India Rising

As Detroit struggles, automakers elsewhere in the world are rising. Tata Motors is the largest automaker in India. Over the coming decades India, China and other countries will become the dominant forces in the automotive world. Their need for petroleum products will determine the global price and availability of gasoline. The United States will have to adjust itself to the conditions set by their demand. Let us hope that India tries to save on gas! Meanwhile, we can try to insulate ourselves from the impact of rising Indian demand by saving on gas ourselves.

OneCAT Compressed Air Vehicle

Tata Motors is an India car manufacturer. They are the makers of the Tata Nano, one of the world's cheapest cars. They are also vigorously investigating fuel economy and alternative energy technologies that Detroit slumbered on until it is too late. It looks as though Tata Motors will be among the automakers of the future. It is doubtful that the US, once the undisputed leader of the automotive world, will have a place in that future unless Detroit proves capable of turning on a dime.

The OneCAT is a compressed air powered vehicle. It is small and light, thus automatically gaining a great deal of fuel efficiency. It runs on 200 liter tanks of compressed air. The vehicle has an onboard compressor. Plugged into a normal electrical outlet, the compressor can recharge the tanks with high pressure air in 4 hours. Future plans include a system of high pressure compressors deployed in filling stations which can recharge the tanks in a couple of minutes.

The OneCAT could be a perfect solution for local urban travel. Since it is not electric, it avoids the need for big heavy batteries. The savings on weight will give it yet more fuel economy.

The near future of consistently high gasoline prices will mean that populations enjoying widespread usage of gas sippers like the OneCAT will escape the nightmare of the gas pump.