TATA's AirPOD - Taking Another Step to Commerical Reality

Seems a great way to go...The question of course is how much energy is required to compress air versus the energy required to develop gasoline fuels....Either way the future looks bright....Marty Wolf

No one does nada for free.

Look at the suggested price per a full 200 Kilometer tank - one friggin' Euro !

This is a great relief. We must liberate ourselves from the greedy OPEC

Compressing the air, still requires an energy source - someone has to provide it - be it nuclear, fossil fuel, gas, whatever.

Even if it goes global, each country will have to energize the infrastructure for compressing the air, each with it's own available sources of energy.

The theoretical potential is inviting. Keep in mind that once the technical and economic obstacles are overcome, the political ones may be the most difficult. If it were obvious that this is by far the best way to go, the "big bucks" would have been all over it by now!

No----- It is a must for India, China and other highly populated countries. 1). Because More people may die of pollution related illnesses in those countries. 2). Their energy resources are very limited and can not afford to be blackmailed by OPEC nations. 3). Time has come to get away from fossil fuels. 4). The Highways in India and China are not equipped for speedy vehicles and this type of vehicle is ideal.-----------I give high priority to Pollution Prevention---and----Energy Independency ---and --Least is Political

I agree with your perspective and priorities, but sadly, unless the mass markets in those areas can afford the vehicle, recharge and maintenance costs (versus, say electric cars charged by atomic power generated electricity, or at all) and the cost to change the infrastructure, there may not be enough demand or interest to generate the capital (private or government) to move the technology forward.

I acknowledge the issues you mentioned----But we rather go forward with this because the proposed vehicle is much cheaper than conventional small cars. We can not afford the pollution that has been accumulating for the last 50 years especially and also we can not afford to be blackmailed by OPEC and Oil Companies. --This is especially true for China and India

But we rather go forward with this because the proposed vehicle is much cheaper than conventional small cars

"We" are not likely to have much of a say about what happens in China and India. Financial institutions with vested interests in oil aren't about the jump on the band wagon. I am hoping that both the financial and political world will quickly invest in the best alternative power(s), once it is (they are) proven to be technically and economically viable. I have been "hoping" since the gas shortages of the early 80s!

On the other hand, whatever happens in India and in China, might definitely have it's impact on the rest of the market, because if it catches there, they might turn it into a fad, and start exporting it all over the globe.

Who wouldn't want to pay less for transportation, and be considered "Green" and environmentally-friendly at the same time, for the same price ?

The question of course, will it prove itself viable and reliable means of transportation.

Besides, who knows, lower traveling speed may even prove a lesser contributor to highway congestions, not the other way around

"We" the world consumers have a lot to say on this. We set the trend (hopefully global trends from now onwards) for a good reason (Reasons -as I mentioned in my previous posts -Pollution is a major problem in China and India). The markets are international. Plus India and China have very little oil reserves and there is not much to invest there. Plus TATA is one of the world's top investor too. I rather side with issues related to alternate energies, conservation and environmental protection. I WILL NOT SIDE WITH OIL COMPANIES, OPEC, and POLLUTERS --I hope to see many millions of like minded people worldwide. I thank you for waking me-up

As Bodepudi (above) mentioned, releasing global consumption from the grip of OPEC, may also release the remaining fossil-fuel oil, for wiser and more calculated use and implementation in petro-chemical use, for the production of plastic, rubber, paint, drugs, and everything in between.

We must all understand that having used oil to move billions of metal boxes on endless roads and highways for more than a hundred years - was a terrible waste of limited amount of chemical resource.

As said so many times: Oil is not an endless energy-source but instead, it is a rare chemical resource.

We all forgot about it for so long, and now pay the ultimate price: air pollution, and ever-faster-dwindling amounts of this rare chemical resource.

I remember reading recently that one of Tata's options is for a small gas powered pre-heater for the compressed air. With one gallon of gas the travel on one tank of air goes from ~50 km to ~600, and a significant boost in speed. Hype?