# Car which runs on air.. **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [February 14, 2008, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/car-which-runs-on-air/437541 "2008-02-14T01:47:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Indian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c0e974/32.png) [@Indian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Indian)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2008, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/car-which-runs-on-air/437541/1 "2008-02-14T01:47:03Z")
See the BBC story … [car running on air…](http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7243247.stm) How come none of the US/ Europian auto majors have pursued this ?? or are they convinced it is a non worthy effort ?? :dubious: Or is the technology patented by this company ?? I am sure the automajors would have definitely thought of something well before this guy… ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2008, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/car-which-runs-on-air/437541/2 "2008-02-14T01:54:38Z")
[QUOTE=indian] or are they convinced it is a non worthy effort ?? :dubious: [/QUOTE] It isn’t. The [energy density](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Energy_density) of compressed air is very low compared to other things like batteries or gasoline. You still have to get the energy to compress the air, and that comes largely from…fossil fuels. And, it’s difficult to store, since you need a very heavy tank capable of withstanding the high pressures needed. ---
**Author:** ![Indian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c0e974/32.png) [@Indian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Indian)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2008, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/car-which-runs-on-air/437541/3 "2008-02-14T02:09:20Z")
Q E D , So this car may not be net energy saver !! Is it correct ?? ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2008, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/car-which-runs-on-air/437541/4 "2008-02-14T02:15:05Z")
[QUOTE=indian] Q E D , So this car may not be net energy saver !! Is it correct ?? [/QUOTE] Correct. If anything it’s likely to be a net energy loss. One of the problems with using compressed air to store energy (in addition to those I mentioned already) is that right off the bat, you lose a fairly large amount of the energy you put into it, since the air heats up as it’s compressed–remember your gas laws from HS chem class? That heat subsequently escapes, and the compressed air eventually reaches ambient temperature again, and the energy that was in that heat is lost, unless you have some really good insulation (which is still more mass you have to expend energy to haul around.) ---
**Author:** ![Indian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c0e974/32.png) [@Indian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Indian)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2008, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/car-which-runs-on-air/437541/5 "2008-02-14T02:27:35Z")
Hmmm… TATAs are no idiots … :dubious: Is it to have a first mover advantage, on an alternate ,easily available fuel ?? ---
**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2008, 2:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/car-which-runs-on-air/437541/6 "2008-02-14T02:33:37Z")
UPS is testing [“hydraulic hybrid”](http://www.pressroom.ups.com/mediakits/factsheet/0,2305,1315,00.html) trucks. They use compressed air for temporary energy storage - storing energy from the engine when it’s otherwise idle, and extracting energy for accelerating. Pretty much the same way the battery on the Prius is used. If you use compressed air as the _only_ energy source, I imagine it would be difficult to get a useful range. ---
**Author:** ![DMark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@DMark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DMark)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2008, 9:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/car-which-runs-on-air/437541/7 "2008-02-14T09:16:01Z")
Sounds like an air brained idea to me. ---
**Author:** ![Indian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c0e974/32.png) [@Indian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Indian)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2008, 9:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/car-which-runs-on-air/437541/8 "2008-02-14T09:39:45Z")
[QUOTE=DMark] Sounds like an air brained idea to me. [/QUOTE] When a top industrial group like TATAs puts their money into this , I believe there is something which we do not know yet… ---
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2008, 10:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/car-which-runs-on-air/437541/9 "2008-02-14T10:27:11Z")
Negre has been shopping this idea around for a number of years, and cars were supposed to go on sale in 2002 in the US. There’s supposed to an Aussie factory turning them out soon. Or there _was_, Negre’s pretty much stopped talking about it for some reason. He’s managed to get a number of body shells built, and I’ve seen video of one driving around in a parking lot, but no clips of it on the streets, operating at the kinds of speeds city traffic flows at. I can’t help but think that Ratan Tata has been played for a sucker. ---
**Author:** ![Indian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c0e974/32.png) [@Indian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Indian)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2008, 11:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/car-which-runs-on-air/437541/10 "2008-02-14T11:26:19Z")
[QUOTE=Tuckerfan] I can’t help but think that Ratan Tata has been played for a sucker. [/QUOTE] Well, Ratan Tata has proved all other chiefs of indian auto majors , suckers ,by launching [Tata Nano.](http://www.channel4.com/4car/news/news-story.jsp?news_id=17044) . Definitely there is something cooking, we don’t know yet.. ---
