What do you think?

See video at: http://got2begreen.com/car-that-runs-200-miles-on-compressed-air/



By Matt Sullivan
Published in the June 2007 issue.

India’s largest automaker is set to start producing the world’s first commercial air-powered vehicle. The Air Car, developed by ex-Formula One engineer Guy Nègre for Luxembourg-based MDI, uses compressed air, as opposed to the gas-and-oxygen explosions of internal-combustion models, to push its engine’s pistons. Some 6000 zero-emissions Air Cars are scheduled to hit Indian streets in August of 2008.

Barring any last-minute design changes on the way to production, the Air Car should be surprisingly practical. The $12,700 CityCAT, one of a handful of planned Air Car models, can hit 68 mph and has a range of 125 miles. It will take only a few minutes for the CityCAT to refuel at gas stations equipped with custom air compressor units; MDI says it should cost around $2 to fill the car’s carbon-fiber tanks with 340 liters of air at 4350 psi. Drivers also will be able to plug into the electrical grid and use the car’s built-in compressor to refill the tanks in about 4 hours.

Of course, the Air Car will likely never hit American shores, especially considering its all-glue construction. But that doesn’t mean the major automakers can write it off as a bizarre Indian experiment — MDI has signed deals to bring its design to 12 more countries, including Germany, Israel and South Africa.

Source and much more on topic: http://www.popularmechanics.com/automotive/new_cars/4217016.html

The version they are planning to release in the US in 2010 has a multi-fuel air compressor which holds eight gallons of fuel. When the air tank's pressure runs down it kicks in to recharge the tank. One gallon of gas or diesel will compress enough air to go just over 100 miles. So it will tout 100+ miles to the gallon. It can also be charged up at home with the electric compressor that takes 4 hours or filling stations with a compressor will be able to charge the tank for those not wanting to use gas.

Hope they hurry. I was kinda dreaming of getting two this year. I need it yesterday. LOL

I heard also something about the possibility that they will install a generator in the car so it can continually recharge the tank. But I suppose that is hoping for too much!

All glue? Wonder what happens during the monsoon season?

Here's some more info on the air-car:

The Air Car is the wider name for a number of models planned for production by MDI, including a 3-seat MiniCat due for 2008 and a 5-seat CityCat, among others. Their engines will either be dedicated compressed air engines—which release compressed air to activate the pistons—or dual fuel engines, using both compressed air and conventional gasoline. Either way, it’s hard to argue with compressed air as a clean, abundant, and inexpensive fuel source.


What We Like

• The price. Depending on the model, these will retail for about $12,500 up to $16,000

• The performance. The MiniCat, running only on a compressed air engine, has a top speed of 68 mph and a range of as many as 120 miles.

• The recharge. Overnight at home, it will require about 4 hours. At a proposed recharging station, as a few as 4 minutes

• The oil needs. A liter of vegetable oil can last the vehicle about 31,000 miles.

• The emissions. At the tailpipe, emissions are zero. However, air compression—whether done at a station or at home—requires electricity, which is typically generated using fossil fuels.


What We Don’t Like

• The construction. These all-fiberglass cars are glued together, meaning they have little hope of finding their way to America, where additional sales could mean a huge boost to alternative fuel vehicles.

• The design. This may seem like nit-picking or like asking too much, but the proposed model designs bear a lot in common with the ugly functionality of Neighborhood Electric Vehicles.

I have an air compressor with a small tank in which the compressed air is stored at up to 125 psi. It will run my air wrench for a couple of minutes before the compressor starts. If the power is off my wrench very soon becomes useless. The small storage tank is quite heavy for it's size in order to be safe at 125 psi.

In short... someone is having fun pulling your leg my friend...better you stay with theology! mel

Do the math! A tiny 50 cc engine at 5000 RPM would use how many litres of air in an hour? How big a tank would be required to store that many litres of comressed air? And performance would drop at a flat rate from max pressure down to zero.

mel

It is no joke. Here is the article from Popular Mechanics.
Air-Powered Car Coming to U.S. in 2009 to 2010 at Sub-$18,000, Could Hit 1000-Mile Range



Couple of things. If it takes four hours to compress the air in the tank with 110 volt the pressure is going to be well above 125 psi. Secondly, there is some kind of a heat chamber the makes the air expand before going into the engine. These guys are thinking outside the box.

The "glue" is probably a type of epoxy. As long as it can pass the safety tests it is undergoing it shouldn't be an issue.

Thank you, Shane. My reason for posting it here was to bring out these very kinds of discussions and points.

Even if it does not prove to be "the solution," it seems to me to be a good beginning contribution to the effort of finding solutions.

Consider a 10 cfm compressor running steady for 4 hours ..2400 cubic feet. How big is that tank and what does it weigh? Do the math!

mel