Tata Motors, the Indian car company that just flummoxed Greenies because its $2,500 Nano mini-car will actually bring joy and comfort to the poor, may get back in with the alienated Birkenstock bunch with its latest effort, the Air Car.
No, not the Jetson's kind of air car. This one runs on air and emits just air from its tailpipe. The long-distance model adds a gas engine that compresses the air on-board, increasing the range while still getting 130 miles to the gallon.
The pressure tank stores air at a pressure of 300 bars (one bar is a touch more than atmospheric pressure), and provides a range of 60 miles at highway speeds. An onboard air compressor can recharge the tank using household current in four hours. An industrial compressor providing 3500 psi of pressure can fill the tank in a few minutes for a couple of dollars.
Well, let's see. A range of 60 miles, and fills up for two dollars. That's 30 miles to the dollar.
On the other hand, my van gets 20 miles to the gallon, and each gallon costs 3 dollars. That's 6.66 miles to the dollar.
And at least one model is very quiet, and since the air cools as it expands through the engine, it has built-in air conditioning.
Yes, I think I want one.
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