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Saturday, March 19, 2011

Compressed air.

I'm mainly posting this because because of the previous talk about a compressed air powered Bolwell for Lake Gairdner. The project fell through but who knows?






Is this for real? Or do you think it is a lot of hot air?


To:
 Subject: Fw: AIR POWERED CAR IN INDIA
Air  Powered Car
 Tata  Motors is ready to introduce Air Car - Will it be the next big  thing?  Tata  Motors is taking giant strides and making history for  itself.  First the Land Rover/Jaguar deal, then the world's  cheapest car, and now it is also set to introduce the car  that runs on compressed air.
   cid:BC2A511EB69A439281A079C985E1620F@hinchymai
 cid:4C6FC402EA68425FA4AA6E5911169920@hinchymainWith  spiraling fuel prices it is about time we heard some  breakthrough!

 India's largest  automaker, Tata Motors, is set to start producing the world's  first commercial air-powered  vehicle.
 
 The  Air Car, developed by ex-Formula One engineer Guy Negre for  Luxembourg-based MDI, uses compressed air, as opposed to the  gas-and-oxygen explosions of internal-combustion models, to push  its engine's pistons.  Some 600 zero-emissions Air Cars  are scheduled to hit Indian streets by  August 2011.
 
 The  Air Car, called the "MiniCAT" could cost around Rs. 3,475,225  ($8,177.00) in India and would have a range of around 300 km  between refuels.

The cost of a refill  would be about Rs. 85 ($2.00)

The MiniCAT which is a  simple, light urban car, with a tubular chassis that is glued,  not welded, and a body of fiberglass powered by compressed  air.  Microcontrollers are used in every device in the car,  so one tiny radio transmitter sends instructions to the lights,  indicators, etc.

There are no keys - just  an access card which can be read by the car from your  pocket.  According to the designers, it costs less than 50  rupees per 100 Km (about a tenth that of a petrol car).   Its mileage is about double that of the most advanced electric  car (200 to 300 km or 10 hours of driving), a factor which makes  a perfect choice in cities where 80% of motorists drive at less  than 60 Km.  The car has a top speed of 105  Kmph.

 Refilling the car will,  once the market develops, take place at adapted petrol stations  to administer compressed air.  In two or three minutes, and  at a cost of approximately 100 rupees, the car will be ready to  go another 200-300 kilometers.
cid:B024FB5B58344084A09F86C9B4D67144@hinchymai
  As  a viable alternative, the car carries a small compressor which  can be connected to the mains (220V or 380V) and refill the tank  in 3-4 hours.  Due to the absence of combustion and,  consequently, of residues, changing the oil (1 liter of  vegetable oil) is necessary only every 50,000  Km).
 The  temperature of the clean air expelled by the exhaust pipe is  between 0-15 degrees below zero, which makes it suitable for use  by the internal air conditioning system with no need for gases  or loss of  power.
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5 comments:

  1. degruchMarch 19, 2011 at 9:26 AM

    Some European manufacturers have been at it with compressed air for a few years now, so certainly on the cards. Ratan Tata would be using this for publicity more than anything else - remember his $2k Tata Nano that eventually hit the market...at $8k? Personally, the thought of highly pressurised air as a mode of transport makes me worry about the...BANG!

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  2. ColinMarch 19, 2011 at 11:59 AM

    Angelo Di Pietra has been doing this since 1997 in Melbourne. Refer: www.engineair.com.au. I was introduced to Angelo and inspected the product at least 5 years ago. the French company MDI have also been around that long and have done a deal with Mexican taxis in M City and is the technology Tata seem to be using. Di Pietra engine seems to be the more efficient technology but MIDI the more commercial company.

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  3. ColinMarch 19, 2011 at 1:04 PM

    `The worry about compressed air as a fuel is funny. We use NGV and LPG to run vehicles and stoves yet we would never use gasoline to run our stoves as too dangerous yet our cars have been powered by gasoline for over a century. In developed countries 1 in 4 fires are car fires and tens of thousands of people have been killed by car fires (550 a year are killed in car fires in the USA alone). Compressed fuel cylinders are everywhere in our lives from camping equipment to fire equipment to fly sprays. and simple air by itself is not explosive even with a light source. Yes misdirected compressed air can be dangerous but in our cars we sit between a tank of gasoline and the engine and run fuel lines under our feet to the engine up front so there are multiple fire opportunities. I have used compressed fuel for 20 years with no accidents but I have had a car destroyed by a gasoline fuel fire - no one in it luckily. Never had any issues with compressed air and always had it around many times with large industrial compressors. No doubt people are killed by compressed air incidents (I could find several due to the misuse of the compressed air stream but no record of compressed air explosions or compressed air pressure vessel explosions). I am not referring to cylinders of compressed gases that may be flammable. Give me a compressed air cylinder and air engine in my car any day.

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  4. degruchMarch 23, 2011 at 9:15 AM

    Here's an interesting one guys:

    http://www.carbodydesign.com/2011/03/saline-bird-concept/

    At least when she blows, you'd be unlikely to feel anything, given the proximity of the cylinders. :)

    ReplyDelete
  5. UnknownOctober 13, 2017 at 9:16 PM

    Copper Freer offers reliable and professional air compressor service. We provide our services in Leicester, Peterborough, Corby, Northampton, Nottingham, Derby, UK, Milton Keynes, Kettering, Coventry, and Lincoln. We offer regular services to yearly maintenance.

    ReplyDelete