Interesting new concept car-runs on compressed air

AI Thread Summary
A new concept car powered by compressed air has sparked interest, though concerns have been raised about the viability of its energy efficiency. The technology relies on the extraction of energy from compressed gas, but calculations suggest that the energy output may be significantly lower than traditional fuel sources. The project has faced delays, which raises skepticism about its feasibility and effectiveness. Comparisons to steam and petrol engines highlight the fundamental differences in energy input methods. Overall, while the idea is innovative, its practical application remains questionable.
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Interesting new concept car-runs on compressed "air"

link here : http://www.theaircar.com/

thoughts ?
 
Engineering news on Phys.org
I find it telling that the link to the 'thermodynamics' details is dead.

Who knows though. There is nothing that says that compressed air couldn't be used to power a car, it's just a matter of harvestable energy.
 
The website says: "Although a number dates have been released to the media in the past, the programme required some more time to complete."

That is usually not a good sign.
 
So let's see if I've got this right. I don't know how much energy can be extracted from compressed gas, but my guess is PV/2. (Correct me if I'm horribly wrong) The tank is 100 litres (0.1m^3) at 300 atmospheres (3.10^7 pascals). That gives 1.5 megajoules of energy (less than half a kilowatt hour). A car battery can hold more than twice as much and a single litre of petrol gives more than ten times as much. They claim to be able to do 300 km, so that's 5000 J/km. When cycling I would expect to use about 10^5 J/km. Must be an amazing design! :rolleyes:
 
Hi sry i am relatively new here. I didn't know this was posted here before.
 
it should probably work the same basic way as a steam engine, as that just heats wather to make compressed water vapor
 
And a petrol engine effectively does the same thing too, - heating air to compress it (in a roundabout kinda way), the resulting expansion driving a piston. The key difference is the way the air, steam or whatever, is given its energy.
 
Many years ago I heard Paul Harvey hype such a thing. It was bragged up and was mentioned that it's emissions were non-existant. I thought it was goofy at the time and I still do. Energy of some sort is spent on compressing the air to begin with.
 
  • #10
using wing effect technology, what would be the best thrust motor. one that is in the front or in the back of the aircraft.
how could one get a higher level of flight from the use of wig technology?
 
  • #11
:confused:
jjrwilliams said:
using wing effect technology, what would be the best thrust motor. one that is in the front or in the back of the aircraft.
how could one get a higher level of flight from the use of wig technology?[/QUOTE
 
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