Fill 'er up... with air

http://www.cnn.com/2008/TECH/08/08/air.car/index.html

A development group is proposing a hybrid car that runs on compressed air and gasoline.

I found it interesting that someone was concerned by the proposed 4,800 psi pressure; medical oxygen tanks generally run at 2,000 psi, and SCUBA tanks routinely run over 3,000 psi. It will hardly take a technological breakthrough to make 4,800 psi air tanks, though I admit that off-the-shelf might not be possible.

The technical details weren't clear to me from the article, but it almost sounded like the car would function as a jet at high speeds; sucking in air and heating it with a bit of fuel to create power. The idea has a certain appeal to me as someone who works in the aviation industry. :-)