|
Tata OneCat compressed air car by 2009 |
|
|
|
|
Written by crashoveride
|
|
Wednesday, 11 June 2008 |
|
The car is expected to be a five-seater with a glass fiber body, which would weigh just 350 kg and cost just about Rs 2 lakh. The project is backed for an undisclosed sum by Tata, which says it may also use the technology for power generation.
A BBC report has pointed out that Tata's backing makes the idea much more marketable and that the Indian company will be putting finishing touches to the engine.
French engineer Negre is planning to sell the car in India by 2009, the report said. He hopes that the first buyers of the compressed air car will be people who care about the environment and would sell it for an economical price. Tata would be the only big firm Negre will license to sell the car and sales will be limited to India.
The car will be driven by compressed air stored in carbon-fiber tanks that can be filled in just three minutes. The tanks will be built into the chassis. The car can also be plugged into the mains for four hours and an on-board compressor will do the job.
For long journeys, the compressed air driving the pistons can be boosted by a fuel burner which heats the air so it expands and increases the pressure on the pistons. The burner will use all kinds of liquid fuel.
|
|
Last Updated ( Monday, 23 June 2008 )
|
