OT: Compressed Air Car... that also burns gas w/ 106 mpg

[O.S.O.K.]

http://finance.yahoo.com/family-home/ar ... ca's-Roads



Weird. But would be very handy for tooling around town to get groceries, etc... I don't know about taking those on the highway though - at least not in Austin!

Rrrrrrrrrrr splat! Oops, didn't see that Expedition coming up...

[Grizz]

same problem with all transportation, laws of physics and btu's of energy to operate. scale that thing up to a useful size and you have an expensive toy that can't compete with anything that does actual work.

[O.S.O.K.]

True (and I'm certainly not rushing out to buy one!) but it can do what most townspeople need... you have to admit.

It won't be seen on many ranches or farms that's for sure!

But, I will say that we do need a good deisel truck with a 4 cylinder engine and 12 gears - think "scaled down tractor trailer". It'd be able to do everything needed and get 40 mpg. You would sacrifice only one thing really - acceleration.

I'd also equip it with beefed up suspension to handle hauling larger loads - like an F250 type suspension.

[Grizz]

True (and I'm certainly not rushing out to buy one!) but it can do what most townspeople need... you have to admit.

It won't be seen on many ranches or farms that's for sure!

But, I will say that we do need a good deisel truck with a 4 cylinder engine and 12 gears - think "scaled down tractor trailer". It'd be able to do everything needed and get 40 mpg. You would sacrifice only one thing really - acceleration.

I'd also equip it with beefed up suspension to handle hauling larger loads - like an F250 type suspension.

I agree about the transmission thing. I don't know why it can't work, except that those little diesels have no torque. don't you need torque to operate in deep overdrive?

Has anyone done any calculations on the efficiency of the air motor cars? You generate a LOT of heat compressing air. And whatever turns the compressor ALSO generates a LOT of heat. And if it's a secondary power source, like an electric motor, ITS power source ALSO generates a lot of heat. So it appears to me that you DOUBLE or TRIPLE the heat-loss to produce the same amount of work. Or QUADRUPLE if you count the onboard gas engine of that french 'car'.

There is almost nothing that can compete with gasoline for btu output and portability. It's all about the btu's. That's where the work comes from.

I'm not saying that there aren't other ways to motor about, but so far there aren't any BETTER ways.

[marlinman93]

That thing would come out on the losing end of a collision with a Vespa!

[sore shoulder]

I've seen a guy run a Perkins 4cyl with a brownie. Got good mileage, but plenty of gears to get it done. I've always thought it was a good idea.

[Chuck 100 yd]

Looks like a piece of krapp to me.

[Rusty]

Just ask Sixgun Jr. what they do with a diesel engine hooked to an electric motor. I always wondered why the same thing couldn't be done in a car? something like a small single cylinder diesel to charge a battery bank and run an electric off of that or just forgo the battery bank all together.

[Ysabel Kid]

I think there is a good chance that if I hit that thing in my Suburban I wouldn't even feel it!

[Grizz]

Just ask Sixgun Jr. what they do with a diesel engine hooked to an electric motor.

Rusty, I've never seen that combo, how does it work?

[Griff]

Just ask Sixgun Jr. what they do with a diesel engine hooked to an electric motor.

Rusty, I've never seen that combo, how does it work?

You've NEVER seen a TRAIN??? What a sheltered existence you lead! Diesel/electric locomotives. Biggest, baddest things on the rail!

The problems with both the 4cyl diesel & 12 speed transmission and the diesel/electric concept is weight. To make either the transmission or the provide enough electric power you add a LOT of weight. And with added weight, fuel consumption goes UP!

[Blaine]

One thing about the diesel/electric motor train: Very little resistance with the steel wheel/steel rail. An iron man can just about pull a train: seen it done.

[blackhawk44]

Don't worry, you won't see the Tata over here for quite some time (except maybe in the Peoples Republik of Austin) since NHTSA doesn't even want to test its GLUED together body shell. Its five fiberglass compressed air tanks are under the floorboard. Those could be fun in the crash tests.

If you truly want to find efficiency, check on the Kawai magnetic motor built by Hitachi, but commandeered and locked away by the yakuza or you can scratch your head over the legend of the electic, 90mph 1931 Pearce Arrow by Nikola Tesla (the Father of the 20th Century, not Edison) with NO BATTERIES. The research, rumors and "what if's" on these things can make your head really hurt.

[piller]

blackhawk44, that electric motor in Japan simply uses extremely high alternating current. Something over 1800 cycles per second. When you get up into cyclic frequency, the formulae for calculating power from an electric motor break down as the constant in the equation is no longer accurate. I remember some of this from my engineering classes I took before deciding that wasn't the career for me.

[Grizz]

Just ask Sixgun Jr. what they do with a diesel engine hooked to an electric motor.

Rusty, I've never seen that combo, how does it work?

You've NEVER seen a TRAIN??? What a sheltered existence you lead! Diesel/electric locomotives. Biggest, baddest things on the rail!

The problems with both the 4cyl diesel & 12 speed transmission and the diesel/electric concept is weight. To make either the transmission or the provide enough electric power you add a LOT of weight. And with added weight, fuel consumption goes UP!

Ah, you're talking about a diesel engine hooked up to an electrical GENERATOR, which in turn drives electric MOTORS. I was asking about the idea of a diesel engine hooked up to an electric MOTOR. That was Rusty's quote.

It's still two heat sources. There are also diesel-electric drives on boats. Navy YTBs had dual electric motors geared to the prop shaft, and two massive electric generators driven by two massive engines.

I'm thinking that doesn't scale down to personal transportation use, but I can't remember why right now.