Car to run compressed air.....

[2010civic]

Got this in an email today. The pictures would not copy over. Interesting though.

Will it be the next big thing?



This is the company that currently owns Jaguar Company in England.
Will it be the next big thing?
Tata Motors of India thinks so.
What will the Oil Companies do to stop it?

It is an auto engine that runs on air. That's right; air not gas or diesel or electric but just the air around us. Take a look.




Tata Motors of India has scheduled the Air Car to hit Indian streets by August 2012



The Air Car, developed by ex-Formula One engineer Guy N. For Luxembourg-based MDI, uses compressed air to push its engine's pistons and make the car go.

The Air Car, called the "Mini CAT" could cost around 365,757 rupees in India or $8,177 US.

The Mini CAT which is a simple, light urban car, with a tubular chassis, a body of fiberglass that is glued not welded and powered by compressed air. A Microprocessor is used to control all electrical functions of the car. One tiny radio transmitter sends instructions to the lights, turn signals and every other electrical device on the car. Which are not many.

The temperature of the clean air expelled by the exhaust pipe is between 0-15 degrees below zero, which makes it suitable for use by the internal air conditioning system with no need for gases or loss of power.

There are no keys, just an access card which can be read by the car from your pocket. According to the designers, it costs less than 50 rupees ($1) per 100 KM (62 miles), that's about a tenth the cost of a car running on gas. It's mileage is about double that of the most advanced electric car, a factor which makes it a perfect choice for city motorists. The car has a top speed of 105 KM per hour or 60 mph and would have a range of around 300 km or 185 miles between refuels. Refilling the car will take place at adapted gas stations with special air compressors. A fill up will only take two to three minutes and costs approximately 100 rupees (about $2) and the car will be ready to go another 300 kilometers.

This car can also be filled at home with it's on board compressor. It will take 3-4 hours to refill the tank, but it can be done while you sleep.

Because there is no combustion engine, changing the 1 liter of vegetable oil is only necessary every 50,000 KM or 30,000 miles. Due to its simplicity, there is very little maintenance to be done on this car.

This Air Car almost sounds too good to be true. We'll see in August. 2012

[Frank Lee]

Been there, done that.

[UFO]

Been waiting a while for this "revolutionary" vehicle. Air power is not rocket science or new.

[user removed]

5 year old design.

Original range claims never confirmed in 5 years.

Pay special attention to the fact it takes 30 KW of electrical energy to store 14.3 KW of air power.

Compressed air car - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

It may work for very short haul in India, but it will never work in the US. Efficiency overall listed at 5-7%.

regards
Mech

[Ryland]

Originally Posted by 2010civic

It is an auto engine that runs on air. That's right; air not gas or diesel or electric but just the air around us.

My electric car runs on electrons and electrons are all around us too, just like air, the trick is capturing those electrons and making them do the work I want and with an "air car" as has already been pointed out, it's really an air battery that is charged by electricity via an electric compressor.

The Air Car, called the "Mini CAT" could cost around 365,757 rupees in India or $8,177 US.

The Mini CAT which is a simple, light urban car, with a tubular chassis, a body of fiberglass that is glued not welded and powered by compressed air. A Microprocessor is used to control all electrical functions of the car. One tiny radio transmitter sends instructions to the lights, turn signals and every other electrical device on the car. Which are not many.

It also weighs around 1,200 pounds, not because of the engine, but because it's a light plastic car that has a top speed of 60mph.

The temperature of the clean air expelled by the exhaust pipe is between 0-15 degrees below zero, which makes it suitable for use by the internal air conditioning system with no need for gases or loss of power.

Perfect for India, where the winter lows are around 50F and you have hot summers, so I assume that -15F is the temp in the winter when the air tank is 50F, so a 65F drop in temp is not bad and is even kind of nice in the summer, but at my house today it's 2F outside because of our nice winter weather, so I would assume that because we pulled the same amount of energy out of that compressed air that it's going to cool the same amount, right? so negative 60F exhaust and this morning it would have been negative 75F exhaust... at what point does the engine oil turn in to a solid mass and my engine and exhaust become so cold that it shatters?

[pete c]

I would think that it comes down to compressor efficiency. Fill ups done at central locations using ginormous highly efficient compressors is probably economically feasible. Doing at home on a small electric compressor, not so much.

And how large is the tank?

What pressure is it at when full?

Is this a safety issue?

Would it turn your car into a rocket, were it to come uncorked?

[Frank Lee]

You guys should dig for the threads on this that are already here.

[pete c]

Originally Posted by Frank Lee

You guys should dig for the threads on this that are already here.

Or better yet, discuss it in doug's thread.

Sorry, but I had to.