More on the air car

nerfer · 08-08-2008, 02:30 PM

PHEV-type car that is powered by compressed air is reported in this CNN story:

You've heard of hybrids, electric cars and vehicles that can run on vegetable oil. But of all the contenders in the quest to produce the ultimate fuel-efficient car, this could be the first one to let you say, "Fill it up with air."

That's the idea behind the compressed air car, a vehicle its backers say could achieve a fuel economy of 106 miles per gallon.
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The compressed air car will get a chance to prove itself next year when it competes for the Automotive X Prize. The multimillion-dollar award will go to the team that "can win a stage race for clean, production-capable vehicles that exceed 100 mpg equivalent fuel economy," according to the X Prize Foundation.

The air-car concept has also drawn the interest of Tata Motors, India's largest automaker. The company announced an agreement with MDI last year to further develop and refine the technology.

However, the cars have yet to hit the streets in India or anywhere else in the world.

fan-atic · 08-08-2008, 03:58 PM

This sounds a lot like the compressed nitrogen car that the EPA developed in the 90s with the help of Ford Motor. They probably have patents on it. The nitrogen is compressed as a mechanical storage mechanism analogous to a battery. Two UPS trucks have been tooling around Manhattan for the last year using this storage method. Anyone else see the similiarity?

alanh · 08-08-2008, 04:53 PM

The 4500 psi number seems really dubious. You'd need a very strong (and heavy) pressure vessel, along with a massive compressor.

Blegate · 08-08-2008, 04:58 PM

I wonder if the air tank popped if it would go flying around the room

pdhenry · 08-08-2008, 05:00 PM

Hydrogen/Fuel Cell cars need about 10,000 psi to have enough energy density to be worth the trouble, so there's been a lot of research into lightweight pressure vessels in the past 8 years or so. My information is about 5 years old but that was one of the chief research areas H2 fuel cell cars then.

sandman · 08-08-2008, 09:28 PM

Here is a neat video on a couple of air cars:

YouTube - The Air Car

Welshdog · 08-10-2008, 05:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by alanh

The 4500 psi number seems really dubious. You'd need a very strong (and heavy) pressure vessel, along with a massive compressor.

The tanks in the MDI car are carbon fiber - strong but not heavy. There is no reason the compressor would need to be "massive" to achieve 4500psi.

I Googled "5000 psi air compressor" and found numerous companies making systems for scuba divers. They were not overly large and could easily be put in a garage. I'm sure the designers have considered these issues.

Zero Pollution Motors - Air Car

Zythryn · 08-10-2008, 07:06 PM

I am still curious, how much power does it take to compress enough air for a 'tank'?

Leo · 08-10-2008, 07:08 PM

No information was given on how electricity is generated, or if there is any plan to provide cabin heat or defrosting.

jammin012 · 08-10-2008, 08:35 PM

Power would be gereated by an alternator of some sort off the motor.

Doesn't take much power to compress air. It's all about mechanical advantage. We go up to 10K all the time with a feed pressure of >1000psi, we don't like to run the tanks down below 1k because it gets hard on the pump..

The key is volume.

Our firefighting air tanks are pumped to 4.5k and takes about 2 minutes, they're the size of scuba tanks and last about 45 minutes.

08-08-2008, 02:30 PM	#1
nerfer A young senior member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Chicagoland, IL USA, Earth Posts: 1,366 My Car: 2006 Prius Package: #1 Nominated 0 Times in 0 Posts TOTM Awards: 0 Friends: 3	More on the air car PHEV-type car that is powered by compressed air is reported in this CNN story: You've heard of hybrids, electric cars and vehicles that can run on vegetable oil. But of all the contenders in the quest to produce the ultimate fuel-efficient car, this could be the first one to let you say, "Fill it up with air." That's the idea behind the compressed air car, a vehicle its backers say could achieve a fuel economy of 106 miles per gallon. : : The compressed air car will get a chance to prove itself next year when it competes for the Automotive X Prize. The multimillion-dollar award will go to the team that "can win a stage race for clean, production-capable vehicles that exceed 100 mpg equivalent fuel economy," according to the X Prize Foundation. The air-car concept has also drawn the interest of Tata Motors, India's largest automaker. The company announced an agreement with MDI last year to further develop and refine the technology. However, the cars have yet to hit the streets in India or anywhere else in the world. __________________ "We must be the change we seek" - Gandhi

08-08-2008, 03:58 PM	#2
fan-atic Member Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Holliston, MA Posts: 59 My Car: 2007 Prius Package: #2 Nominated 0 Times in 0 Posts TOTM Awards: 0 Friends: 0	Re: More on the air car This sounds a lot like the compressed nitrogen car that the EPA developed in the 90s with the help of Ford Motor. They probably have patents on it. The nitrogen is compressed as a mechanical storage mechanism analogous to a battery. Two UPS trucks have been tooling around Manhattan for the last year using this storage method. Anyone else see the similiarity?

08-08-2008, 04:53 PM	#3
alanh Senior Member Join Date: May 2007 Location: Phoenix, AZ Posts: 464 My Car: 2007 Prius Package: #5 Nominated 0 Times in 0 Posts TOTM Awards: 0 Friends: 0	Re: More on the air car The 4500 psi number seems really dubious. You'd need a very strong (and heavy) pressure vessel, along with a massive compressor.

08-08-2008, 04:58 PM	#4
Blegate Member Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Vancouver, WA Posts: 83 My Car: Package: Nominated 0 Times in 0 Posts TOTM Awards: 0 Friends: 0	Re: More on the air car I wonder if the air tank popped if it would go flying around the room

08-08-2008, 05:00 PM	#5
pdhenry It's HEEERE! Join Date: May 2008 Location: PA Posts: 311 My Car: 2008 Prius Package: #6 Nominated 0 Times in 0 Posts TOTM Awards: 0 Friends: 0	Re: More on the air car Hydrogen/Fuel Cell cars need about 10,000 psi to have enough energy density to be worth the trouble, so there's been a lot of research into lightweight pressure vessels in the past 8 years or so. My information is about 5 years old but that was one of the chief research areas H2 fuel cell cars then.

08-10-2008, 07:06 PM	#8
Zythryn Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Minnesota Posts: 159 My Car: 2008 Prius Package: #6 Nominated 0 Times in 0 Posts TOTM Awards: 0 Friends: 0	Re: More on the air car I am still curious, how much power does it take to compress enough air for a 'tank'?

08-10-2008, 07:08 PM	#9
Leo Leo Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Ottawa, Canada Posts: 55 My Car: 2005 Prius Package: B Nominated 0 Times in 0 Posts TOTM Awards: 0 Friends: 0	Re: More on the air car No information was given on how electricity is generated, or if there is any plan to provide cabin heat or defrosting.

08-10-2008, 08:35 PM	#10
jammin012 The man behind The Man Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Cali Posts: 491 My Car: 2007 Prius Package: #4 Nominated 0 Times in 0 Posts TOTM Awards: 0 Friends: 1	Re: More on the air car Power would be gereated by an alternator of some sort off the motor. Doesn't take much power to compress air. It's all about mechanical advantage. We go up to 10K all the time with a feed pressure of >1000psi, we don't like to run the tanks down below 1k because it gets hard on the pump.. The key is volume. Our firefighting air tanks are pumped to 4.5k and takes about 2 minutes, they're the size of scuba tanks and last about 45 minutes.