Tata Motors to introduce Air Car

Its a Fugly car but then so is the Meriva I have to drive because fuel costs so flaming much.

I saw it years ago on www.evuk.co.uk... if you trawl through their old reports from about 4 years ago you will find Guy Negri talking about the Air Cars "Imminent" launch and how it will revolutionise the world.

Top Gear did test it and gave it reasonably positive feedback however the spec keeps changing, this could be the evolution of its design improving performance or it could just be a load of hype, i'll be honest and say I dont know which.

Polstar

Sorry my mistake i miss read your post. Humble apologies

[edit on 29-7-2008 by Supacabana]

reply to post by Supacabana


It wasn't the TATA that i saw crashed, it was a G-Wizz electric car.
I remember wincing when i saw it and imagining what would of happened to any poor unfortunate person who was in the car.

I wouldn't mind seeing what would happen if the TATA was crashed though especially to the air tanks.
I thought jusrt occured to me, flame plus compressed air tanks would mean what?

reply to post by Supacabana


No probs, in replying to your post it did make me think about the TATA being crashed and just how it would stand up to a 30mph head on collision.
It will be interesting to see at least.

reply to post by Zepherian



no - internal friction does not ` add to torque ` it subtracts from it

every N/m you are using to overcome internal resistantce is subtracted from the " availiable torque " at the flywheel

reply to post by nablator


hi - i should have made it clearer in my own post - but i attempted to address the issue that this ` air engine ` would have no compression stroke , when i stated that the effort required to turn a conventional engine with the sparkplugs removed would be roughly the same internal resistance as this engine

but you are coorect

inlike a conventional 4 stroke ICE unit which has the phases

inductuin , compression , power , exhaust

an air engine would only have 2 -

power and ` return `

Click here for more information.

reply to post by hILB3rT


LOL, I am 23 and not arrogant or ignorant at all.
And please read the post by elevatedone and all my other posts before you launch into personal diatribe.
I have been open and honest with my opinions, i have not personally attacked anyone fro any reason wether they agreed with my opinion or not.

Basically i have been a decent and honest poster and i do not desearve this.

This caught my eye as well. The US version which is a compressed air/fuel (smart money would be petrol or diesal) next year is good way to move from petrol to compressed air. Petrol stations would start to introduce compressed air for the hybrid car. Once that is commonplace (5 years?) then you can safely travel in a 100% compressed air car. In addition the technology would advance quite quickly so that 80/90mph 300-500 mile range 100% compressed air car is possible.

Certainly India and China will love this and invest in it which in itself guarantees volumes that General Motors could only ever have wet dreams about.

I think this technology is a worth a few hundred quid investment.

Everything old is new again. Cars like this were first invented back in the 1920s or 1930s.

Alright, let's keep to the topic and end this personal junk.

reply to post by hILB3rT


17, i was driving from the age of 17 to 22 and then had to hand over my license due to being unable to drive and be insured for medical reasons and the medications i have to take.
I do admit that the toss pot was a personal attack of sorts but in self defense.
I am a consumer and therfore i am the staple of companies all over the world.
I am a proponant of new technologies as i have previously stated and to that end i am allready thinking of ways to improve use of the engine.

I have been thinking, what if on the front of the TATA an air scoop was fitted that could possibly replenish part of the air used as the car goes along.
A similar system with electric cars in which air scoops fitted to the bonnet and roof could take in air as the car travelled along driving some kind of turbine or dynamo and partially recharging the batteries as it went.

Or maybe on the TATA if some kind of compressor could be driven by the wheels as the car went along feeding compressed air back into the tanks as it went.

Or on the electric cars having a dynamo fitted to each wheel to replenish the batteries as the car went.

Or i heard once that Tesla had a way of sending electricity through the air, so what if dynamos were fitted to the wheels of every vehicle and as electric vehicles passed the gathered electricity could be transfered to the cars.
Or what if we could find a way to use the friction caused by the air flowing over the car in some way?

[edit on 29-7-2008 by full997]

[edit on 29-7-2008 by full997]

reply to post by Dubyakadubla


Acutally, highway developement in India has progressed drastically in the past decade. Many of their roads resemble the interstate highways in the US; furthermore they plan on creating such road network throughout the nation. Going back to the car, people seem to jump the gun and say it can't compete against a aston martin and on on.... However, this is a bit of aa genesis of a new type of automobile; just a base from which more can be developed. Lastly, this car even in its current stage could be suited for Asian cities where everything is tightly packed and speed doesn't seem to be quite high. Many American cities are spread about a large area; thus, it wouldn't be the best solution in its current state in the US market.

ATS Newb

reply to post by full997


If you watched the video I posted on the last page you would know that, they planned on adding a gas powered compressor to the setup that would allow you to drive from LA - to New York on one tank of fuel - another words without stopping for anything but sleep or food. That's nearly 3000 miles on a tank of fuel - most cars today do 300.

Originally posted by full997
Or maybe on the TATA if some kind of compressor could be driven by the wheels as the car went along feeding compressed air back into the tanks as it went.

Or on the electric cars having a dynamo fitted to each wheel to replenish the batteries as the car went.

Or i heard once that Tesla had a way of sending electricity through the air, so what if dynamos were fitted to the wheels of every vehicle and as electric vehicles passed the gathered electricity could be transfered to the cars.

You are surely joking. Right?
If not, you need to become familiar with laws of thermodynamics.

reply to post by full997


This wouldn't work, because it would be a secondary perpetuum mobile, which is prohibited by thermodynamics. Recharging the Tata aircar is very cheap, but there's a big loss of energy just by wasting heat as a byproduct. If the compressed air expands via the engine, it takes the energy from ambient air. It's quite problematic, because the engine will probably freeze down into an block of ice. Even though it's nice to have a cheap aircondition, if you live in the hot areas of this planet, you can't sell it in in the colder areas, where you sometimes need a heating system.

Originally posted by full997
reply to post by Supacabana

 

No probs, in replying to your post it did make me think about the TATA being crashed and just how it would stand up to a 30mph head on collision.
It will be interesting to see at least.

According to this Cyril Nègre (MDI) interview (in French):
www.eco-citoyen.org...

Air tanks on CAT vehicles use a proven carbon fiber technology wrapped around a thermoplastic liner. In case of accident a ripped tank will let the air escape, it will not fragment. No explosion is possible as the tank is only filled with compressed air.

Production in France will begin end of 2008, 8000 vehicles/year! I'm looking forward to seeing real road tests. Crash test certification is expected to succeed in 2008 too. So just wait and see what's real and what is commercial hype.

[edit on 2008-7-29 by nablator]

Can't find the original information about the motor . It was said to have 2 rods connected in series. This configuration holds the piston at TDC an additional 70% duration. It will run off gasoline and power an air compressor to fill the storage tank. Then one can just switch to the compressed air storage for the duration of the drive to extend mileage or switch to gas when the storage tank becomes low.

Anyone remember the "Roslyn Motor Company" all information was wiped off the face of the planet. the test car was a Saturn running a small turbine generator to power and electrical drive motor. A 60 hp boost dynamo( to accelerate quickly) in the trunk that rode on "air bearings". They said the dynamo would spin for 2 weeks without driving the car.

[edit on 29-7-2008 by divideby3]