The Ghost of the Stanley Steamer - August 9th, 2008
Yesterday while I was on the exercise bike I was reading Ghost Hunting by Jason Hawes and Grant Wilson, the guys from the Ghost Hunters show. In the chapter on the Stanley Hotel in Estes Park, Colorado, the text explained that the guy who built the place was one of the Stanley brothers responsible for the famous Stanley Steamer automobiles, a popular model done in by the arrival of internal combustion engines.
This morning, when I finally got around to reading this CNN article, “106 mpg ‘Air Car’ Creates Buzz, Questions,” ole Mr. Stanley came to mind. Do we once again live in the age of experimental vehicles, or what? Click on over and you’ll read the tale of a compressed air car, a fuel-efficient marvel based on technology developed in 1991 by a French guy. The short version is that the concept is like an old-fashioned locomotive. Compressed air, not steam, moves pistons in the engine.
A six-seat version is planned for the American market and promises speeds of 90 mph with a range of 800 miles. Tanks of compressed air will be placed under the floor and there will be an eight-gallon fuel tank. It’s an interesting concept, yet another alternative take on propulsion spurred forward by alarmingly high gasoline and growing environmentalism. Will it ever see fruition? Only time will tell, but if one of the ghosts at the Stanley Hotel is the man himself, he may be smiling as he goes about his ectoplasmic business.
Posted on August 9th, 2008 by Shorty
Filed under: alternative fuels |
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