I'm thinking of how much heat is produced by my Emglo 2 1/2 HP compressor, and how many minutes it takes to fill the small tanks to 125#. How long would it take to fill the tank/tanks on one of those cars and how much energy would it take? The compressed air that those need are far above the my measly 125#
It seems like converting energy directly into power would be a lot more efficient that converting energy into a stored product, then converting it back into power again.
I think the electric/gas hybrid car is one of the best solutions yet.
Gas>car, go some place. OK, in fairness we have to get the gas from some really old dead leaves and twigs.
Coal power> electricity> loss of power through electrical transmission lines> to compressor> lost energy to compress the air> even more loss once the compressed air cools (shrinks), > How much energy is lost during 'refueling' > how efficient is the air motor?
It would be nice if it works as good as it says, but these look like grocery getters and you'd still need your 'real' car.
Just thought of it now............... I wonder if Road and Track or Motor Trend has tested these?
...........looks like I need to get googlin'
....oh crap, I gotta to get to work, it's 10:00 already.