[loungitude]

stupid idea! compressed air as an energy storage mechanism is extremely inefficient.

[b4its2late]

How does the compressed air get into the compressed air holder thingy? Probably takes a gas engine to pump it on there.

[Norm Lenhart]

Yup. Air as a means to power a sailboat is about the only way it works.

Still takes gas/coal/nuke to compress the air otherwise and that WASTES energy. Far more efficient to use the gas/coal/nuke directly. AND less polluting because of it.

[Cboldt]

There is a diagram in the article. The energy stored in the compressed gas is created and transferred with hydraulics. The compressed air is trapped in what is referred to as a hydraulic accumulator. Efficient enough.

[A Formerly Proud Canadian]

Are they worse that electric hybrids? High voltage, heavy metal, heavy vehicles carrying a lot more force when they crash than a non-hybrid, difficult to quench fires, toxic fumes, etc.

If the French can make a compressed air hybrid car work, more power to them! If they did, it would sure be a black eye to Government Motors.

[St_Thomas_Aquinas]

-— stupid idea! compressed air as an energy storage

---

Yes. But if the energy is free, I.e., harnessed from braking energy, then it’s not such a bad idea, if the car is tiny. And the cool air generated by decompression could be used for a/c

[USFRIENDINVICTORIA]

You can offset some of the energy lost as heat during compression, by using the cold exhaust air to cool the interior of the vehicle. The air-powered Tata, being developed in India, will use the exhaust air for cooling. Here's a link to an article and photo of the Tata. On the pro side, it looks like it beats walking.

http://www.smartplanet.com/blog/smart-takes/in-india-an-air-powered-car/26429

Note that the efficiency claims only apply to urban driving -- stop-and-go driving, in other words. It all has to do with recapturing braking energy. The Peugeot would capture braking energy as compressed air. A compressor can capture short bursts of energy much faster than a battery can. electric hybrid (such as a Prius), because batteries can't store small bursts of energy as quickly as a compressor. The more braking energy that's captured and reused, the more efficient the vehicle. That doesn't work well on the open road, where there's little braking energy to recapture.

[Calvin Locke]

"[insert leftist fad here] as an energy storage mechanism is extremely inefficient."

That's not going to stop them, particularly is there's gub'mint money involved.

I'm pretty sure this was tried in India about a decade ago, iirc.

[Hootowl]

India has been doing it for a while with no apparently problems.