Air Cars

Christie Walker

Outline

What an air car is Who invented them How they work Recharging compressed air Advantages / disadvantages Models available Where you can get them Cost / grants How they compare to conventional cars

What is an Air Car?

Runs entirely on compressed air held in 300 liter tanks underneath the car

Uses an engine similar to a conventional gasoline engine (piston engine)

Is possible to run one of these cars completely emission free

The mind behind air cars

Invented by French engineer, Guy Negre Retired Formula One engine designer Invented air car engine Motor Development International (MDI) bought

technology / patented idea Negre still employed as lead engineer on team

The Concept of the Engine

Air engine consists of three chamber system– 1 cylinder compression– 1 small combustion chamber– 1 large expansion cylinder

What drives the compression cylinder?

The cylinder used for compressing the air taken from outside is driven by recovered energy.

This energy is recovered from the energy lost in the braking and deceleration process.

How do they work?

First Chamber – takes in air through grill, compresses, heats up air

Second Chamber – mixes the hot compressed air and cool expanded air

(from tanks) pressure drives the piston to drive the engine

Third Chamber –allows for expansion and exhaust of the mixed air from the combustion chamber

Intake and compression cylinder

230 cm³

Expansion and exhaust cylinder

500 cm³

Power max. HP-CEE (kW-CCE)

25 (18.3) at 3000 rpm

Torque max. Kgm-CEE (Nm-CEE)

6.3 (61.7) at 500 – 2500 rpm

Power source Electronically injected compressed air

Oil volume and oil change interval

0.8 liters and about 50,000 km

Maximum speed                         60mph

Acceleration                               0-30 mph: 7

seconds

Re-Acceleration Time                0-30 mph: 3

seconds

Range                                  120 miles or 10

hours

Air car performance

Recharging the Air Car

Two ways to recharge the compressed air tanks

1) Quick refill (2-3 minutes)

2) recharge compressor inside of car through an outside power source (4+ hours)

- solar

- electricity

Disadvantages

Max speed 60 mph (120mph) Power 700cc’s (1600cc’s) Refuel 120 miles (~300 miles) Time to refuel up to 6 hours (max 5 min)

Solution to Disadvantages

To eliminate these problems the air car is also fueled by petrol.

Even on gas alone these cars get 140 miles per gallon

Electronically controlled 50 mph and above – runs on petrol Below 50 mph – runs only on air

Models Available

Because of their speed limitations, these cars are ideal for use in the city

Available as:– Taxis– Pick-up trucks– Delivery vans– Bus prototypes being worked on– Buggy prototype (Bombardier, Canada)

Where can you find air cars?

Being tested and produced in Brignoles, France Hudson Valley, United States

– President of MDI searching for production site here– Employs 130 workers– Produce 2,000 to 6,000 cars per year

Mexico is the first country to mass produce– Bought 40,000– Working to 87,000– Worst pollution in world in that city

How much do they cost?

A car alone only costs $13,000 This does not include:

– 20 year air compressor - $3000– 10 solar panels to charge emission free - $4290

Still less than conventional car, even with large initial costs

Grants

EPA knows about these air cars, trying to incorporate them into United States cities– Offering up to $8000 in grants per car for every car

used for community purposes

Why Air Cars?

Current transportation system not sustainable Much more efficient

– Lighter shell (carbon fiber)– Lighter engine (77 pounds / 1/3 of gas engine)– Longer combustion time in piston to burn fuel better

Emissions – Air car

cleaner air, electricity usage (if applicable)– Conventional Car

Cause lung damage, smog, global warming, etc.

Misc. Facts about Air Cars

Less noise than a gas powered car, not quite as quiet as a hybrid

Handles like a regular car Little danger of rollover because of low center

of gravity Safer in a crash than a conventional car Excellent suspension

Conclusion

Despite some faults, air cars can soon be very real method of transportation

Almost completely sustainable Cheaper than most conventional cars Can improve air quality considerably Can reduce greenhouse gas emissions

considerably