Air-Powered Car

[Xargos]

What do you guys make of this?

“I want to stress that these are estimates, and that we’ll know soon more precisely from our engineers,” ZPM spokesman Kevin Haydon told PM, “but a vehicle with one tank of air and, say, 8 gal. of either conventional petrol, ethanol or biofuel could hit between 800 and 1000 miles.”

http://www.popularmechanics.com/automotive/new_cars/4251491.html

[Meatwad]

Awesome technology, but that vehicle is smurfy!

[EskimoJoe]

Awesome technology, but that vehicle is smurfy!

I wouldn't drive that thing to work 

[LePaul]

They had that van on FutureCars on the Science Channel a few weeks ago.  One thing they are working on is a way for the system to power its own compressor...to recharge the air tank.  So you have a potential perpetual-motion concept going on.  It would refuel itself.

Id still hate to see how that fares against being hit by an SUV tho.

[DoNKeY]

The only way to get people in that would make it have an ejection seat and some vulcan cannons, and then that's stretching it.

donkey

[LePaul]

You let me know how that ejection seat works under a highway overpass or a bridge.  That would be a heck of a VOOOSSSSH   THUNK! smoke show! 

[deSelys]

They had that van on FutureCars on the Science Channel a few weeks ago.  One thing they are working on is a way for the system to power its own compressor...to recharge the air tank.  So you have a potential perpetual-motion concept going on.  It would refuel itself.

Id still hate to see how that fares against being hit by an SUV tho.

Unless they found a way to broke the thermodynamic laws  , compression of the air will generate heat, which is a waste of energy.

At best, the compressed air will give back as much energy as it required to be compressed... perpetual motion my rear-end... This looks like a giant scam.

[Mr No Name]

hey, 1000 miles on 8 gallons of gas... and a 6 passenger version deliverable to the market by 2010... the indian company that bought jaguar and land rover from ford is backing this thing.

its smurfy bit it is a working concept, it just shows what man can do when his back is against the wall.

Guys, we may be seeing 75 cent/gallon gasoline again!

[Saxman]

I wonder if there's a conspiracy by the oil companies to force all alternative-fuel vehicles to use body styles that look they were doodled by a 2-year-old and then built from Legos.

[Maverick]

Slick little idea. I wonder how large a compressor that the car would have to use to stay up with the loss of pressure from driving.

There is no way that a secondary compressor (non powered) would recharge the compressed air at anywhere near the rate it is being used. The concept of work being performed equaling the amount of "fuel" does not allow you to add more air compression in addition to the work being performed by the air already compressed. TANSTAAFL.

[Shuffler]

Feed it beans and it can run on it's own gas.

[DieAz]

a compressor to fill those type of tanks to pressure, cost quite a bit of $$$$. a normal tire filling compressor won't do it.
Scuba diving tank compressor might work. not sure, have to check up on it.
oh and breathable air tanks fillup in some cases have to be submerged inside of a large gated reinforced water tank. for the local Fire Dept here it does, that I do know. for safety reason.

just a FYI.

[mensa180]

Am I missing something?  Wouldn't having a car that needs little gas to run just make the people at the companies want to up the price further so they continue to make the same amount of profit?  If people are buying less gas for the same price wouldn't that decrease revenue and make them up the price further?  Neat idea though.  Please explain to me how I'm wrong, I'm more than willing to admit it.

[Phaser11]

Everyone knows that a ZPM is a Zero Point Module that the ancients left to power Atlantis and the stargate there.