Compressed air powered car $2 a tank possible 1,000 mile range

[seti]

Indian car company with American formula1 engineer.

Air-Powered Car Coming to U.S. in 2009 to 2010 at Sub-$18,000, Could Hit 1000-Mile Range

http://www.popularmechanics.com/automotive/new_cars/4251491.html

he Air Car caused a huge stir when we reported last year that Tata Motors would begin producing it in India. Now the little gas-free ride that could is headed Stateside in a big-time way.

digg_url = 'http://digg.com/autos/Air_Powered_Cars_to_Hit_US_by_2010';

Zero Pollution Motors
(ZPM) confirmed to PopularMechanics.com on Thursday that it expects to
produce the world’s first air-powered car for the United States by late
2009 or early 2010. As the U.S. licensee for Luxembourg-based MDI,
which developed the Air Car as a compression-based alternative to the
internal combustion engine, ZPM has attained rights to build the first
of several modular plants, which are likely to begin manufacturing in
the Northeast and grow for regional production around the country, at a
clip of up to 10,000 Air Cars per year.

And while ZPM is also licensed to build MDI’s two-seater OneCAT economy
model (the one headed for India) and three-seat MiniCAT (like a
SmartForTwo without the gas), the New Paltz, N.Y., startup is aiming
bigger: Company officials want to make the first air-powered car to hit
U.S. roads a $17,800, 75-hp equivalent, six-seat modified version of
MDI’s CityCAT (pictured above) that, thanks to an even more radical
engine, is said to travel as far as 1000 miles at up to 96 mph with
each tiny fill-up.



We’ll believe that when we drive it, but MDI’s new dual-energy
engine—currently being installed in models at MDI facilities
overseas—is still pretty damn cool in concept. After using compressed
air fed from the same Airbus-built tanks in earlier models to run its
pistons, the next-gen Air Car has a supplemental energy source to kick
in north of 35 mph, ZPM says. A custom heating chamber heats the air in
a process officials refused to elaborate upon, though they insisted it
would increase volume and thus the car’s range and speed.



“I want to stress that these are estimates, and that we’ll know
soon more precisely from our engineers,” ZPM spokesman Kevin Haydon
told PM, “but a vehicle with one tank of air and, say, 8 gal. of either conventional petrol, ethanol or biofuel could hit between 800 and 1000 miles.”




Those figures would make the Air Car, along with Aptera’s Typ-1 and Tesla’s Roadster, a favorite among early entrants for the Automotive X Prize, for which MDI and ZPM have already signed up. But with the family-size, four-door
CityCAT undergoing standard safety tests in Europe, then side-impact
tests once it arrives in the States, could it be the first 100-mpg,
nonelectric car you can actually buy?

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If this is the real deal you can sign me up. They can take their oil and shove it. The cars are small and ugly but so what air as fuel.....GENIUS.

[oldtimer]

My understanding of the problem with compressed air is that the tanks to hold it are heavy, causing efficiency difficulties. If the solution has been found around this it would be very sweet!

[Groomlakearea51]

Tata's rolling around.... [6][<)][][].... The car, right!! sorry, sidetracked...

[seti]

I want my Tata's blue.

Actually the Tata's will be distributed in the US via http://zeropollutionmotors.us/ .

To drive the world’s cleanest car is no longer wishful thinking. The
Compressed Air Vehicle is the first affordable and accessible clean
car. It brings us our dream: to drive pollution-free and free of fuel
dependency.

At Lower Speeds: Since the Compressed Air Vehicle
is running exclusively on compressed air, it emits only air - zero
pollution. The air expelled from the tail pipe is actually cleaner than
the air used to fill the tank. This is because before compression, the
air is run through carbon filters to eliminate dirt, dust, humidity,
and other urban air impurities that could hamper the engine’s
performance.

