Compressed air cars are becoming more viable due to improvements in air storage and engine technology. However, concerns remain about the safety of lightweight materials and the efficiency of the engine. Refueling could be as simple as connecting to an air compressor, and the cars may first be introduced in countries with high pollution levels and expensive gasoline.
The best alternative fuel source in many people’s minds would simply be the air we breathe. There would be few or no harmful emissions, a cheap and renewable fuel source, and a relatively simple fuel supply system. While the concept of an air-powered car has been around since the 1920s, recent improvements in air storage and air-powered engine technology have brought a mass-produced air-powered car closer to its completion. realization. A modern compressed-air car uses a special expansion valve to expand the air under pressure inside a two-cylinder engine. The force of the expanded air pushes down on a piston, which in turn contributes to the turning of a crankshaft, just like a standard combustion engine.
Many inventors and auto companies have attempted to create an efficient and powerful BB car over the years, but few have come close to putting their prototypes into mass production. More recently, two companies called Motor Development International (MDI) and Tata Motors have announced plans to bring compressed-air cars to market, though few industry experts have had the opportunity to inspect their prototypes or verify many of the claims of the companies. companies. Because an air-powered car uses carbon fiber and other lightweight but strong materials for its body shell and storage tanks, many industry experts are concerned that the vehicles won’t survive stringent crash tests.
To save weight, a compressed air car’s storage tanks are often made of carbon fibers, a technology also used in the US space shuttle. This is believed to be a positive development, as a carbon fiber storage tank would not create damaging shrapnel during an accidental or deliberate puncture. These storage tanks are typically filled with compressed air at a pressure of more than 4,500 psi (pounds per square inch). Unlike electric batteries, a compressed air tank would not lose a lot of energy from leaking when not in use.
A major technological problem facing the developers of a compressed air car is the nature of the compressed air. As the air becomes more pressurized, it generates a significant amount of heat. This heated air would affect the overall efficiency of the engine. Some manufacturers get around this problem by installing heat exchangers similar to those found on standard turbocharged engines. These heat exchangers would interact with the heated air and extract excess heat through ventilation. If an air-powered engine requires a powered cooling element, then it would not be as energy efficient or emission free as it could be.
Even if the heated air problem could be addressed with heat exchangers, there is an equal and opposite problem with compressed air as a fuel. Once compressed air passes through an expander it can become extremely cold. Engine components and lubricants could freeze, causing loss of efficiency and potential cold weather damage. A viable heating system would have to be perfected to prevent the expanded air from freezing. On the plus side, some of this extremely cold air could be used as air conditioning.
A compressed air car, at least at this stage of development, would not run entirely on compressed air alone. Because current models can only reach speeds of 40 mph on compressed air alone, a standard combustion engine or electric motor would be necessary to achieve standard highway speed. Compressed-air car advocates point out that many drivers typically drive short distances in city traffic to perform most of their daily routines. The car would run almost entirely on compressed air most of the time, with only an occasional need for assistance from a gasoline engine.
Refueling a compressed air car could be as simple as connecting the vehicle to a standard air compressor for several hours, with electricity being the main cost. Once the cars go into mass production, one plan calls for special high-powered air compressors to be installed at select service stations. These air compression units could fill a tank in approximately three minutes and would also have heat exchangers to prevent the tanks from overheating during the refueling process.
The introduction of current lines of compressed air cars would likely start in smaller countries around the world, especially in places where gasoline is prohibitively expensive and pollution levels from burning fossil fuels are extremely high. Once the vehicles can pass the stringent standards of the US auto industry and a sufficient number of gas stations can be created, Americans may see an air-powered car on the road a decade from now. or less.
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