Jerry,
I agree that "zero pollution" is nonsense but, then again, much of what we
read and hear is nonsense. I saw a newspaper article the other day that
mentioned running cars on water (because water is the feedstock for hydrogen
production by electrolysis). That's like saying that you can run a car on
CO2 because you can use CO2 as feedstock for carbon. To do that, we need to
repeal the second law of thermodynamics.
As to the source of energy being fossil fuels, I have already mentioned
nuclear energy as the only realistic option in an earlier e-mail on this
topic. (Air) pollution by nuclear power plants is negligible and the spent
fuel wastes are not going anywhere! ;-) Thus, compared to a multitude of
sporadically inspected (if at all) internal combustion engines, the idea of
air-powered cars is not all that bad.
As for the safety hazards of 300-bar tanks involved in accidents, I think
one would have to compare that with propane tanks that contain a flammable
gas/liquid or a gasoline tank that contains a flammable fluid.
I think we all need to look at these proposal with a critical eye, but not
to reject them out of hand. Ideally, we would all like to be able to drive
our Moggies on nicely paved and winding roads with as little traffic as
possible to impede our progress. Trouble is, there are too many of us out
there and we will all have to make compromises. The population of the earth
is increasing, the wealth is increasing, and the natural resources are
running out. If we don't come to grips with these developments, all (except
the very rich) will be relegated to using public transport. I'm not "very
rich" and that puts me in the category of a "potential public transit
rider."
Chuck Vandergraaf
'52 +4
Pinawa, MB
-----Original Message-----
From: Jane McDaid [mailto:Murphys@ziplink.net]
Sent: Thursday November 02, 2000 6:49 AM
To: jimg2@webtv.net; morgans@autox.team.net; mgb-v8@autox.team.net
Subject: Re: New Car
I don't know if it's really practical, but the company does have its own
website. <http://www.zeropollution.com/zeropollution/concept.html>
Perhaps they run on hot air collected at Congressional hearings.
This whole concept of calling a vehicle "Zero Polluting" is laughable when
it requires a rather large and extensive electic grid fueled in much of the
world by fossil fuels. With the transmission losses, the true efficiency
at the wheels is much less than for some highly efficient gasoline or
diesel powered vehicles and certainly less than some of the hybrids
available today.
What happens when compressed air at 300-bar is released in a wreck? You'd
have a car bomb! That's about 4,500 psi!
Jerry Murphy
At 07:29 AM 11/2/00 -0500, jimg2@webtv.net wrote:
> Can this be true?
>
>
>http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/world/africa/newsid_988000/988265.stm
>
>
>
>
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