An Air-Powered Car

 Is It Hot Air or For Real?

The Senate has been causing some trouble for a client of mine, so I’ve spent most of the night working on that issue, and as a result today’s postings are a preview of things we’ll be following up later on Writer to the World.  However, they’re both very interesting stories.

It appears as though a manufacturer in California has come up with a way to power a vehicle using nothing more than a silicon-salt battery and a series of air compressors that turbo charge and multiply airflow to deliver torque to the wheels.  The car can reach “incredible speeds” according to a document from Magnetic Air Cars, Inc. without ever needing to be recharged or refueled.

The information is a bit sketchy at the moment, and the car hasn’t yet been tested.  A competing product made by Tata Motors uses gasoline and reportedly travels 800 miles on a single fill up while delivering speeds of up to 96 MPH.  This vehicle could be on American roads as early as next year, and the Magnetic Air Cars website claims they may have a vehicle ready for sale by 2010.

The PBS video from YouTube discusses what the Tata Motors vehicle could mean to the auto industry.  I apologize for the audio synchronization issue that isn’t related to anyone at Writer to the World. 

Many thanks to Ariel Schwartz at CleanTechnica for her contribution to this report.