Car of the future......

.... I have often wondered about what to do about my next step in the car market. I currently drive a 4.2 litre V8 audi A8 that isn't very carbon footprint or wallet friendly. I also expect these types and size of cars to be priced off the roads in the next couple of years by the Scottish interloper and his cronies, so it's days are numbered.

I've thought about getting the next generation of Smart car with an electric motor for local journeys, but then the electricity bills will spiral, so if I invest in a wind turbine and\or solar panels for my house I could be close to self sufficient in motoring terms, albeit with a hefty upfront investment. I would also have to hide a small petrol sports car away in the garage for high days & holidays!

But then today I hear of a car that runs on hot air (honest!), all I need to do now is find a wife who can power it!! No really, it's a new French (oh dear) designed small car that runs on compressed air, with a range of 200km on one charge & speeds of 110kph it sounds interesting, particularly when you also find out that one of the of worlds largest car manufacturers has bought into it - Tata Motors of India - they have a massive market to tap into and with the worlds oil reserves dwindling, could this be the small car of the future? The greens are already complaining that creating compressed air from electric compressors isn't very energy efficient or eco-friendly as most of the electricity is coal, nuclear or gas power station produced! But in my mind, it's a start.

Link to BBC News website with video of car & designer is here.