I would think the only comparison that mattered would be the owner's cost per mile. That would vary depending on the cost of gasoline and electricity in the area under consideration. I guess the cost of the vehicle should be considered in the equation, as well as annual maintenance.
If money is no concern, this is possible. Solar cells are expensive and inefficient, so it would take quite a lot to make a difference. Having a solar/wind charging system at home, keeping a set of storage batteries fully charged, would be nice. You could plug in and dump a bunch of volts into your car in a short time. You could easily go many miles, just not many miles from home.
Don't get the wrong idea! I believe electric cars are great for local commuting. If you want to go farther than 100 miles from home, use a gas car. Most folks would only use the gas car a couple of times per months.
The personal helicopter theory fits too well. Even the comment about IT being a hovering device. I believe IT will be something similar to this:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/sci/tech/newsid_8 93000/893200.stm
Only, Kamen's version will use an environmentally friendly power source. Perhaps a compressed air engine, or a version of the Stirling engine he is so fond of.
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I would think the only comparison that mattered would be the owner's cost per mile. That would vary depending on the cost of gasoline and electricity in the area under consideration. I guess the cost of the vehicle should be considered in the equation, as well as annual maintenance.
If money is no concern, this is possible. Solar cells are expensive and inefficient, so it would take quite a lot to make a difference. Having a solar/wind charging system at home, keeping a set of storage batteries fully charged, would be nice. You could plug in and dump a bunch of volts into your car in a short time. You could easily go many miles, just not many miles from home. Don't get the wrong idea! I believe electric cars are great for local commuting. If you want to go farther than 100 miles from home, use a gas car. Most folks would only use the gas car a couple of times per months.
The personal helicopter theory fits too well. Even the comment about IT being a hovering device. I believe IT will be something similar to this: http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/sci/tech/newsid_8 93000/893200.stm
Only, Kamen's version will use an environmentally friendly power source. Perhaps a compressed air engine, or a version of the Stirling engine he is so fond of.