Inflatable Cars That Withstand Crashes And Fold Up For Storage

[Kor37 9]

Inflatable Cars That Withstand Crashes and Fold Up for Storage

by Tim Stevens, posted Jun 4th 2008 at 8:43AM

 

 

 

People have been trying all sorts of novel ideas to power cars lately, but regardless of how many batteries or fuel cells you shove into them, it's hard to call a thing that weighs two tons and carries just one person around "efficient." For this reason, many companies aren't focusing so much on changing the way cars are powered, but instead are changing the way they're constructed, adding efficiency through lightness. One such company is XP Vehicles, which is working on a line of cars that aren't made of metal; they're made of air.

 

Yes, where a typical dealer delivery of a new car involves peeling off stickers and filling up the tank, delivery of one of these would require some compressed air and a quick charge for the electric cars' battery packs. The body is made of the same sort of material used by NASA to cushion the landing of the Mars rovers on rocky soil, so it should stand up to daily use and even minor fender-benders without incident. The company even indicates you can deflate and fold up some of their models for storage!

 

Right now, it's all sounding pretty conceptual, with no actual models on display and no clue of how much such a car would cost. So, this may all be hot air, but if the claims of a 2,500 mile range on a single charge turn out to be true, then a car powered by electricity and made of lightweight fabrics could revolutionize modern transport. [source: XP Vehicles, via Ubergizmo]

 

Update: Looks like we didn't read the FAQ close enough. The company is targeting to be able to release cars for under $10,000.

Somehow, I don't think I would feel safe driving around in a balloon............

[rob39874 0]

Brings a whole new meaning to the word bubble car though lol

[He Who Shall Not Be Named 2]

One such company is XP Vehicles

They have got to be kidding! You know how often XP crashes?