The Air Car

[KevinDW78]

http://www.popularmechanics.com/automotive...rs/4217016.html

This line pisses me off:

Of course, the Air Car will likely never hit American shores, especially considering its all-glue construction.

Thank you our ever-protective, nanny-state government.

[aequalsa]

http://www.popularmechanics.com/automotive...rs/4217016.html

This line pisses me off:

Thank you our ever-protective, nanny-state government.

Thanks, I'll think of that fact twice a week when I drop $130 each time to fill up my tank. I'm thinking that for the grand a month I spend on gas I could afford really nice titanium armor plating to make it more safe. I wonder if they would make an exception?

[Steve D'Ippolito]

But now there is an update--a 1000 mile range car capable of over 90 MPH coming here?

http://www.popularmechanics.com/automotive....html?series=19

[The Wrath]

There's bound to be some reason why these things will not become widespread.

[Chops]

There's bound to be some reason why these things will not become widespread.

I would guess that it would be the threat of damage if the tank is ruptured.

4350psi is an incredible amount of pressure. Maybe I'm wrong and they can store it quite stably. I don't know. Either way, I think it's neat.

[KevinDW78]

I would guess that it would be the threat of damage if the tank is ruptured.

4350psi is an incredible amount of pressure. Maybe I'm wrong and they can store it quite stably. I don't know. Either way, I think it's neat.

I believe the tank is made out of carbon fiber material, making it much stronger (and lighter) than a conventional metal tank.

[Olufemi]

High pressure tanks are arguably safer than the thin plastic containers of explosives that we carry around every day...gasoline, gas tank?

[y_feldblum]

There's bound to be some reason why these things will not become widespread.

At 75hp, I should think so!

[Chops]

thin plastic containers of explosives that we carry around every day...gasoline, gas tank?

Liquid gasoline is quite stable, requiring heat to explode and put the vehicle under any pressure. Diesel is even more stable, which requires much more heat to ignite (you can't ignite diesel with a hand lighter, for example). For gasoline that to be a threat, you require oxygen, a flame or spark, and a ruptured tank, and even then, it'll mostly just burn, and not explode.

Really, how often do you hear of cars actually exploding (not counting movies, obviously).

Conversely, with the Air Car you have a 4500psi tank and if that ruptures at all, that pressure has to go somewhere, and four thousand pounds isn't something to sneeze at.

[gags]

Another thread on air-powered cars:

http://forum.ObjectivismOnline.com/index.php?showtopic=10585

[Inspector]

At 75hp, I should think so!

Thank you - someone finally said it!

I think it's pretty obvious that the market demand is only so great for technologies that haven't moved past the clown car stage. I wouldn't chalk this one up to government oppression just yet.

[Matus1976]

I'm quite skeptical of their performance claims. Compressed gas might work well for regenerative braking, but as a long distance energy storage medium...? Even at 4500 psi, I'll wait to see some official specs and tests, not 'estimates' If you're going to compress a gas, why not just use hydrogen, since you can burn it. Even with a compressed gas you can burn, it's still very difficult to get the ranges that a typical gasoline vehicle can get with any decent sized gas tank.