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The next best thing to electric... the AIR powered car.
auto.howstuffworks.com — Within the next two years, you could see the first air-powered vehicle motoring through your town.However, there is still some debate as to what the environmental impact of these air-powered cars will be. Manufacturers suggest that because the cars run on air they are environmentally friendly. Critics of the air-powered car idea say that the cars
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- MrDuke77, on 05/22/2008, -0/+1I wonder how safe these things will be in a crash. Hopefully there won't be increased carnage/lives sacrificed at the altar of mother earth.
- theWrkncacnter, on 05/22/2008, -0/+3If you've been following this at all you know that the tanks are made out of a carbon composite that splits rather than shatters in a crash, harmlessly releasing all the pressured air.
- MrDuke77, on 05/23/2008, -0/+3I was referring mainly to the light-weight shell/body of the car which may be prone to collapsing upon the green-riders in a collision with a traditional automobile or SUV.
- theWrkncacnter, on 05/23/2008, -0/+3that's a good point -- I wonder how well these cars do in crash tests
- BigManOnCampus, on 05/23/2008, -0/+2And how do you "harmlessly" release 4300 psi? That's over twice the pressure of your standard cast high-pressure gas tank that has an inch or two of steel. Those things have to be strapped to the wall because if in an earthquake the top ever gets broken off they turn into a torpedo.
- MrDuke77, on 05/23/2008, -0/+3I was referring mainly to the light-weight shell/body of the car which may be prone to collapsing upon the green-riders in a collision with a traditional automobile or SUV.
- theWrkncacnter, on 05/22/2008, -0/+3If you've been following this at all you know that the tanks are made out of a carbon composite that splits rather than shatters in a crash, harmlessly releasing all the pressured air.
- Belin, on 05/22/2008, -0/+1The article points out that the e.volution should be available in 2002. I found another article that says 2004. After poking around a little bit, it appears that the company MDI has gotten some really sweet grants from the South African government, but has been unable to build the factory which was promised. Great that they have a design, but it sucks that the company is so full of fail.
I hope that rapidly increasing oil costs drive this market forward. The most efficient regenerative braking techniques are available to air powered systems. Pneumatic pumps can gather/produce much more HP than electric motors, at minuscule weights. A 300HP pneumatic crane engine can weigh in at about 50lbs. They don't require a torque converter, since speed/torque can be regulated via pressure. They operate cold, reducing the wear and tear on parts. - theWrkncacnter, on 05/22/2008, -0/+1Compressed air cars have one huge advantage over electric: tanks of air can be refilled in minutes, batteries still take hours to recharge (at this point).
- sotopheavy, on 05/23/2008, -1/+2Well, you may need an electric motor to power a pump to compress air. So it's still electric.
- LZeppelinJ0, on 05/23/2008, -0/+1More very interesting ideas in the face of obscene oil costs and the massive environmental problems oil consumptions creates. This kind of vehicle sounds perfect for the short commutes to work and city driving rather than extended road trips.
- BigManOnCampus, on 05/23/2008, -0/+1Hah! The caption to the picture says the exhaust will contain no pollutants!! What a lie, if you compress pollutants into your tank, you'll expel pollutants out!! Unless you plan on using extra energy to scrub the air that goes through your "engine"
- DanQuist, on 05/23/2008, -1/+0Air isn't polution
- BigManOnCampus, on 05/23/2008, -0/+1CO2 is supposedly pollution, it's in the air. So if air comes out of a car, then pollution comes out of it too.
- DanQuist, on 05/23/2008, -1/+0Air isn't polution
- mandan, on 05/23/2008, -0/+1Anyone remember the Water Powered Car? Seems like it would be better than both...
http://easygrowhouseplants.blogspot.com/2006/12/in ... - davidamerland, on 05/24/2008, -0/+1Do you think it might work better with...sails?
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