Wanna be blown away? Watch this. GM: pay attention! A solution for our car companies. Comments pls

It sounds very exciting

I just wonder if it is being worked here in the US as well.

That's the future.

that video is full of misrepresentations and there really isn't much promise to this technology.

I would be interested to see you expound on that.

Remember that the compressed air needs to be generated. A big consideration would be the crashworthiness of the light cars. Such light cars powered directly by electricity etc may prove to be as efficient. The hybrid has an IC on board to generate compressed air. I have a tough time believing the efficiency claims about a tank of fuel going around half of Austrailia.

Its big competition will be electricity for indoor applications. Energy conversion for electricity is very efficient, but pneumatic regeneration has a lot of promise. Agreed that IC engines in confined spaces is an awful idea, but which is better? An electric motor driving a compressor making the compressed air which is then fed into an accumulator on the vehicle, or a battery being charged directly by the compressed air?? Batteries are heavy but they have more energy density than compressed air. Conversely the pneumatic car is very light and batteries are an environmental issue.

is limited on Pnuedraulic systems only by restrictions in the pipeline, batteries can't take that fast a recharge and waste heat is produced in the wiring and switch gear.

Safety of the accumulators is an issue, but carbon fiber tanks can be reinforced with flexible containment from Kevlar and wire blankets. The light weight of the vehicle doesn't necessarily add to the danger in a crash, but a big heavy battery mounted in what used to be the back seat could be a real issue in a front end collision. Lighter cars turn and break faster, and besides how light will it actually be after it gets loaded up with ABS, air bags, safety cage, etc. (as a side note, the ABS, break energy recovery, forward and reverse can all be built into a single front wheel drive pump/motor.)

There are several patents on automotive pumps for this type of design, but it will take an automotive company with deep pockets to fine tune it into something that utilizes all the designs I put forward.

The recovered air will be at a considerably lower pressure than the main high pressure storage tank and would need a separate tank to be used for ether a high volume take of boost to be repeatedly recharged on breaking and expelled on dead starts, or stored in a larger tank and used for cruising speeds. That would depend on the gearing and realized efficiencies obtained from testing.

As George Carlin said "it's thoughts like these that kept me out of the better schools."

Edit: A variable displacement axial piston hydraulic pump could be used and also take the place of a transmission.

While I wish these innovators success they have some real technical challenges. Thermodynamics puts absolute limits on the efficiency of both compressors and compressed air engines. Factoring in losses from each step of the energy delivery process i.e. electricity > electric motor > air compressor > air-motor they will have a wall-to-wheel efficiency lower than an plug in electric. If they take all the steps needed to make the compressed air tanks safe the cost could well compare with batteries.

The use of a 97% efficient hydraulic pumping system where a single hydraulic pump charges an accumulator and is the motor overcomes the efficiency end and allows a simple braking energy recovery system all in one. Carbon fiber tanks wrapped in a thin kevlar blanket and wire mesh are not nearly as expensive as batteries that will need to be replaced eventually, not to mention the environmental issues with battery manufacturing and disposal.

I've read that Detroit has already built the hydraulic recovery end and obtained a 35% increase in efficiency on gas powered vehicles.

It can be done, they just need to combine the right components already on the shelf.

but thats not really the aircar was.

I just wish we could do some something about this whole mess.

We have a lot of smart people, why are the solutions not coming forward?

on yahoo... pretty cool