Tuesday, August 5, 2008

Compressed Air Car to Save the World

From New York comes another invention to save the planet, an improved compressed air car. Compressed air is not new as a power source, and some cars have been proposed with regenerative braking systems that compress air during stops and feed the air to cylinders during acceleration, but this car runs completely from compressed air. An onboard electric motor, apparently powered by batteries that can be recharged overnight or in 2 hours, compresses air to 4500 lbs in a tank, and the air drives the car up to 1000 miles at speeds of up to 96 mph.



And therein lies the problem with so much new technology - excessive claims that only lead to disappointment. It is extremely unlikely (and I am being generous here) that any onboard tank of compressed air in a car as small as this (basically a Smart car) could drive the car anywhere near 1000 miles, or that it will hit 96 mph unless it's falling off a cliff. Even with a battery charged compressor on board, that's a long distance to go. Why not bill it as a commuter car that could get up to 100 miles or so a day with nightly recharging? That would still be reasonably useful, and a good deal more believable

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