The Air Car! Too good to be true? Nope.

So there is this new car in development that runs on compressed air and conventional gasoline. The car has zero emissions in the city, has a range of 2000 kilometers, and only uses the gas when the air needs to be re-compressed. If the air runs out and you begin using gas, you can pull over to the gas station and hook up to the compressed air machines (for tires) and fill up the air tank with a dollar or two (or sometimes it is even free) and you are good to go for another 500-600, 1000 miles, whatever.

www.theaircar.com

Besides, they are so damn cute, especially the mini and the pickup truck.

 

That's wicked bad!!!!

 

Fake?

 

Given my psuedo credentials I say that's highly questionable....even if it were true it's only a step in the right direction anyway as fuel is burned to recompress the air.

 

the car is in development....but it has a limited range on compressed air....uses electricity that is produced from fossil fuels power plants to recharge the compressed air tank , which is inefficient .......it is pretty much not a good idea....

 

I disagree.

 

Ummm, why? How much do you know about thermodynamics?

 

The electric power grid is generally far more efficient than most internal combustion engines. Hybrid and compressed air powered engines are definitely an improvement over standard gasoline powered engines.

 

if thats true that is all cool, and also in a magazine the new nissan skyline which is due out in 2008 or somthin has something like a mix between electric powered and petrol driven

 

yeah, so? Then go bio-diesel. Better yet, ride your bike. Have you been to Northern Arizona? have you seen Glen Canyon and the other dam projects? Still think electricty has any merit? What about the Appalacians? have you seen a mountain with it's top sheared off to get at the coal inside? Any technology that uses electricity (hydrogen included) is a step in the wrong direction. Granted, my bio-diesel processor uses about 2 hours of electricity per batch, but I'm working on solar hot water transfer to heat it.

 

I never said that electricity was perfect, just an improvement over gas powered engines. I agree that biodiesel (or preferably, straight vegetable oil) is better yet.

 

http://www.goodideacreative.com/shfc_sys.html

 

Okay, they get them working and working well, and affordable, I'd get the car. Be good to have something helpful to the envivorment since they can't make a truck the way I need it. Safe and able to pull at least 2 tons. *le sigh*

 

I also agree in that biodiesel and veggie oil are improvements over modern methods, but not even close to a good solution. the problem is that veggie oil (and biodiesel) engines promote the growing of monocultures. monoculture farms are terrible for the environment. the only real solution is to not drive...

 

Depends on the speed, motors (the electric sort) run great at high speeds but generate very little torque in their best speed ranges, an internal combustion engine despite being awful at low speeds and very very high speeds produces wonderful torque in the mid and low ranges, a rotary engine works better at higher speeds but is just as bad in low speeds, if you had a hybrid electric rotary (which hasn't happened yet) you'd have a nice sports car, if you ran it ethanol you could get amazing compression and it would pwn.

 

This compressed air car is bogus. Simple physics says so: You put in X joules of energy (from petrol) to compress the air. You then have (if your engine is 100% efficient) X joules stored in the air tank. Now run your car, and use the X joules. This is exactly the same as if you had just used the petrol to run the car. Further, if you use an electrically powered compressor, then where does the electricity come from? This (supposed) invention just adds another layer of waste between burning fuel and running the car. Get bio-diesel, like the man says! ;-D

 

I haven't read every corner of the website, but it doesn't use electricity... does it? I know it uses gas still. Eh, I don't know. It seems reasonable to me, but I'm not a mechanical engineer.

 

This assumes that petrol is used to compress the air, which isn't necessarily true. Electricity can come from coal, wind, solar, nuclear, hydro, etc. Again, none of these are perfect, but I suspect that most are less polluting per joule than a gasoline powered automobile. An electric lawn mower is much less polluting than a gas powered one.

 

As you say, it all depends on the power source. But, the idea of a compressed-air car doesn't add anything to the situation; if you have a clean source of power, then you can just have an electric car. No need for compressed air; i think that must be some kind of hoax.

 

USA and Australia have heaps of coal. Supplies of crude oil are another matter.