At Higher Speeds: At speeds over 35mph the
Compressed Air Vehicle uses small amounts of fuel–either gasoline,
propane, ethanol or bio fuels–to heat air inside a heating chamber as
it enters the engine. This process produces emissions of only 0.141lbs
of CO2 per mile. That is up to 4 times less than the average vehicle
and more than two times less than the cleanest vehicle available today.
(Toyota Prius 07 Emissions: 0.34 lbs of CO2 per mile. Source:
www.hybridcars.com)

See How the CAE Engine Works

[billybob]

Tata stock bears watching...Roger that....ready here for the puffing dragon......nice... plenty of jiggling...Swell...got a compressor for tire problems in vehicle now.....runs off DC cigar lighter....Yahooo....beats a Yugo.....Canned Good Stuff....darn...

[greg928gts]

I'd like something bigger, how about an SUV/Tahoe with a 500 mile range?

Greg

[seti]

I'd like something bigger, how about an SUV/Tahoe with a 500 mile range?

Greg

Me too but there must be trade offs. If prices don't fall I'm gonna miss my truck : ( I am tired of $4 a gallon.

[greg928gts]

I'd like something bigger, how about an SUV/Tahoe with a 500 mile range?

Greg

Me too but there must be trade offs. If prices don't fall I'm gonna miss my truck : ( I am tired of $4 a gallon.

I hear ya.

I'm one of those people who really can't do without a truck for work.

Greg

[Daddy Dee]

that is very cool. Thanks for the link Seti.

[seti]

that is very cool. Thanks for the link Seti.

It is a little glimmer of hope.

[iwillwalk]

what do you think about investing?

[billybob]

Haven't looked yet but would say has possibly run up since first looking at stock a couple of years ago, when may recall for under $10 per share. Would possibly bear watching and doing DD.

[cmdridq]

I seem to recall a Popular Mechanics article about this same thing, about 20 years ago. Apparently, they're running behind schedule.

[billybob]

I seem to recall a Popular Mechanics article about this same thing, about 20 years ago. Apparently, they're running behind schedule.

20+ years, sounds about right.

[customsteve01]

Did you see how much air and at what pressure the air tank holds???

Compressed Air: 3200 ft3 @ 4500 psi[]

Steve

[michael hurd]

I see.... so you just pull up to the local gas station for a refill of air right... LOL! [6] Can you imagine what the recertification costs would be for the tanks, I can see this as an on-going problem. Might be OK for large cities.... but rural, not going to happen.

[pauln]

No mention that depressurizing of the tank is an endothermic process. That means no heater for driving when it's cold. That heat will have been generated and lost to the atmosphere when the tank was pressurized.

No mention of how much energy it takes to power the engine of the
compressor that compresses the air in the first place to pressurize the
tank.

Something is not adding up here. This thing is like a wind-up toy car - energy used to wind it up, then somewhat less than that energy released to make it go...

All other sources of energy like oil,
solar, wind, geothermal, ocean waves, and nuclear are based on
finding something that is already "wound up" so all we have to do to
use it is get it in the right place at the right time for less than it
costs to do other wise. This compressed air idea would be the same
thing if there were a place to find air that was already compressed and
waiting to be used. But in this case it sounds like someone would have to
"wind up" the air by compressing it (using energy) so we could "unwind it" to drive
the cars (expending energy).

[JJkizak]

Air compressors that pump to 4500 psi are not very widespread. The tank certification will be a nightmare and have to be certified every six months. I have a problem seeing Joe Blow and Jane Blow handling 4500 psi fittings and fillups with fittings and hoses that have to be certified and tested every six months. Congress will have to change the laws and just think of how rich they can get. I can see the headlines now---"Jane Blow severes head while refueling air car with defective hoses repaired by her husband"---.

JJK

[seti]

Boy you guys know how to bring a guy down. There will be hurtles to overcome whatever is next. I just don't want it to be another resource that can be controlled. Something will have to change. I have been looking at getting a 4cyl VW golf or even a 3cyl geo metro LOL.....

[seti]

1991 Geo Metro Ebay $4300

I used to make fun of this car lol. 50MPG!