[SD_Scott]

Check this out. Don't know if it's a real solution or not but it's brilliant.

http://www.motordeaire.com/ing/UKPressrelease.html

[Cyrus]

Discussed here.

[Sys1]

One second, i thought it was a flying car

[BabyPeanut]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('SD_Scott', 'C')heck this out. Don't know if it's a real solution or not but it's brilliant.

http://www.motordeaire.com/ing/UKPressrelease.html

[Battle_Scarred_Galactico]

I was expecting the flying one, oh well.

(As rediculous as it is the flying car is pretty cool)

[uNkNowN ElEmEnt]

I've been watching the air car for about three years now. The air gets into the tank via compressor. they say that until fuelling stations are built (cause they may not be economical since air is a lot cheaper than selling gas for the retailers) that you could use dive shops.

They have a couple of cars that have apparently been doing road test for a couple of years (there are a couple of taxis for example). most critics say that they don't go as far or as fast as they claim. there still isn't enough action by possible investors to bring it mainstream. which sucks cause its such a great idea.

[BabyPeanut]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('uNkNowN ElEmEnt', 'T')he air gets into the tank via compressor.

[uNkNowN ElEmEnt]

Ok smartypants, I see your point now.

[BabyPeanut]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('uNkNowN ElEmEnt', 'O')k smartypants, I see your point now.

[muhandis]

Sorry, it is not as it appears. I checked with some experts at the Federal government when we were evaluating the technology, and although the motor works and is functional, there are severe problems with its range if running only on compressed air (I believe that it doesn't have the claimed range).

The hybird version might make more sense. Cool concept though, I hope they get more of the bugs out.

I haven't checked back for about a year now on what is happening with the concept. There is a video clip on Radio-Canada Découverte back about 2002 on the car.

www.mdi.lu

[BabyPeanut]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('muhandis', 'T')he hybird version might make more sense.

[pilferage]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('BabyPeanut', 'A')nd the motor uses what? Say it: energy from _____.

[BabyPeanut]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('pilferage', 'T')he most inefficient compressors are in the %10-15 range.

[turmoil]

I guess the 'Other, 0.2%' must be mice running on a treadmill.

[pilferage]

If we're talking about the air car then lets be realistic. It's designed in France and will probably sell first in France. They produce 415 bkwh from nuclear (I believe this includes transmission losses, but I'm not sure), and export a significant portion of that (not sure how much exactly).

We know pressure=energy/volume, so the energy used to take the car ~150 miles is (350bars)*(400l)= (101325(350)N/M^2)*(.4)m^3= 14185500N*m or Joules. Now at 10% A/C efficiency, an aircar uses 141855000J per 150 miles. Assuming the average citizen of France drives 20 miles per day, they would use 6903610000J per year (150/20=7.5 days per fill, 365/7.5=48.7 fills per year, 48.7*141855000=6903610000J per year), or 1917kwh per year (6903610000/(60min*60s)=1917669w/hy=1917kw/hy). Assuming 25,000,000 air cars, this works out to an additional ~48 bkwh per year. Which could be covered by the construction of an additional 7 nuclear power plants. An A/C with 20% efficiency would cut this in half.

We are inefficient little bastards, and this kind of waste is rampant throughout our system (especially here in America). After a bit of pondering I think peak oil isn't as much about lack of energy as it is about those who have the most power (auto/oil industry), still having the most power after this transition.

A 2kw solar panel system will provide ~2700kwh per year and cost ~$20k. This leaves you with 800kwh per year extra. The cost of the car is ~10k...
So for 30k you could be able to drive almost 7500 miles per year, cut you electricity bill significantly for at least two decades. Fission is much cheaper than solar. As a matter of opinion, I'd say fission is so cheap that it scared the shit out of the oil/auto industry... enough to result in it's blacklisting until a time when it was needed.

Edit- For the sake of argument, in the U.S. (30 mile average per day, ~203 million cars) we'd need and additional 585bkwh per year. Which is somewhere in the neighborhood of 80 more reactors? This is why we're seeing this push towards clean coal. It's the only substance we have that could provide the increase in load needed while these fission plants are being contructed.