Compressed Air Cars to hit the Indian Roads in 2008

Posted on hybridautoinfo.com by Car Guy (follow links)

I was scooped here by my buddy The Traceless Warrior

Tata Motors, the largest automobile maker of India is all set to manufacture compressed Air Powered cars in 2008.

Other polluted countries could soon follow the Indian example and sign deals with MDI (Moteur Developpment International). The “Zero Pollution Car” as it is being referred to by environmentalists, will definitely make a mark if it is successful in India. Imagine spending almost nothing to fill your car and also helping the environment.

The air car can reach a top speed of 69 mph and can travel about 120 miles on a single fill of compressed air. It takes about 4 hours to fill the tank with compressed air at home or just 2 minutes using an industrial air compressor at the pump. The cost to refill the tank is expected to be approximately $2 for the full tank.

In the future, it is possible that hybrid versions of this air powered cars could soon be in the market. Instead of Electric-Gas Hybrid, other combinations could be Electric-Air or Solar-Air Hybrids.

(Now for some of my thoughts.) We are all aware of many individual improvements that can be made in multiple areas of our lives. Let's explore for a moment the synergistic effect of combining some of the best practices from various disciplines and people. If seriously and consistently pursued, the results would be nothing short of transformational. I believe that we should insist that the next president initiate a sustainability "moonshot". There is no reason that this country should not be way out in front on this. The possibilities with an international collaboration are staggering.

Before we add nifty new gadgets let's determine what results we desire in our private and public lives and then we can begin to plot a course forward. Wherever possible we should simplify. After eliminating the unnecessary and undesirable "stuff" which consumes so much of our resources we should look at ways to share and collaborate.

Since this is a post on transportation let's start there. We have been controlled in many ways by the Big 3 Automakers & Big Oil. Examine the effects of American zoning and land use laws as well as the physical layout of our nation (see image of Levittown). We have what Jim Kunstler calls Clusterf@#k Nation, a sprawling landscape largely scaled to the automobile rather than people (see his book The Geography of Nowhere). How different would things be if folks walked or biked for most of their travels around home. New Urbanism is an architectural movement seeking to recreate the effect of small town living through the inclusion of mixed-use zoning within walking distance of residential clusters. (sidewalks, parks, home-based businesses, mom and pop neighborhood stores, etc.) Maybe we could establish effective and flexible public transportation in more tightly clustered cities (see Curitiba Brazil). This could incorporate compressed air buses and taxis, light rail, rickshaws, horse drawn carriages, and rental bicycles in addition to private autos (air-powered, electric, hybrid, bio-fuel powered). There are many options regarding automobile ownership and use also. People can split ownership burdens and benefits through car sharing. Cars needed only infrequently can be hired or possibly borrowed. Think about how much safer and more tranquil our communities could be without all the automotive traffic they currently have.

More options for transportation would be very significant for those among us who are unable to drive for myriad different reasons (i.e. age, disability, insufficient financial means). We could eliminate the isolation experienced by many who are currently trapped at home (see Madison, Wisconsin in photo above). Perhaps this could reverse the trend of school shootings. I believe this could also seriously reduce the number of dangerously impaired people propelling themselves through our neighborhoods in a game of public Russian Roulette.

Instead of traveling through the world hermetically sealed in an SUV built for one we could be interacting with and getting to know our neighbors. Without having to serve as housing for cars our garages could be re-purposed in a number of ways: as workshops, small-business incubators, additional housing, dedicated space for children, etc. Moving forward we could phase garages out of most housing designs or have them purpose built for more productive use. If eliminated we could use the space they would have occupied in many ways (or simply reduce the sprawl of our cities). We could move toward self-sufficiency by growing food in the space. We could add up the footprint of the hypothetical garages in a neighborhood and use the square footage to create a community garden, park, arboretum, or whatever the local residents wanted. This would raise both the standard of living and the property values in the area.

How much money do we spend on our cars with purchase, maintenance, operation, insurance, fees, taxes, parking, etc.? What is the cost of a typical 2 car garage, both in construction and the land it sits on? What else could we do with all of this money (or the time and energy required to earn it?) I have more than a few ideas on this, but that's a separate discussion (or rant as the case may be).

Oh yeah, I almost forgot to mention that weaning ourselves from fossil fuels will have an enormous impact on our environment as well as our international economic and political situation.