The incredible properties of carbon nanotube technology means light weight material, transparency and strengths 50-250 times that of steel. This means added safety to aircraft, cars, buses and trains. It also means tremendous efficiencies in fuel. Indeed such material maybe used to build houses, bridges and buildings in the path of potential storm surges from Super Hurricanes or over Earthquake faults. Since it can be very flexible it maybe the perfect material. Unfortunately the costs to produce a single carbon nanotube sheet is presently so expensive that any material made will be immediately allotted to the very most important uses. For instance Space Ships, Presidential Limousine, military aircraft, bulletproof vests or testing its properties in labs. Therefore it will be a long time until we have large amounts of the material to make trucks, school buses and passenger cars with it, although that will surely come in time. In the case of school buses most school districts are strapped with cash and cannot afford to replace buses due to budget constraints. Indeed, the high diesel prices are putting even more of a burden on the transportation divisions in school districts now, as well as city buses. The safety in the future will come from buses being less top heavy and therefore fewer will tip over. The efficiency in fuel costs will come from the incredible reduction in weight. Right now the cost for a carbon nanotube sheet is very high, however in five years that may not be the case and in ten years carbon nanotube sheets will be mass-produced by most industrialized nations. Think on this. |
