of course the rifle blowing up the air tank myth was busted on myth busters...a semi crashing into it might have a different result....
Posted on 02/21/2008 6:16:23 AM PST by ZGuy
A car that runs on air and releases no pollutants into the atmosphere at low speeds could be on sale in India as soon as this year.
The three-seat fibreglass OneCAT weighs only 350kg (770lb) and is expected to be priced at about £2,500. The engine technology is backed by Tata, the Indian conglomerate that last month unveiled the world’s cheapest car, the £1,250 Nano.
Refuelling involves topping up on compressed air, which is used to power the OneCAT’s piston engine. In a couple of minutes - and at a cost of as little as £1 - the vehicle is ready to travel another 200 to 300 kilometres (125 to 185 miles), its inventors said.
The vehicle, which burns small amounts of conventional fuels at higher speeds, has been developed by Moteur Development International (MDI), a French-based, family owned group that has been working on an “air car” for the past decade. “The engine is efficient, cost-effective, scalable and capable of other applications, like power generation,” a spokesman said.
Vivek Chattopadhyaya, of the Delhi-based Centre for Science and Environment, said: “What counts is how much energy all the processes involved require - from manufacturing the car to compressing the air.”
Mass production moved a step closer last year when MDI agreed a partnership with Tata, under which the companies pledged to refine the technology. The Indian group said that the system may represent “the ultimate environ-ment-friendly engine” and is studying its commercial feasibility.
MDI, whose engine is competing with rival technologies that range from electric vehicles and biofuels to hybrid engines and hydrogen-based fuel cells, has said that its first mass-market model could go on sale this year.
Worldwide sales of “zero emission” cars are languishing in the thousands, but with oil prices running at record levels, energy efficiency has become a watchword across the car industry.
According to MDI, its fleet includes cars that could cover 100 kilometres for about 60p. A full tank of compressed air would last for up to ten hours. A top speed of about 70 miles an hour has been claimed. An oil change should be necessary only every 30,000 miles or more and the air expelled from the engine will be clean and cold and can be used in the air conditioning unit.
Vital statistics
Fuel: Compressed air (some conventional fuel at higher speeds)
Cost of refuelling: about £1
Range: 200km to 300km (a full tank should last up to ten hours)
Servicing: OIl change about every 30,000 miles
Seats: Three
Weight: 350kg
Price: about £2,500
Do you think they’ll mount the sail on the top or the trunk?
...on an alpine downhill course.
Don’t try this in California. Smog rules are very strict—You cannot modify your engine in any way, even if it improves mileage or reduces smog. Guys have switched their systems to propane and passed the smog check with all the indicators reading zero, only to be told they had to rip it out again. Rules are rules you know.
For some reason the vision of a june bug on the front grill of a Kenworth comes to mind........
What's the stock symbol? I want to buy some too.
Is it PHSST?
MDI has been trying to foist this car on the world for more than 10 years now. They have made all sorts of claims and promises. I wouldn’t hold my breath waiting for this car.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/988265.stm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/2281011.stm
It doesn’t run on air. It runs on electricity. The air is only a way to transfer the energy to the engine.
I have visions of the car flying about in the air like a balloon when you let go of the neck.
“No Food for Fuel” Good one
Interesting, but I’d have to see some data before I believe it would actually make a difference.
Notice he needs a 30 amp circuit to make it work? I’m not sure how much power it takes to turn that alternator to put out an extra 20 to 30 amps that that hydrogen generator (not a fuel cell) draws.
Very ingenious never the less.
What sould we do with our mountains of surplus food stuffs?
Not really an issue. As a firefighter I go into burning buildings with a 4500 psi tank on my back all the time. As to Home Depot not selling the generators, well, nobody sold internet access until there was an internet. Compression to 4500 psi isn't a big deal, technologically, and the price could come down substantially if these compressors were made and sold in mass quantities. I still have doubts about the system, but they're more with efficiency and practicality. If you make a vehicle small and light enough, it can go 100-150 miles on a gallon of gas. This vehicle is so small you could power it with a fly fart. Most people need something to move more weight than this vehicle will move.
The Aussie have taken over the patent. People are running on Browns gas for free. Water is free. Free is a very good price and a lot better than paying $ 3 per gallon for gasoline.
of course the rifle blowing up the air tank myth was busted on myth busters...a semi crashing into it might have a different result....
Another concern is the air tank. To carry enough compressed air for any reasonable range, the pressure must be enormous. If the tank is breached in a accident the explosion would be devastating. No fire with it though; that's a good thing.
Instead politicians are pushing light rail nobody uses.
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Don’t even get me started on this.....can we get a high speed train instead of this outdated crap....you must live in OR or WA.
Where would you get something like that or have it installed?
Is this like the high school science project where you take a container with a copper fitting hooked up to a battery in a bed of softener salt covered by water and watch the hydrogen bubbles appear through electrolysis?
If so, that’s a neat little idea.
Do they have a picture of the hood ornaments?
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