More than just hot air

While the Israelis may be working to beta test an electric car infrastructure and the U.S. Government may suddenly have gotten religion over biofuels, an Indian engineer may have come up with another interesting solution to the fossil-fuel driven vehicle problem. The pneumatic car. Tata motors is backing the development of an air-driven car. All the zero-emission vehicle needs for a fuel up is an air compressor. It may also need an electric engine for long hauls. Still, this is exactly the kind of thinking that companies in Detroit ought to be embracing. Having posted a $38.7 billion loss for 2007, GM could be trying to do something really innovative right about now. If the pneumatic car works and goes into mass distribution, drivers could be lining up at gas station air pumps to do more than inflate their tires.