Thursday, June 21, 2007

And politicians expel enough hot air to drive it just by talking...

The world's first commercial compressed air-powered vehicle is rolling towards the production line. The Air Car, developed by ex-Formula One engineer Guy Nègre, will be built by India's largest automaker, Tata Motors.
The Air Car uses compressed air to push its engine's pistons. It is anticipated that approximately 6000 Air Cars will be cruising the streets of India by 2008. If the manufacturers have no surprises up their exhaust pipes the car will be practical and reasonably priced. The CityCat model will clock out at 68 mph with a driving range of 125 miles.


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I blogged about such a car earlier:

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The MiniC.A.T is a simple, light urban car, with a tubular chassis that is glued not welded and a body of fibreglass. The heart of the electronic and communication system on the car is a computer offering an array of information reports that extends well beyond the speed of the vehicle, and is built to integrate with external systems and almost anything you could dream of, starting with voice recognition, internet connectivity, GSM telephone connectivity, a GPS guidance system, fleet management systems, emergency systems, and of course every form of digital entertainment. The engine is fascinating, as is and the revolutionary electrical system that uses just one cable and so is the vehicle’s wireless control system. Microcontrollers are used in every device in the car, so one tiny radio transmitter sends instructions to the lights, indicators etc.
So? Where are they? I want two, one for each foot....

4 comments:

mapaghimagsik said...

I would totally drive one to work!

ellroon said...

I'd drive it anywhere! What are they waiting for?

Steve Bates said...

Next big thing for the Air Car company: Air Guitar...

I have my doubts about this. Things that sound too good to be true, frequently are.

Why does the notion of wireless controllers in automobiles scare me? Maybe it's how badly behaved a wireless mouse pointer frequently is; think of a bunch of those rolling down the freeway...

(FTR, I will no longer use a wireless mouse. Period. If a client has one on a computer assigned to me, I'll carry my own mouse to and from the job if necessary.)

ellroon said...

Ah, c'mon, it'll be fun! Don't you want to be careening down the freeway screaming as your computer shuts down, turns off the steering wheel, and locks you in?

We'll just put bubble wrap on each of the cars....