Worlds first air powered car!! Zero Emissions by next summer 2013!!!

reply to post by getreadyalready


So what is your solution then?

Just stick with oil??

Never said big oil is THE problem. even though it is up there. Sitting around doing nothing about our sad dependency on oil/coal/natural gas is the problem. People not coming up with new ideas is the problem. People being pessimistic about good idea's are the problem. Big companies wanting everyone dependent on them is the problem. Big companies suppressing breakthrough technologies is the problem.

Again...putting words in my mouth.

You said the engineers already build in fail-safes, and they would make it "nearly" indestructible. Those are HUGE assumptions, and yes, my degree is in engineering, although I don't work as one, at least I do understand the pressures and compromises engineers make.

When all I said was :

Yeah its called engineering. Comparing that video to a car is ridiculous. Obviously you would engineer a fail-safe in case of a puncture or build an encasement for the tank that it nearly indestructable so that you could minimize the damage within an area if there were to be an instant depressurization. signature:

I don't even see the word "they".

Nice try. You took my post out of context and now your trying to pretend to be smart and veering of into other topics because you realized you were just being a douche.

I don't care what degrees you have, you are not "Most Engineers". There are a thousand different fields with demands for different engineering techniques. So don't go around playing know it all when you are just one person.

I don't claim to know it all and I sleep just fine at night. Really its not that big of a deal.

reply to post by Chrisfishenstein


It's not a crap design, it's a crap idea.

When ideas first come out people get excited and the possibilities of new technologies are blown out of proportion. Partly due to inventors marketing before they have a commercial product, and partly because reporters are looking for a new story to shock the public.

The idea sucks though. In those links I posted you will find the inefficiencies of the air car. Horribly inefficient.

Electric cars are not a (widespread) reality either until new battery technology comes out.

And the butane car....



I'm not even going to comment.

reply to post by godfather420


Yes, why is it a fight? I'm not putting words in your mouth or taking anything out of context. You said...

Obviously you would engineer a fail-safe in case of a puncture or build an encasement for the tank that it nearly indestructable

"Obviously" indicates we should already know this, but in fact that is completely WRONG! We do not know if engineers in India would build in fail-safes, and to assume it would be "nearly indestructible" is ridiculous. At best, it will be adequately safe to minimize liability, but to assume "nearly indestructible" is outrageous.

You said it, and you continue to beleager the point. Why? Nothing on the streets of the US or UK is engineered for maximum safety. They are all engineered to a compromise of affordability, fuel efficiency, comfort, and adequate safety.

Still, none of this is the point of the thread. My comments about big oil were originally directed at the OP, because the OP asked the question, "What will the big oil companies do." I have been primarily addressing that question all along. Your slight miscalculation of safety factors was mostly irrelavent; I only brought it up to clarify.

And, I'm not trying to sound smart, you are welcome to verify the engineering standards of the automotive industry from any source you wish, but it is unnecessary, because this is economics 101 and mostly common sense. The large manufacturers engineer things to minimize financial responsibility and liability issues. They only have to just do enough to not appear culpable or negligent; they don't care about extreme safety.

Originally posted by getreadyalready

When you combine engineered consumptionism with capitalist economies built on inflation, and you give the power to manipulate inflation to giant banks that fund the consumptionism, it doesn't take long before all hope is lost. You could engineer a car that ran purely on laughter, or dreams, and it still wouldn't make a dent in the stranglehold of big oil or big banking.

edit on 28-2-2012 by getreadyalready because: (no reason given)

This is the best logic I've heard or read all day, I think you're absolutely right.

I also agree with your previous comment that we need to re-use the goods we have, go back to using glassware and stop buying garbage- especially plastic garbage.

A car that runs on laughter... pure genius! We would giggle our way to the bank (to pay the loan we took out for the environmentally-friendly car we just bought) only to find vaults filled with dreams shaped like the dollar bill.

(I'm not trashing the air-powered car idea, OP. It's a nice idea. I'm simply agreeing that it wouldn't solve the big problem.)

reply to post by getreadyalready


Okay you're being an idiot. You implied I said something I didn't. Simple. You are now interpreting it in your own way so it fits your replies.

Yes you are right. I like to give humanity the benefit of the doubt. You know that whole common sense thing, that apparently isn't so common anymore?

Someone was worried about a big explosion/release of air. It is pretty obvious to me the solution, so that's what I said. I never once said that all companies manufacture things like this or that they are as meticulous as I am. I merely stated my opinion, based on what I think is common sense. Guess I was wrong on that.

