TheAirCar, Why doesn't everybody have one.

Originally posted by curme
Because US culture is not ready for cars whose appearance doesn't make the driver's penis feel bigger, and whose top speed is 50 km/h.

Is that true for the millions of women drivers in the US as well???

Women really want their penis to feel bigger

BTW anyone find a price on this car yet? Ive seen some nice prototypes of hydrogen cars with million dollars price tags

[edit on 26-9-2005 by ShadowXIX]

It costs more to run my scuba tank V-twin compressor and cascade tanks than it costs to run my Harley by a factor of 40 even at 5 bucks a gallon. The energy for air compression comes from somewhere doesn't it? The aircar is a nice idea that won't save money or energy - in fact it will waste energy owing to it's second hand use of the energy of compression and the losses therein. It's 5000psi tanks are major league explosive devices - watch a safety film of a scuba tank getting "loose" in a concrete reinforced test chamber - the concrete takes a beating.

I can understand the men feeling that their cars are an extention of their penis.
We always joke about the men that show off their cars, that they have small dicks.

No woman wants to brag about having a large vagina.
Maybe they want small cars........

Originally posted by curme
Because US culture is not ready for cars whose appearance doesn't make the driver's penis feel bigger, and whose top speed is 50 km/h.

as dumb (no offense) as this sounds...

this is 100% true!!!

EDIT:

i don't know about the penis part, but americans (i am an american) love the speed...

well, everyone loves the speed i guess...




[edit on 26-9-2005 by they see ALL]

Did anyone actually read the FAQ?

>whose top speed is 50 km/h.

According to the FAQ, it's top speed is actually 110 km/h. (That's 68 mph for us Americans.) Don't get me wrong...nothing spectacular, but fast enough to be reasonable. Fast enough to take on the freeway.

>It costs more to run my scuba tank V-twin compressor
>and cascade tanks than it costs to run my Harley by a
>factor of 40 even at 5 bucks a gallon.

Read the FAQ. The AirCar refills it's tank for 1.5 euros. (That's approximately $1.80 for us Americans.)

>It's 5000psi tanks are major league explosive devices

So are gasoline tanks. Plus...again, read the FAQ. They claim their airtanks will withstand gunshots and flame.

>how about the guy that spends 15 to 20% of his income
>in one way shape or form on energy.

No kidding.

AirCar
200-300 kilometers on one tank (124-186 miles)
Refills an entire tank for 1.5 Euros ($1.80)

Let's say you drive 1000 miles per month. In the AirCar that will average you about $11.61.

Compare to my truck, which g ets about 22 miles per gallon. Gas is about $2.90 / gallon where I am right now. That's $131.82 to cover the same distance.





[edit on 27-9-2005 by LordBucket]

A car designer once said something to the effect that " It doesn't cost more to a make a good looking car then it does to make a ugly car"

The MDI air car is just a fugly car Im sorry

Back on the topic of how the car works I found a interesting article on it.

The clean engine is insufficient to be sold," he says, after seven years of development. The air-powered car has too little power and too little range. Negre's son Cyril, an engineer at MDI, said that the CityCAT prototype goes about 37 miles on the test track before it runs out of air.

www.freep.com...

37 miles would be worthless but the article is from March 18, 2004 and I cant say im familar with the ''Detroit Free Press''. On the MDI site they claim a range of almost 2000 km that would be a very impressive increase in range for only a year of development if that article is correct.

Also it might be nothing but anyone eles notice the Thermodynamics and mileage link on the MDI site doesn't work?

Yes, I did notice that. There are quite a few spelling and grammatical errors as well. I wonder if I'm seeing a translated page. I notice we can also choose Spanish and Portugese...but I thought this was a French company?

Regarding the 2000 km range, I've been reading through the rest of the site...and I'm noticing that different pages on the site make different, sometimes contradictory claims. Odd for instance, the 2000km range mentioned on the home page, in contrast to the 200-300 range listed in the actual vehicle specifications. There's also repeated mention of dual air/gasoline use, and it's not exactly clear if their speaking of different models, or theoretical models, or what. I'm also seeing the 50km/h mentioned by Curme, but the way they phrase it, I could interpret it to mean merely that one certain model of the aircar would be intended for use in areas where the legal speed limit was 50km/h, or alternately that that was the vehicles actual top speed.

...maybe wait for production models to hit the road?

[edit on 27-9-2005 by LordBucket]

Yay! Some American bashing... I'll join the fun!

Originally posted by LordBucket
...maybe wait for production models to hit the road?

But seriously, LordBucket is quite right. They're still ages from actually manufacturing the car. Acquiring licenses, convincing investors, testing, testing, and some more testing. This is going to take ages!
The point is that they have an idea. Another company (like Toyota are into the whole "environment friendly" thing) might take the idea and run further with it.

The looks? That'll change. It's a prototype... And it kinda reminds me of the Smart Car that took the world (well, South Africa at least) by storm a couple of years ago...

