just build one that isn't quite so ugly. ;-)

    I had been waiting for the PHEV Saturn Vue, ( http://www.autobloggreen.com/2007/01/04/gm-awards-two-lithium-ion-battery-cont/_ ) but maybe compressed air is worth looking at as well. Great post, definiteliy dugg.
  • Lepuke, on 10/11/2007, -0/+2I dont think this will catch on, storing energy in compressed air doesnt seem to be very efficient.
  • Error601, on 10/11/2007, -0/+4PLEASE...stop giving this scam free publicity. Even if don't know enough basic engineering to know it's BS, there's plenty of debunking articles on it.
  • Hoogs, on 10/11/2007, -0/+2That's one fugly car. Nice idea though.
  • xptoast, on 10/11/2007, -1/+4anyone that is interested in polymaths idea site please email me at shadoworkgaming@gmail.com
  • Wacer, on 10/11/2007, -0/+1This car wound be worthless in cold climates. There is no way to heat the cab and the fuel is getting used out of the tank, it makes the tank cold, therefore decreasing its output pressure. Even with radiators on the tank, it would not stay warm enough where I live. In the winter the temperature drops to -20 - -50 degrees. At temperatures like that, the tank and the passengers will not stay warm enough.
  • HappyScrappy, on 10/11/2007, -2/+2If the fillup only costs $2, you're only gettting $2 worth of energy (since the station isn't going to take a loss on you).

    That's not enough energy to go very far.

    In California, electricity is about $0.14/KWh. So you'd be getting 14KWh. That's about 1/4 of a gallon of gas worth of energy. An efficient electric car can go perhaps 200 miles on 80KWh. At the same efficiency this would go about 33 miles.

    It's a non-starter.
  • apache2, on 10/11/2007, -0/+1why is it so ***** god awful ugly
  • ashlvsya, on 10/11/2007, -0/+2This car blows....you to work :)
  • budman2000, on 10/11/2007, -0/+1Maybe in my grandkids lifetime, on another planet.
  • maskidat, on 10/11/2007, -0/+2My father had many wonderful ideas, and not a few patents. However, he could never get any manufacturer to agree to his terms. Hence he went to his grave with neither monetary reward nor the satisfaction of having helped to make the world a bit better place. I think polymath was offering the idea as a free exchange, where everyone would benefit. Like the guy who came up with a laptop for every child. Virtue still is truly its own reward. Can we reach a critical mass where enough people feel this way that it can tip the scales? If anything would be worth a try, that would! The idea gets my vote!
  • V1ncent, on 10/11/2007, -1/+1Don't let the dinosaurs die in vain. Use fossil fuels...
  • robflm256, on 10/11/2007, -0/+0Mr. Exxon would not have it. Clean environment Vs. Gas powered cars??
  • jetshock3, on 10/11/2007, -0/+0 4000 psi? Sounds like a hole in the tank would result in one hell of a paper cut. But that's no reason to give up on alternate means of power.
  • microbefox, on 10/11/2007, -0/+1Lol, wow, I had a different variation of an air car in my head when I was a kid, but this one beats out my illogical thinking back in the days. Hooray for the air car! I'm sure Canada will embrace this early as well.
  • pkulak, on 10/11/2007, -0/+2Seems to me like li-ion batteries would be safer and give better range. More energy efficient too.
  • willgonz, on 10/11/2007, -0/+1Baking Soda and Vinegar. How much pressure would it create?
  •  

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