Running Car on Compressed Air? Airpod does it.
The Tata AirPod is a city car running on compressed air (as well as a battery-powered electric motor). The ease of converting air into an energy source using simple compressors means charging stations can be placed anywhere, and they require no provisioning — no trucks delivering gas, ethanol, or hydrogen — and they produce no emissions, just discharge of the air.
The AirPod can run 125mi (200k) at a top speed between 28 to 43mph (45 to 70kph). The car is intended for a single rider, and has a small cargo area in the back.
This is breakthrough design: it undercuts most of the negatives of the system it is designed to replace. And unlike other alternatives to traditional cars, it does not require an entire supply chain to exist before becoming practical in a single location. A city like New York could roll out a citywide fleet of AirPods Just like it is rolling out a bike sharing program (although the city’s bike share program has been delayed). It doesn’t need to build nuclear reactors, or deal with some hard-to-transport alternative fuel. In fact, New York City could simply repurpose existing gas stations or parking lots with compressors, and card readers.
Totally awesome. Here’s the future. There Just need to make them stackable, like this:
Looks awesome, I wonder if it can survive getting rammed by other cars.
Comments
That is until you find yourself out of air and 50 miles from a compressor with no fitting for your valve.
Not to mention that they are just plain hideous. Maybe if they came up with an aesthetically pleasing design.
Not sure about the joystick either. Just use a normal steering wheel please, I'm sure if you did allot of driving with a joystick it might make your hand ache.