See If I have a stick of dynamite I wanna blow up but only 2 feet of det-cord, I don't just say ahhh well its too unsafe cant do it. No. I go get some more det-cord therefore making it safe. I assume everyone else would do that same thing but there I go again giving the benefit of the doubt. Some people would just detonate it anyway.

edit

and again. I said make the ENCASEMENT FOR THE AIR TANK nearly indestructible, NOT THE WHOLE CAR. Which I can do on my own without any big money or help.

Have fun running in circles anyway.

To the OP. Thanks for posting this...haven't got my mind going on this subject in awhile. Will definitely have one of these in due time tho to boot around my piece of land for the same price of the air I breathe.

PEACE

reply to post by Chrisfishenstein


I can tell you how my country reacted several years ago when the French began to manufacture the compressed air car.

You could pre order one from their website, for much the same price as the Indian compressed air car. The Governments who are in bed with the oil industry are the only authority to "classify" new motor vehicles so they can even come off the docks where they were imported. The company I put my name down to pre order a compressed air car sent a vehicle to my country. The Government would not give the vehicle a classification and has rotted on the docks ever since.

So even if this Indian company is mass producing them, unless your government is prepared to allow a vehicle that costs the consumer next to nothing to fuel, (depriving them of huge tax revenue they already collect from existing petroleum and gas products) into your country with a new classification, I cannot see it happening. They would have to charge the consumer for the compressed air which has always been a free service at petrol stations. The tax on the vehicle itself would have to be hiked to compensate for loss of government revenue, making the vehicle a lot more expensive.

I would like to believe that governments are genuine about making a real change in looking after and not polluting our environment but I think we all know better. I know for a fact that the oil companies are not ready to give up those huge profits from their global monopoly and any clean technology that cannot produce the same revenue stream for the government will never work in the market as it exists today.

reply to post by godfather420

See If I have a stick of dynamite I wanna blow up but only 2 feet of det-cord, I don't just say ahhh well its too unsafe cant do it. No. I go get some more det-cord therefore making it safe. I assume everyone else would do that same thing but there I go again giving the benefit of the doubt. Some people would just detonate it anyway.

Now I see the source of our disconnect! My fault as well, because the people I've worked with, and the people I see in charge of things would definitely just go ahead and blow it up with the 2 feet. In fact, they'd probably surveil the situation, and decide 1 foot was plenty, and save the other foot in case a similar situation ever arose again!

Perhaps we have completely conflicting views on the quality of engineers in our country.

Yes, "benefit of the doubt" and any positive assumptions have been beaten out of me by learning things the hard way. Apparently my issue though, not yours. I love your optimism.

TaTa have them scheduled for a 2012/13 launch by way.

There going to make 5,000 at first and see how it goes.

reply to post by getreadyalready


LOL.

Had I said the exact same paragraph to your face in person with expression I don't think you would have taken it the same way.

I hate forums sometimes for that reason.

Anyway yes I am an optimist. Has worked well in life so far and I will stick with that. As I do not come across enough stupid people to stop giving the benefit of the doubt.

reply to post by Dogmire

I'm not sure if even the person who posted this thread read the article. It doesn't say anything about 2013 in it. The article is from 2007 and is old news.

Yep. I remember seeing several videos of it 3 or 4 years back in both India and Australia. And nope-I ain't heard anything about it since, which does not surprise. There were a lot of great features described in the video. This one had a carbon fiber tank underneath where the gas tank would be. Because the pistons were being driven by compressed air instead of heat, the engine was able to be made with aluminum, reducing the total weight of the car (and increasing mileage.) The video said they were less than a year from being on the road and would sell for about $13,000. One model they showed had a compressor in the back to refill the air tank on the go. To accomplish this it also had a gas engine that only kicked in to start the compressor to fill the air tank. They stated that because of this the car would be able to go the equivalent of LA to NY on one tank of actual gasoline (that was the Australia one I think.) All models had good pickup and mileage equivalent to gas powered cars. Where'd they go? 2 Words: Big Oil.

Originally posted by Vasa Croe

Originally posted by MoosKept240
I think at 4350 psi that thing is a bomb waiting to explode.

and all glue construction.........

I wouldn't drive it.

edit on 28-2-2012 by MoosKept240 because: (no reason given)

4350 PSI I believe is the standard max pressure of scuba tanks so my guess is it is perfectly safe in that respect as well as most likely just has a tank like that hooked up to it.

Now for the all glue construction.....just give it one good summer day anywhere in the southern US and lets see how long it takes to fall apart. Why would they glue this thing together?