Anyhow, I know I'll drive one if it'll cost me R12.00 ($1.80 to fill the tank) compared to the R300.00 ($50) I'm currently paying!

(And BTW Americans: Everyone knows it's not the size that counts, but what you do with it... )


[edit on 27-9-2005 by Gemwolf]

It seems to me that many of you have questions about TheAirCar. All of these questions can be answered at MDI's website www.theaircar.com... . The car, as it is made now, costs between $9500 and $10500 US. The cost to refill the tank, because it is basically an air compressor tank nothing to fancy, is about $3.00 US to fill and takes 3 minutes at a designated filling station. And if you like you can plug it in at night and that takes about 4 hours.

[edit on 27-9-2005 by MudShark61]

TheAirCar, Why doesn't everybody have one.

I don't even trust the average idiot behind the wheel of a car on the ground... Now I'd have to worry about them in three dimensions? No thanks!

There are plenty of people who still can't keep their VCRs from flashing 12:00 and you want to trust them with pitch, yaw, throttle, etc.? Nope, no way, not until the tech is also paired with a near-flawless auto-pilot.....

Gazrok, the car does not fly in the air,it runs on compressed air. But I am sure you knew that anyway.

Regarding the contradictory distance ranges. I think the management of the website might be a little askew. The earlier test that show 200 to 300 km do not seem to be referenced in the later tests that show 2000km.
It seems that the webmaster may need to update some things.

Originally posted by Gazrok

TheAirCar, Why doesn't everybody have one.

I don't even trust the average idiot behind the wheel of a car on the ground... Now I'd have to worry about them in three dimensions? No thanks!

There are plenty of people who still can't keep their VCRs from flashing 12:00 and you want to trust them with pitch, yaw, throttle, etc.? Nope, no way, not until the tech is also paired with a near-flawless auto-pilot.....

Err... I'm not one to pick a fight with a super-mod, but you didn't read anything on the topic, did you?

***Flinches … Ready for a blow***

Originally posted by highgroundsys0p
It costs more to run my scuba tank V-twin compressor and cascade tanks than it costs to run my Harley by a factor of 40 even at 5 bucks a gallon. The energy for air compression comes from somewhere doesn't it? The aircar is a nice idea that won't save money or energy - in fact it will waste energy owing to it's second hand use of the energy of compression and the losses therein.

I don't know enough about this to confirm it, but I thought this is a key issue!

To Glastonaut. According to the manufacurer, and yes there isn't just a prototype out there, it should only take about $3.00 us to fill the tank for 200 to 300km. They have been testing a taxi in France for over a year now, and there are many manufacturing liscences in Europe, Central America, South America, and I think Canada as well. From what I read, some minor tweaking is being done, and I guess, more money is needed.

Come on are we all that desparate and gullible? AirCar - AirGuitar - same thing. It costs $1.80 to FILL - ON THE GENERATOR - No mention at all of the costs to RUN or manufacture that generator not to mention the six hour fill time - I'm not that patient - Notice the lack of testing data? Read the FAQ's - they answer less questions than Cheney and raise a great deal of other potential queries. See where I'm goin? Wake up folks this is another Concorde/Space Shuttle/Hindenburg - Want some fun? Look into MDI and it's financiers... hehe. Take 22 gallons of gasoline in a conventional plastic or metal fuel cell and explode it --- the blast damage is much less than a 72 cubic foot air cylinder at 5000 PSI goin' kaboom. ATS has lots of smart folks - this should be a no-brainer even for the bandwagon sheep - Any physics folks out there with the formal training to back me up? Or shoot me down? Like I said the Aircar is a nice idea whose time should never be. Me, I'll wait for the real AirCar ala Paul Moller of SuperTrapp fame thanx. I'm goin' for a ride on my Harley now... then I'm gonna watch the George Bush idiot appointment gong show.

>It costs $1.80 to FILL - ON THE GENERATOR - No mention
>at all of the costs to RUN or manufacture that generator

Presumably it costs less than $1.80.

Think about it. Even if the refill stations are making zero dollars, it can't cost more than $1.80 to compress enough air to fill an aircar's tanks.

Using my own gas mileage as a comparison, one tank of air in the aircar is the equivalent of about 7 gallons of gasoline. About $20. If they're using gasoline to power their compressors, worst case it sounds like generators to fuel an aircar use about 1/10 the amoutn of fuel as a gasoline powered car.

>Take 22 gallons of gasoline in a conventional plastic or metal
>fuel cell and explode it --- the blast damage is much less than
>a 72 cubic foot air cylinder at 5000 PSI goin' kaboom

Maybe, but gasoline tanks don't usually explode in collisions, what makes you think an air tank one will? I think this is just a matter of design. Put the tanks towards the interior of the vehicle so the crushing of the rest of the vehicle during impact acts as a cushion, and reinforce the the tanks with an extra inch of steel and I suspect they'll be more or less indestrucible to the sort of impacts you generally see in automobile collisions.

