A Look At The Future Of Compressed Air Cars
Posted 22/03/2008 by Himanshu
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Posted in Autos
The future of cars lies in air cars. The mechanics involved in the functioning of these compressed air cars is compressed air that is released for propulsion purposes. This idea of building compressed air cars have been on the drawing board for many years but is very close to reaching commercial markets today.
In this car, air is compressed into a tank, at high pressure, with the help of an electric pump. This is done with the intention of storing energy, as in a battery. This energy is used for powering the car by allowing the stored air to escape like it does in a combustion engine. With this, the air presses on the vehicle’s pistons, to run the car.
It is possible to recharge the electric pumps of the car using a standard electrical outlet. It should be remembered that this futuristic compressed air car is not a hybrid vehicle because of its pump and outlet. It is just a compressed air car.
Advantages of the car
The advantage of this car over other cars is that it can be used to reach top speeds of about 65 mph, while reaching a range of over 100 miles. In fact, this is a car that offers high efficiency than most other BEVs can actually reach.
When compared to other vehicles, the emissions from this car are mostly cold air and not hot air. If you intend to buy this car, do it soon as some of the currently available models are available in limited quantities. However they are available at low rates, of under $15,000.
There is no need of having any additional form of infrastructure for supporting the car. Moreover, its mechanical designs are rather simple and easy to understand. So there is no problem in getting the car repaired if you find any problems with it.
The greatest advantage of the compressed air car is that there is no fear of the car suffering from any damage that will usually arise from continuous battery use and combustion in other cars.
Disadvantages of a compressed air car
There is basically only one disadvantage with this car, which is the fact that the pump that is used for compressing air requires electrical energy. This electrical energy that is used is currently produced using more of fossil fuels.
There are many models of compressed air cars in the making, where the most exciting model is Tata Motors’ AirCar. This is a car that is estimated to reach speeds of 68 mph, with a range of 125 miles. It is to be retailed for under $13,000 while its electric pump can be recharged in a matter of four hours, while its tank gets filled with compressed air within five minutes’ time.
Now, the next question that comes to your mind is the future of compressed air cars. Basically, with so much of hype covering battery electric and fuel cell vehicles, though compressed air cars have a strong position here, they still have a long way to go in their stages of development.
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Tags | car, compressed, compressed air car, electric pump
June 6th, 2008 at 9:49 pm
is it not possible to make a dynamo on the car that makes electricety to drive the electric airpump so the airtank can always be full with air . you only have to fill the airtank 1 time and than never again .
February 7th, 2009 at 4:02 pm
Tata Motors has no current plans to produce an air car.
If and I repeat IF those in the media had an understanding of the thermodynamic principles involved they would realize this air car will never reach the performance they claim. Learn the science behind a subject before acting as a cheerleader for a totally unproven technology.
The tank in the air car can not hold enough air to move the vehicle the distances claimed, in tests the car traveled less than 5 miles. There are huge energy losses in the compression of AIR, then when the air expands you have losses again.
This is a scam the promoters have made many productions claims in the past 10 years, they have never demonstrated a vehicle capable of doing what they claim.
There claims are outrageous so as to garner FREE publicity by an uneducated media intent on gaining readers. The media provides fee advertising so these people can sell franchises for a idea that can not do as they say. Air engines have been around for 150 years and nobody has overcome the very low energy density of stored compressed air.
There are tables on the internet that show the amount of energy in compressed air, do some research you will see there is not enough energy in the volumes and pressures claimed to move a vehicle more than a few miles. The promoters play upon the psychology of those who want to believe in cheap energy, so those people do not look into “minor” details such as thermodynamics principles. It will not be good for more than a round of golf, 120 miles…not enough energy to do that, dream all that you want.