Tata Motors to introduce Air Car

I remember hearing about this air car a couple months ago and the compressed air tank is made of carbon fiber, not metal, so it will split rather than explode if the pressure becomes to much on the tank (e.g. in a crash). You'll have a lot of air come out, but no explosion.

What I'm concerned about is where it says in the article @ indiapost.com (already posted by VampireZio) that: "The temperature of the clean air expelled by the exhaust pipe is between 0-15 degrees below zero" how good would that be in a real cold winter, should one live in a colder climate?

And I really like this part: "The cost of a refill would be about $ 2. .........and the car will be ready to go another 200-300 kilometres."

And the soon to be released US version: "CityCAT that is said to travel as far as 1000 miles at up to 96 mph with each tiny fill-up."

Sounds pretty good to me.

Thanks for the additional link VampireZio.

Originally posted by Supacabana
I think that once the technology has been devolped further there is no reason why we cant have a stylish, and cost effect means of transport. The only reason i can see for this technology being played down is the the fear of the golbal econmoy taking a massive dive with the need for oil slowly diminishing. As we know the global economy rides on the coat tails of the oil price.

You must also realize that the car is not only a means of transportation, it's a cultural icon on which much of contemporary western culture is based, just like a Hog (Haley-Davidson) isn't just a motorcycle. The point being that petrol heads, such as myself, don't see the purpose of the car as being a means to get from point A to point B, it's how you get there that counts, it's the personality of the car, it's the pleasure it gives you and so on...

Of course I acknowledge that some people just what a means of transportation, I respect that view. But wouldn't it be more useful to just promote the creation of better public transportation (Subway where possible), or to use a bike, like I do, for short everyday trips?

The problem with these sort of "cars" is that they usually are a myth or just unpractical, or unusable, some examples:

-Toyota Prius - You get better mpg out of VW Golf TDi or a Ford Fiesta or a Honda Civic, in real life usage, then you do from this peace of garbage that not only doesn't do anything a car should do but is under equipped, handles badly (does it handle at all?) and has an horrible built quality, besides being one of the ugliest things on wheels (both outside as inside).
It's all just a big publicity stunt...

-Smart Two - In any city which is not totally leveled it even beats medium size compact cars in fuel consumption and in emissions...And if you have to drive your kids to and from school...

reply to post by NorthWolfe CND


Wow...Are you f-ing kidding me? I think this is only the American attitude. At one hand you have 100's of thread complaining about oil prices and at the other hand you have some cultural justification why petrol is the way to keep going . Where I live, people don't buy cars they can't afford or are expensive in both short and long term. They actually do some research on the best car that DOES get them from point A to B in a quick and efficient matter.

If you still think a car is an iconic machinery that has "more" to it than driving from A to B you need to grow out of your teenagic state.

reply to post by rocksolidbrain


I dont know anything about thermodynamics, i was just writing down things as they came off the top my head as it were.
The only gap between the ideas occuring to me and me posting them was the time it took to type.
At times it can take a laymans view, a view from the outside to suggest something that someone in the know can take and run with.

I was complained at for supposedly not adding to the topic, and i am complained at when i try to.
What the hell am i supposed to do?

And broli, cars are a cultural icon to some people - the cadilac, the corvette etc... diferent things mean different things to different people and just because you dont share to same opinion or point of view is no need to attack the person.

[edit on 30-7-2008 by full997]

Some people are in actual fact so retarded.

Id much rather pay for this car and have a world to drive it in.
People who are so self centered as to think that they would rather not be seen in one of these hybrids, or "go faster look cooler" chain of thought deserve to die out like the petroleum based cars eventually (hopefully) will.

bring on the future.
bring on a future for the planet above all else.

P.S.
id rather be driving one of these in the future than forking out (AUS)$10.00 a litre for fuel.

Probably not much market in most of the US because we need heat in the winter and that takes a lot of energy to produce. Air conditioning could use the exhaust but what about heat??

mikell

I've been hearing about this for the last four years, maybe 5. And every year it's supposed to be released the following year.

Imo, not going to happen. My optimism has worn through.

reply to post by NorthWolfe CND


You're right about the Toyota prius, it was just a green icon, marketing, and is not really a green car. Sure, it's economical but hardly outstanding.

The Smart is a great little car for someone who is single or for families that own other cars. It is economical, reasonably fast (I have a japanese car that is constantly outrun by them) and easy to park. It has it's niche. If they don't botch up the electric version then it will be one of the best city cars out there.

Cars as a cultural icon? Well, I suppose so, if people are really that shallow to focus too much atention on them, but I'll repeat to you what I said to the 997 dude in an earlier post: Why slam a technology that is basically the same as the internal combustion engine without the combustion?! It makes no sense and I really do think people need to make an effort to be more intelectually mature. The reason people drool over high performance gasoline cars is marketing, not rationality. Do realise you, like millions of others, have been brainwashed. There is no reason the same sleek sexmobiles can't be made green, like the Tesla and the Lightning GT. And I'm still waiting to see if the Scorpion hydrogen hybrid sports car will hit the market as proposed.

The ONLY reason technology like this would not hit mainstream is suppression.

Originally posted by full997
I am not shelling out 8000 for a slow as hell air car when i can get an MG ZR or an old Camaro for a thrid of that.

You can continue paying £1.15 a litre for the petrol to run that car aswell, while everyone else is paying £1.15 for 200km of driving.

Seems like a brilliant idea to me, lets hope it's not long before we see them on the streets. Oil won't be here forever.

[edit on 30-7-2008 by cleggy88]

I have seen several types of experimental air powered cars. I hope this is true, but none of them panned out, and none could exceed 80 mph, and range was restricted to about 100 miles. Pretty cool stuff though.

Originally posted by mikellmikell
Probably not much market in most of the US because we need heat in the winter and that takes a lot of energy to produce. Air conditioning could use the exhaust but what about heat??

mikell

With all this global warming , you'll soon need cooling instead of heating

Anyway joking aside, if its that cheap, you can happily run a heater and still afford it. There are techs like thermoelectric junctions that can convert the cold into electric current. Very inefficient though.