Most will only fill scuba tanks to 3000-3500 just to be safe.

No, The epoxy they use today is stronger than steel and of-course lighter. Many cars already use carbon fiber space frames with this epoxy. I don't know how these air tanks would survive in a crash though, could be ugly for all involved.

reply to post by getreadyalready


Wow, that is the most intelligent "green" rant I have heard in a long time.

I am working on using less resources though its pretty hard with oils choke hold on just about everything.

well i don;t know much about the car in india, but here is a article from 2004 about a french company that makes a air powered car.

French auto runs on compressed air technology

and from 2007 a youtube vid




the technology for air power has been around a while.




just did a little more digging and found out that Tata is under license from Mdi to build the car.

Image Gallery (4 images) February 29, 2008
The Zero-Pollution MDI Air Car, invented in France and licensed by Tata Motors in India,

Zero Pollution compressed Air Car set for U.S. launch in 2010

dated 2008 and says will launch in U.S. in 2010, i guess they kinda missed that date.

reply to post by MoosKept240


Best get with it when it comes to glues. I have built a few real airplanes and several boats, all glued together. The planes flew with me in them and did not come apart, and the boats sailed and never failed, far more stress on these than a silly car. Also, fiber tanks don't just blow up, they may shred, it is in the engineering.

reply to post by coyotepoet

Where'd they go? 2 Words: Big Oil.

Nope,

Refer back to this post.





reply to post by hounddoghowlie


Refer back to this post.

Originally posted by sailormon
reply to post by MoosKept240

 

Best get with it when it comes to glues. I have built a few real airplanes and several boats, all glued together. The planes flew with me in them and did not come apart, and the boats sailed and never failed, far more stress on these than a silly car. Also, fiber tanks don't just blow up, they may shred, it is in the engineering.

Oh I am with it, when it comes to epoxy and such. But even still. How much was that airplane? Boat? Mass produced?

Also I was simply stating it is not a safe alternative. Maybe not the tank would blow. Are all the air lines gonna be made of carbon fiber? I know of ac lines that will blow, under just 250 psi. So how can we achieve complete satisfaction that 4350 psi passing from behind us to in front of us is secure? What happens in an accident?

I am thinking this

Originally posted by getreadyalready
reply to post by Chrisfishenstein

 

This is groundbreaking to big oil....How will big oil react??

They will smile and laugh as always, because someone is burning oil somewhere to create the electricity to run the compressor. Someone is refining oil somewhere to make the carbon fibers, glues, plastics, etc. Someone is burning fuel to power the plants that make the plastics. The car seems very disposable, and the oil companies win anytime we choose to consume instead of conserve. Therefore, making a cheap little plastic car benefits the oil companies more than buying a good old steel car and keeping it running efficiently, even if the gas mileage is a little lower.

We cannot beat the big oil companies as long as we are deceived into thinking Hydrogen, or LPG, or Electric, or Compressed Air is anything different than oil. At the current moment, all of those things eventually link back to crude oil. We get our plastics, our electricity, our hydrogen, our medicines, and we run our factories, and we ship our goods, all based off that crude oil.

We are fooling ourselves to think any minor little changes in the vehicle we drive will matter whatsoever.

The only true solution is conserve resources, and reuse things. Stop discarding things, stop buying disposable, stop thinking "recycling" is green. It is not green. Green is to not discard at all. Go back to using glassware, and reusing your merchandise and buying quality merchandise and passing it down to your ancestors. Stop buying cheap crap.

edit on 28-2-2012 by getreadyalready because: (no reason given)

edit on 28-2-2012 by getreadyalready because: (no reason given)

**********
For a Forum Moderator your perty darn smart....Well said and well thought out brother. You got yourself a big ol star for common sense which is not so common anymore.

I used to own some Tata Motors stock a few years back, they are a huge Indian car company which is a subsidiary of a huge Indian Industrial conglomerate.
If I recall correctly, the original plans for the TATA Nano (the world's cheapest automobile) was that it would be a pneumatic automobile, to keep the cost of operation as low as possible. They scrapped that idea in favor of a combustion engine for some reason or another.

It doesn't surprise me that some other company is utilizing this technology. I will have to look into this company MDI out of Luxembourg and see who they are connected to.

EDIT: Sorry, I just notice Houndoghowlie's post on this very subject. Sorry for the rehash.

reply to post by Vasa Croe


car body parts have been fixed with adhesives for quite some time now , and don't forget your windscreen , they have used adhesives instead of the rubber seal for at least 15 years

Sounds great! But why do "green" cars always have to look like Postman Pat's van?