Quote:
Originally Posted by Ryland
the problem with cold weather and air cars is the same problem as you get with ice forming on the outside of your propane tanks when you run your jet engine, or any kind of torch, or compressed air tool, the expanding air has a cooling affect and the radiator on a compressed air car is there to keep the engine warm as the air can cool it down to -15F and cause it to ice up, also metal starts to act funny when it's that cold, oil thickens and air in the tank condenses and just like how you have to add air to your tires in the winter the pressure in your 12,000psi tank of air will also drop, after all one of the most common ways to compress gases to that kind of pressure is to cool them as a common household 125psi air compressor can't just be turned up or let run longer.
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Valid critiques all, if we were talking about an all or nothing impositon of a one technology strategy upon all people. Just as solar cells are an excellent power alternative in the desert southwest, but not so great in the sullen gray skies of Puget Sound, so too Compressed air cars are not an all around answer.. but in places where benefits outweigh limitations, I still maintain its a great alternative to the IC car and more easily built out infrastructure wise than any other tech other than electric plug ins; and there you have a treasure trove of downsides to pick at. Cost, weight, environmental nastys of battery chemistry, disposal issues. Yin & yang
Still #1 unassailable benefit to air cars: Scented refills!
