You still have to power the compresser. You still have losses in converting it to motion with a piston. Because the pressure drops with use, your car gets weaker and weaker as it goes about its drive. You still have to have a large tank of very high pressure air in the car with you that will turn to shrapnel in any impact. And you still make the tank super hot when you pump it full of high pressure air which makes the vehicle uncomfortable and weakens composite materials which make low-weight tanks (problems with temperatures and pressures doomed the tank design of the X33). What you are left with is a vehicle that has to be refueled for 15 minutes every day (average commute) and can explode under impact without any ignition source at all. The only advantage this has is that you use no power sitting at a traffic light - unless the radio or headlights are on, that is.
All the weakness of an electric car, but none of the positives. And if you think there is no pollution, ask yourself what is being burned at the power plant that powers the compresser at the Air station.
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branchandroot
(no subject)
Date: 2008-01-07 10:51 pm (UTC)You still have to power the compresser. You still have losses in converting it to motion with a piston. Because the pressure drops with use, your car gets weaker and weaker as it goes about its drive. You still have to have a large tank of very high pressure air in the car with you that will turn to shrapnel in any impact. And you still make the tank super hot when you pump it full of high pressure air which makes the vehicle uncomfortable and weakens composite materials which make low-weight tanks (problems with temperatures and pressures doomed the tank design of the X33). What you are left with is a vehicle that has to be refueled for 15 minutes every day (average commute) and can explode under impact without any ignition source at all. The only advantage this has is that you use no power sitting at a traffic light - unless the radio or headlights are on, that is.
All the weakness of an electric car, but none of the positives. And if you think there is no pollution, ask yourself what is being burned at the power plant that powers the compresser at the Air station.