Air Car
May 30, 2007 10:59 PM   Subscribe

Tata Motors is set to send its compressed air-powered car on the streets (of India) by 2008. The car has a range of about 125 miles before needing to "refuel". Also here
posted by C17H19NO3 (23 comments total)

This post was deleted for the following reason: Previously on Air Car Filter... -- cortex



 
I've heard of compressed air cars before.

A google search turns up several experiments.

It is nice to see one actually making it to production.
posted by eye of newt at 11:31 PM on May 30, 2007


(Oops, one of my links was supposed to be to here).
posted by eye of newt at 11:33 PM on May 30, 2007


first link: "Unfortunately, the streets of North America may never see the Air Car, though; it's light-weight, glued-together fiberglass construction might not do so well in our crash tests."

How well do motorcycles and bicycles do in crash tests? There seems to be room on city streets for vehicles that don't try to guarantee your survival of a high-speed crash.

YouTube video.
posted by pracowity at 11:50 PM on May 30, 2007


Holy shit, $2 to fill the tank? I'm having one shipped.

But don't let anyone tell you this is an "emissions free" vehicle.

Except, it is. Yes, I know, electricity, but it still is an emissions free vehicle.
posted by Citizen Premier at 11:51 PM on May 30, 2007


So hot. Please make me a bolt-on bicycle kit I can fill up with a windmill or solar panel.
posted by loquacious at 12:07 AM on May 31, 2007


No, these guys are liars--we've had them on MeFi before.
posted by nasreddin at 12:45 AM on May 31, 2007


They lied to us? On MeFi? The noive!

But don't let anyone tell you this is an "emissions free" vehicle.

Yes, the pumping energy has to come from somewhere, but maybe from wind or hydro or solar or tidal rather than fossil fuels or atomic energy. And centralized power generation can be better regulated and improved and filtered than can hundreds of millions of stinking internal combustion engines pouring smoke out a couple of inches from pedestrians all over India and America and China...
posted by pracowity at 12:57 AM on May 31, 2007


I'd be worried about getting into a wreck in one of those cars... aren't those air cylinders like a 600,000 psi bomb?
posted by zek at 1:00 AM on May 31, 2007


zek, I was thinking the same thing. Really cool idea though. For general urban driving at mostly 35mph or so, wouldn't be too bad. Now, if we could just get around that exploding cylinder...
posted by sluglicker at 2:18 AM on May 31, 2007


How may miles will it go if I'm constantly leaning on the horn?
posted by ZenMasterThis at 3:26 AM on May 31, 2007


aren't those air cylinders like a 600,000 psi bomb?

No.
One of the most frequently asked questions is about the safety of the compressed air storage tanks. These tanks hold 90 cubic metres of air compressed to 300 bars. Many people ask whether this system is dangerous in case of an accident and if there is a risk of explosion. The answer is NO. Why? Because these are the same tanks used to carry the liquid gas used by buses for public transport. The tanks enjoy the same technology developed to contain natural gas. They are designed and officially approved to carry an explosive product: methane gas.

In the case of a major accident, where the tanks are ruptured, they would not explode since they are not metal. Instead they would crack, as they are made of carbon fibre. An elongated crack would appear in the tank, without exploding, and the air would simply escape, producing a loud but harmless noise. Of course, since this technology is licenced to transport an inflammable and explosive gas (Natural gas), it is perfectly capable inoffensive and non-flammable air.
How may miles will it go if I'm constantly leaning on the horn?

About one mile if I'm ahead of you and in a position to force you off the road and into a brick wall.
posted by pracowity at 3:30 AM on May 31, 2007


The crash tests probably don't matter too much, as traffic conditions keeping everyone rolling along safely at about 10 mph.
posted by DenOfSizer at 3:30 AM on May 31, 2007


Yes, the pumping energy has to come from somewhere, but maybe from wind or hydro or solar or tidal rather than fossil fuels or atomic energy.

But it won't. Physicist David McKay shows in his new book (probably worth a FPP after it is released) that there can't possibly be enough energy from these sources to provide for energy needs at currently desired consumption levels.
posted by grouse at 4:24 AM on May 31, 2007


zek: I'd be worried about getting into a wreck in one of those cars... aren't those air cylinders like a 600,000 psi bomb?

I'd be more worried about the rest of the car. They've saved weight by eliminating the metal frame around the cockpit (leaving just a fibreglass shell). That may be OK in India, but it isn't likely to pass a safety test here.

Still, cool tech. Considering how much money has been thrown into battery storage and hydrogen fuel cells, I love that a cheap compressed air system performs nearly as well.
posted by Popular Ethics at 4:53 AM on May 31, 2007


I'd happily drive one to work and back...
posted by chuckdarwin at 5:31 AM on May 31, 2007


They've saved weight by eliminating the metal frame around the cockpit (leaving just a fibreglass shell). That may be OK in India, but it isn't likely to pass a safety test here.

Then how does a motorcycle with no metal frame around the cockpit pass a safety test? It is tested differently, obviously, and there are different safety expectations. In a 60-mph head-on crash with a truck also doing 60, for example, there is no silliness about air bags and seat belts and metal cockpit frames. The motorcycle rider is expected simply to mangle, flatten, and die, perhaps with a semi-spherical head semi-preserved in a helmet rolling along the center line.

You could set expectations similarly for these cars. Yes, we know there's no metal protective frame, these aren't the same as the big old-fashioned gasoline-burning cars, so you shouldn't be out passing semis on the highway with it, but if you stick to the city streets and 30 or 40 mph you'll be in no worse danger than the buggers racing down the highways at 70 mph in their dinosaur burners.
posted by pracowity at 5:48 AM on May 31, 2007


How well do motorcycles and bicycles do in crash tests?

I imagine you fall under the helmet laws at some point.
posted by smackfu at 6:23 AM on May 31, 2007


Double post.Before
posted by Skeptic at 6:25 AM on May 31, 2007


I get an air-powered car and a helmet??

Count me in!
posted by dreamsign at 6:26 AM on May 31, 2007


Sorry: Double post, and we saw it before.

Supposedly, these same folks had also signed a contract with Mexico for 40,000 units back in 2000. Flag it as "vaporware".
posted by Skeptic at 6:28 AM on May 31, 2007


Got to get my hands on one of those fantastic Tatas.
posted by Pollomacho at 6:28 AM on May 31, 2007 [1 favorite]


I've seen enough vapor about compressed air cars to be skeptical. However, the thing here is that Tata is a huuuuuge company. It is, in fact, the largest company in India. If this was Ford saying it was coming out with these cars, would you believe them?
posted by Lazlo Hollyfeld at 6:38 AM on May 31, 2007


I saw these a couple weeks ago, looks interesting, especially compared to some of the other options (pedicab/rickshaw type transports). I'd gladly use one in the right situation - somewhere where the other traffic is more like golf carts.

And call me juvenile, but am I the only one who giggled at Tata Motors?

Oh, sorry...
posted by pupdog at 8:36 AM on May 31, 2007


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