The Air Car!

I came across this article on The Oil Drum where Big Gav was quickly recapping many of the habitual changes I've proposed as a means by which to conserve oil and eliminate fossil fuel use. Observe:

"These [solutions] include expanding mass transit systems, redesigning cities and towns to make them easier to walk or cycle around (or combining both of these approaches in "transit oriented development"), making greater use of electric cycles (or mopeds), using lightweight materials in vehicle construction, and - most commonly - switching to electric vehicles (particularly, in the medium term, plug-in hybrids)."

An emerging alternative, as the article goes on to reveal, is this concept of air-driven cars. I know, I first thought, "Say what?! Flying cars!?", too. No... what this concept proposes is cars driven by compressed air!

To make compressed air, though, requires fossil fuels because, well, how else is the electricity that needs to do the compressing going to get made? This is the same problem as with making hydrogen fuel for cars. It still requires, at this point in time, fossil fuels to make these alternative forms of energy holders. I say energy holders because, like Big says, "it is an energy storage medium, not an energy source." Fossil fuels are the energy source.

The article says that a company is currently building a plant to market and sell a compressed-air driven car. Many question the legitimacy of this company and/or its vehicle. Even if they are able to get cars rolling off the assembly line, a source of compressed air (perhaps one that can presently pump air into tires, etc.) would need to be within 150 km (93 miles) of every location in the US for everyone to be able to use one. So, as with hydrogen, it looks like California shall lead, and other major cities shall follow. Eventually the mountains and deserts will have their compressed air providing utilities as well.

Now if you're a city dweller, driving a compressed-air vehicle shouldn't cause you any problems because you most likely don't drive long distances (or at least no often), and probably aren't too far from a gas station. The cars are slated to be slightly cheaper than gas-powered cars, coming in at about half the price. But, do you get what you pay for?

Apparently these vehicles will begin to be produced in the near future in India, with several emerging countries like Colombia and Thailand following suit. What I failed to previously mention is that these Air Cars can also use gasoline with an apparent range now of 1240+ miles.

This figure boasts "claimed efficiencies of up to 70%."* Whether or not this concept actually comes to fruition is separate from the fact that compressed air is a much safer propellant than gasoline, and as such driving would become a much less hazardous task. Something to think about.