Cruising on air

What gets 106 miles to the gallon, can go 90 miles per hour, has a range of 1,000 miles, and can use vegetable oil as its fuel? It’s not anything that’s rolling on the streets of Saipan right now, but if New York-based Zero Pollution Motors gets its way, people in the U.S. may be driving an air car within a year.

We wanted to start the year off with a light article, so we’re going to tell you about the air car. We first became aware of the vehicle after doing some research about a year ago, and I was fascinated by the concept of using compressed air to power a vehicle. Using compressed air to move a piston is as old as the steam locomotive. The concept was developed by MDI, a Luxembourg based manufacturer, and they were working with Tata Motors, India’s largest automaker, to further develop and refine the air-concept technology and develop an inexpensive and eco-friendly vehicle.

The car that is planned for India is a six-seat version that can be used as a taxi. That version uses only air that is compressed at 4,500 pounds per square inch as its fuel (more than 120 times the pressure that you put in your car tires), and it’s placed in a large tank beneath the passengers. I know, you’re probably asking if it’s safe to be sitting on top of enough compressed air to shoot you to the top of Mount Topachau? Apparently the air bladder is built to tear apart and not explode if it is ruptured. I don’t know how reassuring that is, but you’ve also got to consider that you now sit on top of 10-20 gallons of very flammable gasoline.

One interesting point about the cars in India is that the exhaust from the engine is cold air that can be routed into the ventilation system of the car to provide air conditioning (try doing that with your V8 gas guzzler).

India’s safety requirements aren’t as stringent as the U.S., and so cars made there couldn’t be shipped to the U.S. to be sold. However, Zero Pollution Motors, a New York-based firm is the first to obtain a license from MDI to produce the cars in the United States, and they have a plan to start selling the air car by the end of 2009, or the beginning of 2010. The cars are supposed to be priced less than $18,000. Their cars will have a small internal combustion engine, not to power the car directly, but to act as a heater. This heated air would increase the air volume and give the cars greater power and distance, while still letting them get over 100 mpg.

The cars internal combustion engine wouldn’t kick in until they’re going over 35 mph. Since almost all of Saipan’s speed limits are at or under 35 mph, and we have short distances to travel, we could probably do without the internal combustion engine, and then just route the cold exhaust into the passenger compartment for a cool ride.

To fill the cars is pretty simple. They have a built in compressor that you can plug in overnight, and when you need it the next morning, it’s good to go. In the U.S., there will also be air stations with huge tanks of compressed air that will be used to fill’er up. This would only take a few minutes and cost about $3.

Air cars seem ideal for our situation. The price is low, it’s eco-friendly, and you could buzz around the island for about a week before having to plug it in. However, if wishes were fishes we’d all be catching our limit on Saipan. Until an entrepreneur decides they can make a buck shipping them here for resale, this article is just blowing hot air.

While we’re waiting for the first air car to make it across the ocean, there are some things we can do to reduce our addiction to the fossil-based fuels. Thankfully, the prices have come down from the stratosphere, and Shell needs to be commended for being the one to take the initiative every single time there is a price reduction.

One tip is to brake less. Each time you step on the brakes you have to eventually step on the accelerator. Look ahead and pace yourself to get the most out of your accelerations. When you do accelerate, press on the gas gradually instead of driving with a lead foot.

Try to drive when it is less congested. Someone from a big city will laugh that we even think we have traffic congestion, but it does take longer and more gas to get somewhere with the constant start, stop, and idle.

Keep your tires inflated properly, get a tune-up, and combine your trips into town and that will help you get more mileage with each fill-up.
R[I]ik is a business instructor at NMC and Janel is a partner with BizResults, LLC (www.bizresults.org). They can be contacted at biz_results@yahoo.com.[/I]