**Author:** ![ASAKMOTSD](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/919ad9/32.png) [@ASAKMOTSD](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ASAKMOTSD)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2008, 12:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/car-which-runs-on-air/437541/11 "2008-02-14T12:18:00Z")
[Hyde] It’s a conspiracy, man! [/Hyde] ---
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2008, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/car-which-runs-on-air/437541/12 "2008-02-14T14:49:51Z")
[QUOTE=indian] Well, Ratan Tata has proved all other chiefs of indian auto majors , suckers ,by launching [Tata Nano.](http://www.channel4.com/4car/news/news-story.jsp?news_id=17044) . Definitely there is something cooking, we don’t know yet.. [/QUOTE] The Nano is merely Henry Ford’s Model-T with a new coat of paint and it’s low price owes more to the inexpensive nature of Indian labor than engineering genius. The fact that Tata is working with Negre proves nothing about the workability of the concept. Negre has claimed many times in the past that he’d have the car on sale shortly, and nothing has materialized. Just because he’s now gotten Tata to agree to kick a few dollars his way is meaningless. ---
**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2008, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/car-which-runs-on-air/437541/13 "2008-02-14T15:02:59Z")
Well, we’re certainly ready for it. Nearly every gas station in the US sells compressed air. :rolleyes: Fifty cents for about two minutes, or whatever it takes to set three tires right. Then you have to pay another fifty cents to fill the fourth one. :smack: ---
**Author:** ![Flander](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8c91f0/32.png) [@Flander](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flander)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2008, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/car-which-runs-on-air/437541/14 "2008-02-14T15:39:18Z")
[QUOTE=AskNott] Well, we’re certainly ready for it. Nearly every gas station in the US sells compressed air. :rolleyes: Fifty cents for about two minutes, or whatever it takes to set three tires right. Then you have to pay another fifty cents to fill the fourth one. :smack: [/QUOTE] My father’s friend started a compressed air business years ago. They set up and maintained those air compressors in several states up north. He recently sold his business for $35 million. 🆒 ---
**Author:** ![DMark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@DMark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DMark)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2008, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/car-which-runs-on-air/437541/15 "2008-02-14T21:57:08Z")
[QUOTE=indian] When a top industrial group like TATAs puts their money into this , I believe there is something which we do not know yet… [/QUOTE] It seems the pun/humor didn’t translate well on screen. **air** -brained vs **hair** -brained…never mind. Carry on as if I disappeared into thin air. ---
**Author:** ![Indian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c0e974/32.png) [@Indian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Indian)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2008, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/car-which-runs-on-air/437541/16 "2008-02-15T03:03:40Z")
[QUOTE=DMark] It seems the pun/humor didn’t translate well on screen. **air** -brained vs **hair** -brained…never mind. Carry on as if I disappeared into thin air. [/QUOTE] Hey ! Mark, I did get the humor THEN,buddy 😃 Just that I think,there is more to this story, than meets the eye.. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2008, 3:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/car-which-runs-on-air/437541/17 "2008-02-15T03:25:31Z")
[QUOTE=indian] When a top industrial group like TATAs puts their money into this , I believe there is something which we do not know yet… [/QUOTE] Or something they don’t know yet… ---
**Author:** ![Indian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c0e974/32.png) [@Indian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Indian)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2008, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/car-which-runs-on-air/437541/18 "2008-02-15T03:37:05Z")
[QUOTE=Telemark] Or something they don’t know yet… [/QUOTE] 😃 yeah ! if it happens, then TATAs have been taken for a ride , in a lot of hot air .. ---
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2008, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/car-which-runs-on-air/437541/19 "2008-02-15T20:14:59Z")
[_The Register_ takes a suitably jaundiced take on the matter, IMHO.](http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/02/14/air_car_tata_deal_imminent_breakthrough_foretold/) > [@](#): > > All in all, there seems no real reason to think that Negre will really meet this delivery forecast any more than he has met any of his previous ones. Some speculative money from Tata doesn’t really seem likely to suddenly whip the air car into shape. ---
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2008, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/car-which-runs-on-air/437541/20 "2008-02-24T02:52:11Z")
[Air cars to go on sale in the US next year. Maybe.](http://www.popularmechanics.com/automotive/new_cars/4251491.html?series=19) > [@](#): > > Zero Pollution Motors (ZPM) confirmed to [PopularMechanics.com](http://PopularMechanics.com) on Thursday that it expects to produce the world’s first air-powered car for the United States by late 2009 or early 2010. As the U.S. licensee for Luxembourg-based MDI, which developed the Air Car as a compression-based alternative to the internal combustion engine, ZPM has attained rights to build the first of several modular plants, which are likely to begin manufacturing in the Northeast and grow for regional production around the country, at a clip of up to 10,000 Air Cars per year. And [here’s a 2003 thread on them.](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=192968) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/car-which-runs-on-air/437541.md?page=2)