Here is an answer to those high gas prices

[Quixote1818]

A car that runs on compressed air:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QmqpGZv0YT4

[MercutioATC]

1. Not in the States...doesn't meet crash standards.

It's a novel idea...and would work for markets without real cars, but it'd get eaten alive here. If you were hit in that thing, you'd die.

[Quixote1818]

2. Maybe not in the next few years but eventually we may be forced

to start using these kind of cars once Oil peaks and become more expensive than perfume. I am sure they can work on making them safer. It's a very new technology. Not to mention it's safer than a motorcycle which are legal here in America.

[MercutioATC]

3. My car is made of aluminum and it'd obliterate this car in any kind of a crash.

There may be a place for this car in the states, but it'd require legislation.

[flamin lib]

6. Aparently somebody will build it here. This may be a different

manufacturer but I don't think so. I've been watching MDI for years. They want to revolutionize not only the car but the distribution system--no dealerships. Order directly from the factory. Not sure how they plan to handle warranty and such.

http://www.nydailynews.com/services/autos/2008/03/24/2008-03-24_compressed_air_car_coming_with_2010_bree.html

[sam sarrha]

4. 50% of th price of oil is due to unRegulated speculation, W's Cronys are like a bunch of F'n Monkeys

at a salad bar... tax em 90%, they have looted enough

[ThomWV]

9. Thank god for a sane voice who understands the real problem

You hit the nail right on the head. There isn't a reason in this good green world for the price of oil to be even half what it is right now other than speculation in the oil market.

[cliffordu]

5. OR:

You could just get a bicycle.....

I haven't spent a dime on gas or insurance or car payments this year......

FUCK EXXON

:patriot:


on edit: speling (sic)

[taterguy]

8. Some people live in hilly areas with a lot of rain

A bicycle just wouldn't be practical there

:sarcasm: (In case you couldn't tell)

[cliffordu]

12. Yea, I drive my hummer between the flat parts of my rides...

or just to the tops of the hills and then ride my bike the rest of the way.


:hi:

[Fumesucker]

13. And other people live in hilly areas

Where it is 80 plus degrees with 80 plus percent humidity for seven months of the year.

A few3 years ago we had over thirty days where it went over 100 degrees every day, with high humidity as well.

Riding a bicycle under such conditions in hilly terrain is just asking for heatstroke. Just mowing the yard will leave you drenched with sweat and gasping.

[taterguy]

14. A Camelbak is your friend

I admit that I don' ride in 100 degree temps but 80 is very doable.

And the better condition you're in, the less you'll sweat.

[ThomWV]

7. Wow, what a great idea, after all, compressed air is a renewable, isn't it? (Smirk)

What a silly idea. Where will the energy come from the compress the air? A compressor in the garage? What will it run on, electricity from the local coal-fired generator, or possibly a nearby nuclear plant?

Once again, nobody seems to understand that there has to be a source of power for all these schemes.

[Quixote1818]

16. It costs about $1.75 to compress the air with very little use of electricity.

You should probably do a little research before posting.

[jmowreader]

10. And what are you going to use to get the air to 5500psi?

I discovered Max-Air in my travels. They make compressors that will get air up to the 5500psi this car needs. (I'm still not going back on my assertion this kind of pressure does NOT need to be in the hands of the general public, and I'll tell you why later...) These compressors come in two varieties. The first has a largish--between 5 and 10hp, but these are small compressors--three-phase electric motor. Gonna take a LOT of solar cells to run one of those. The other has an engine. Max-Air uses a Honda gas engine, but it wouldn't take much to put a little diesel on it.

So we'll use the engine-driven one with a diesel as our "at-home compressor." The electric ones are huge, so most people wouldn't want one in their garage. You're burning biodiesel in it. By the time all is said and done, the most efficient way to deal with the "air car" is to throw away all the compressed air shit, stick a 20-horse aircooled diesel in this car, and just burn biodiesel directly.

Now...having said all that, there IS a use for a car like this. Most of the cars in the video I just saw were liveried as taxis. In a big city, where exhaust gets trapped between buildings and can't escape, a taxi with no exhaust would be great. You could run the compressor on geothermal electricity. But as a car for the masses, it's not too good.

[KharmaTrain]

11. Good Luck In Getting That Thing Insured...

That vehicle may be fun to cruise around an inner city, but there's no way a vehicle that small could survive on the streets of Pleasant Valley Sunday where people still zoom around at 60 mph on the main drags and the average commute is 20 miles or longer. I could see a sky high premium on that thing that would not just prevent people from buying this car, but from any dealer from trying to sell it.

[IDemo]

15. The electrical power used to compress air would be better used directly

Disadvantages

-Using energy to compress air is less efficient than charging a battery with that same energy.

-Less efficient than electric motors.

-While the air engine reduces greenhouse gas emissions from the vehicle, the energy used to compress the air may not come from clean sources.

-Long refill times when compared to conventional automobiles, circa 4 Hours using a home or low-end system, though only a few minutes at -a commercial refilling station, which is really an advantage because conventional cars can not be refueled at home.

-Overall efficiency is approximately one third of a comparable electric car.