Originally posted by GemwolfThe looks? That'll change. It's a prototype... And it kinda reminds me of the Smart Car that took the world (well, South Africa at least) by storm a couple of years ago...
[edit on 27-9-2005 by Gemwolf]

that never made any impact in the US...at all. Pretty much, the only small Euro car that has it the mini copper.

That site is says it can take 5 1/2 hours to fill up, then below that it says 3 minutes...kind of a big difference.

and about that 5000psi tank...Holy Crap, that a torpedo waiting to be unleashed.

My vote for the next generation transportation power source, would be hydrogen fuel cells. The AirCar is a good concept...but it wont catch on.

I found another Air-Car, The e.Volution. It seems in 2000 A south african company called ''Zero Pollution Motors'' Purchased the rights from MDI to manufature a Air-car locally.

Helen Brown says her company aims to set up a production line in the province of Gauteng by next year, with the first cars off the production line and onto the salesroom floor by early 2002.

Sadly its years later and no e.volutions are cruising around South Africa that im aware of.

news.bbc.co.uk...

Honestly, it looks like the toy car with the hole in the floor I bought for my 2 year old.

Imagine what the car would look like being T-boned or rear ended by a tractor trailer or any car going more than 25 mph. To make it safer would probably mean making it heavier and less efficient which would mean it would need to increase the size of the tank, car, and price to compensate. Then think of the bomb you'd be sitting on top of.

Like someone else said, the energy to compress the air has to come from somewhere, so, shall we burn more fossil fuels to power the needed increase in electricity or use probably the same amount of gas to power the air compressors?

I could see something like this working very well for something like a motor cycle or maybe a one or two person car which probably wouldn't sell well enough to keep investors interested. I think it might be practical for a bike thou.

I don't see anything wrong with enjoying motor sports. I love my Mustang and Jeep and so does my wife, it's my hobby. It has nothing to do with my penis or her lack there of one. The mustang probably burns 50 gals of gas a year because I try not to drive it that much. Most hotrod owners are probably the same way. You will say what you want thou so keep on generalizing and stereotyping.

There is another answer thou, for just the price of an engine modification. The environment would benefit as well. We all win!

Biodiesel is the only alternative fuel that runs in any conventional, unmodified diesel engine. It can be stored anywhere that petroleum diesel fuel is stored.
Biodiesel is safe to handle and transport because it is as biodegradable as sugar, 10 times less toxic than table salt, and has a high flashpoint of about 300 F compared to petroleum diesel fuel, which has a flash point of 125 F.
Biodiesel can be made from domestically produced, renewable oilseed crops such as hemp.
Biodiesel is a proven fuel with over 30 million successful US road miles, and over 20 years of use in Europe.
When burned in a diesel engine, biodiesel replaces the exhaust odor of petroleum diesel with the pleasant smell of hemp, popcorn or french fries.
Biodiesel is the only alternative fuel in the US to complete EPA Tier I Health Effects Testing under section 211(b) of the Clean Air Act, which provide the most thorough inventory of environmental and human health effects attributes that current technology will allow.
Biodiesel is 11% oxygen by weight and contains no sulfur. The use of biodiesel can extend the life of diesel engines because it is more lubricating than petroleum diesel fuel, while fuel consumption, auto ignition, power output, and engine torque are relatively unaffected by biodiesel.
The Congressional Budget Office, Department of Defense, US Department of Agriculture, and others have determined that biodiesel is the low cost alternative fuel option for fleets to meet requirements of the Energy Policy Act.

www.artistictreasure.com...

But nooooo.....................
We need to keep the taboo going about the fallacies of this plant.

My actual cost to fill a 72 cu ft scuba tank to only 2500 PSI is 6 bucks US. Not including equipment and certification. Maybe the French/Spanish get energy cheaper? On the explosive forces - an 80 cubic foot scuba tank at "only" 3000 PSI explodes with 1.3 millon pounds of force - google it cuz you won't believe me - that can blow a hook and ladder truck 60 feet straight up - US Navy says so. Ok so the Aircar runs carbon wrap tanks at 5000 PSI... think about it; can u say WMD? Think about the tank expanding from a normal size of 72 cu feet to over 20,000 cu feet in less than a tenth of a second - get the picture? McBoom - size large.
Now think about this - there's a phenom called expansion valve freeze up where when a tank valve sticks open and like 30 pounds of frost forms on the valve and tank very quickly - ever seen what low temp does to carbon fiber and epoxy - it cracks and fails very readily - ask any snowmobiler.
No siree LordBucket your desired AirCar is not safe at any speed - but your welcome to go to France and get one and shoot it all you want - but I suggest that if you actually DO the research you'll see the false economy in this puppy. It will be a footnote in automotive history like steam power for the same reason - BOOM. Chemical energy systems are used in cars for good reason - they work and are the best answer so far.
I'm done with this subject - till the next pipe dream needs a fixin'.
Ciao, Peace or pieces - dealer's choice.

BTW - Look into the finances - very bizzare roster and not US friendly at all.