Air-Powered Car Coming to U.S. in 2009 to 2010 at Sub-$18,000

[tinrobot]

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

The 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.

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.

http://www.popularmechanics.com/automotive/new_cars/4251491.html?series=19

[ixion]

1. very, very cool

can't wait to test drive one. :woohoo:

[uppityperson]

2. k&r

[CRF450]

3. Pretty cool, but damn they're ugly!

[diane in sf]

19. Might be fun to paint one to look like an insect. People thought VWs were ugly too.

[lumberjack_jeff]

4. Must be powered by that new cold fusion breakthrough.

Oh, that's right. *That* turned out to be bullshit.

Believe it when I see it. I will say that I'd think twice before I hopped onto a tank of compressed air with enough pressure to power a vehicle 1000 miles at 96mph - after accounting for efficiency losses.

If the tank contains the potential energy to power a car that far horizontally, it has the energy to launch a 200# guy a significant distance vertically. Like suborbital distances. :yoiks:

[tinrobot]

5. Compressed air alone only gets it to 35mph

The 'supplemental' energy source makes it go faster by heating the compressed air before it hits the engine.

The article indicates this energy source will be 8-10 gallons of petrol, ethanol or biofuel. So, 10 gallons of fuel to get the claimed 1000 mile range makes it a 100mpg car... certainly not out of the question.

[sam sarrha]

15. i dont think you are correct, they have been using these for years, never heard that, i believe they

they go 55 and the heater adds 35mph to 90

[tinrobot]

21. I'm just going from the information in the article

Here's the quote:

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.”

[lynnertic]

6. OMG that's like, science.

:hide:

[bigbrother05]

7. Your physics are pretty good

Would like details of how the Airbus provided tanks are filled. You're not going to get that kind of pressure with that Craftsman compressor sitting in your garage. I'd be more frightened of an accident during the "refill" cycle, that's where user error is most likely to happen. Interesting twist to have a heater to give a boost.

For myself, a vehicle that could have enough range (200 - 300 miles) to give a commuter a week or two of driving between charges would be pretty good. Still have to wonder how much a hypercompressor will set you back to keep one running? Thinking it through a bit more, to get anywhere near that kind of range, you'd most likely have to be using liquefied air with its associated issues.

As you've said, lots of unanswered questions.

[sam sarrha]

9. multi stage compressor, i heard it is a 4 hour refill.

[whopis01]

11. That's only if you use the internal compressor

It can be filled up from other CA sources in a very short amount of time.

[sam sarrha]

16. it is a special compressor, i believe will over 120 psi

[OKIsItJustMe]

12. "I'd think twice before I hopped onto a tank of compressed air"

Do you think twice before hopping onto a tank of gasoline with a similar amount of energy?

(I understand your concern, but...)

[sam sarrha]

18. doesnt work like you think, piston compresses external air, a little is added in th compression

stroke. that air, with a 'little' added, heats up under the compression, expanding it even more.. the piston connecting rod is articulated, and on a cam, exponentially increasing the speed and distance of the last part of the stroke. it's power comes from heat expansion of the air, the interior of the car is heated with the exhaust when its cold, the car cleans the external air by filtration, the vast majority of the air it uses..

[sam sarrha]

8. motorcycles...

[fascisthunter]

10. Yet American Companies Say They "Can't"....

surrrre they can't. Get rid of the stupid businessmen running these American companies.

[OKIsItJustMe]

13. Ummm... Isn't New Paltz, NY in "America" any more?

New Paltz, NY

[fascisthunter]

14. I Was Referring to GM, Ford.... the known Auto Manufacturers

who are currently losing stature in the US. And I'm not impressed that one startup is finally making it's way into the market, but I am pleasantly surprised. It's about time and maybe too late in regards to global warming, but a positive none the less.

PS - I recommended the article.

[OKIsItJustMe]

17. It's an okay article

I've been following the technology for a while.

This is one of a few competing technologies. Start with this video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D-A3XHFT5qc

[tinrobot]

22. It's the exact same technology.

This car is actually licensing the technology from MDI, the company featured in the video.

[OKIsItJustMe]

25. You misunderstood

I said to "start" with that video. It was part 1. Here's part 2:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dq8aZVLpf-c

Once you're there, check out the "related" videos...

[fascisthunter]

27. thanks (nt)

[diane in sf]

26. They're greedy, interlocking boards of directors with oil companies.

They're stupid like W, the kind of stupidity that works to their short term advantage with no regard for the future. It's why they always get surprised by stuff like Toyota hybrids.

[fascisthunter]

28. You Know What diane

Bush isn't stupid. He knows what he is doing. Evil and pathological is much more precise, but I understand why someone would claim that the man was stupid. In essence the end result of what pathological maniacs like Bush do to the World around them is stupid.

I just fear people will buy into his "stupid" yet calculated demeanor and claim he really didn't know what was going on. Bush is very intelligent and not as stupid as his "act" would fool one to believe. I know somebody who has tipped me on the man. It's all I can say... he isn't stupid but very very calculated.

[OKIsItJustMe]

29. As I've said...

I like to follow "Hanlon's Razor."

“Never attribute to malice that which can be adequately explained by stupidity.”

However, when stupidity ceases to be an adequate explanation...

[eppur_se_muova]

20. K&R. nt

[Systematic Chaos]

23. Bookmarked....

...for easy reference in a couple years. :evilgrin:

[speedbird]

24. how much energy is stored as compressed air? .n/t

[kristopher]

30. CAES Compressed Air Energy Storage - google it

It has been successfully used at the utility scale to store energy produced during offpeak periods. It is then used with natural gas to drive a turbine when demand is high. This process reduces the natural gas required to produce X amount of electricity by between 60-80%. It has been in use for decades in two places.

It will be interesting to see an objective tally of the benefits/costs of using this process for transportation. I suspect it isn't going to help with most of our environmental or economic problems related to fossil fuels, but I'm definitely curious.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compressed_air_energy_storage