A lot of has been said about Tata Nano in the past few weeks. Many like me feel a sense of pride at the achievement. Many like me are also concerned about the environmental ramifications of Nano.
In terms of fuel economy, it might be as good if not better than a Toyota Prius. The volume of adoption will however be the devil.
One can argue that 2 wheelers and 3 wheelers are the single largest source of air pollution in Indian cities. If they were to be replaced with a much cleaner vehicle like Nano, wouldn't it be better?.... I am not so sure.
What I am sure about is this, a true peoples car will have to be easy on people's wealth and environmental health. What we need is Nano Air. A Nano running on compressed air.
It has been almost a year since Tata Motors signed an agreement with MDI of France. Nano is the perfect platform to be airborne.Mr Ratan Tata make us all proud.
Image credit: tatanano.com , aircar.com
7 comments:
I wouldn't equate running on air to being clean. The compressed air is compressed by electricity - which likely came from coal. We should be saying that car will run on coal until such a time as India generates its power with wind, then it will indeed run on air!
France's "air" cars run mostly on nuclear energy - nuclear cars.
Cars that run on air currently displace pollution but I'm not sure how much of it they really eliminate.
I love the compressed air engine by the way - how nice for city dwellers to have cleaner air. I can't wait until that air is compressed by sun, moon, wind power. ;-)
John
John,
I agree. Electricity from coal doesn't exactly equate to clean. In a way it is similar to electric cars. Studies have shown that an electric car charged during non peak demand can actually be easier on the environment.
In India something that we need also to consider is petrol (or gasoline) adulteration. A higher price provides greater incentives for adulteration and ultimately dirtier air in the city. This was one of the reasons why the city of Delhi mandated the use of CNG vehicles. CNG being more difficult to mess with.
An air car will be much cheaper than an electric car and at the same time eliminates the problem of city pollution and adulteration.
Thank you for that information - I wasn't aware of the adulteration issue.
Soon India will get major electricity from nuclear power. Nuke deal is almost gonna get signed.
So, Nano Air - should be really helpful in preserving the environment, leaving aside the nuclear waste which I don't know how harmful they are.
As I see it, the Nano will be a small blessing but a bigger curse on the Indian environment.
While it will be great if it can replace some of the autos and motorbikes on the roads, I do not see a lot of that happening. While a Rs 1L price tag may be extremely attractive considering the other options for 4-wheelers and will have a lot of takers, it is still out of reach of a large number of Indians.
What it will create most likely is another segment of people who can afford the Nano as an upgradation from their motorbikes or as a second car. So effectively, it will most probably increase the total number of vehicles plying on the roads, thus increasing pollution and infrastructure woes.
Green energy is the need of the hour. While CNG autos are a step in the right direction, we have a long way to go. Nice blog and interesting views.
nice blog...even I didn't know about the adulteration issue. As in, didn't know that adulteration was the main cause behind conversion to CNG...
P.S.: The Nano Air picture doesn't seem to load...
ah. this car is gr8. but people are not. i heard that tata motors is planning lottery for the the lucky customers to get this car. and I think this car will help to reduce terrific traffic problem which india is facing right now. (Small car nice milage 25 Kml per ltr.) A hybrid version like civic hybrid will be gud option too. or baja moter is also launching its 1 lakh Rupee electric car by 2010.
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