air powered car

roid · Post by **roid** » Mon Jan 24, 2005 6:59 am

http://www.treehugger.com/files/2005/01 ... ir_pow.php

it costs a paltry 0.75 â?¬ per 100km (or $1 USD per 62 miles) to run. Due out this year, the Minicat is powered by a revoluntary compressed air technology (CAT) engine. How it works is largely a well kept secret. But the results are a vehicle with a range of about 300km or 10 hours driving. At a purpose built air-refill station it takes 3 minutes to fill the 91 litre tank. Home filling would require ...
... around 3 hours. And the only emissions are a little cool air
...
And the weirdest thing is that the suggested price for such a wonder is only $10,000 USD. This is partly due to the fact they have designed their own mini factories to produce the MiniCat, with 23 countries already wanting a piece of the action.

this year eh. *rubs hands with glee*

Dedman · Post by **Dedman** » Mon Jan 24, 2005 7:08 am

I wonder what the psi rating of the air tank is going to have to be and what inspection scedule it is going to have. SCUBA cylinders typically are in the 3000-4000 psi range and must be inspected annually for internal corrosion. I can see reliability possibly being an issue with this thing. Other than that, very cool.

Krom · Post by **Krom** » Mon Jan 24, 2005 10:17 am

That story sounds like its full of hot air to me.

Testiculese · Post by **Testiculese** » Mon Jan 24, 2005 10:30 am

Why does it have to be the most hideous thing ever designed.

Iceman · Post by **Iceman** » Mon Jan 24, 2005 10:34 am

What Krom and Testi said ...

Tricord · Post by **Tricord** » Mon Jan 24, 2005 11:17 am

DCrazy · Post by **DCrazy** » Mon Jan 24, 2005 11:30 am

And where does the energy come from to pressurize this air? Burning fossil fuels! Because that nuclear energy is dangerous, even though we don't know anything about it! Instead of learning, we should cover our ears and hide in the corner from the big bad atom-smashing cancer-causing green-glowing Homer-Simpson-employing baby-killing monster!

Actually, the company is apparently French. If there's one thing they've got right, it's nuclear power.

Grendel · Post by **Grendel** » Mon Jan 24, 2005 11:48 am

http://www.theaircar.com/faq.html wrote: What are the guarantees on the car?
The MDI car will be guaranteed against all efects of conception or fabrication.

Edit: must resist .. can't:

http://www.theaircar.com/howitworks.html wrote: The CATÂ´s 34 P04 engine is equipped with patented variable-volume butts and a dynamic variable-volume volumetric reducer.

snoopy · Post by **snoopy** » Mon Jan 24, 2005 11:49 am

DCrazy wrote:And where does the energy come from to pressurize this air? Burning fossil fuels! Because that nuclear energy is dangerous, even though we don't know anything about it! Instead of learning, we should cover our ears and hide in the corner from the big bad atom-smashing cancer-causing green-glowing Homer-Simpson-employing baby-killing monster!

Actually, the company is apparently French. If there's one thing they've got right, it's nuclear power.

Exactly, something has to pressurize the air- it just makes you feel better because all the pollution you're producing if way off out of sight at the power plant.

Mobius · Post by **Mobius** » Mon Jan 24, 2005 12:57 pm

Nuclear energy is actually the safest method of generating electricity. More people have died in coal pits then will ever be killed by nuclear reactors.

The world is going to have to wake up to the fact that Pebble Bed Nuclear reactors are the best hope for the immediate future of power generation.

Lobber · Post by **Lobber** » Mon Jan 24, 2005 1:25 pm

Too bad it doesn't work in real life

snoopy · Post by **snoopy** » Mon Jan 24, 2005 2:45 pm

One thing I've seen before is fluid braking. If, instead of simply producing heat to brake, you used the brakes to compress some sort of fluid, that energy can later be used. I don't know if this guy has it integrated into his car, but that would certainly improve the cars performance in stop and go traffic.

Scratch · Post by **Scratch** » Mon Jan 24, 2005 3:08 pm

I have a friend that had one of those...yet it was a toy...hooked up hand held pump to it...ahh, memories.

Thank thing is a POS...nuff said. Oh wait, one more thing...it's FUGLY.

Grendel · Post by **Grendel** » Mon Jan 24, 2005 3:09 pm

Lobber wrote:Too bad it doesn't work in real life

http://msnbc.msn.com/id/6138972

Top Gun · Post by **Top Gun** » Mon Jan 24, 2005 3:18 pm

It's about the size of a Little Tykes kiddie car. Reminds me most of those idiotic-looking Smart cars that inhabitants of European cities seem to be enamored with. Call me when they have something in a pickup.

Grendel · Post by **Grendel** » Mon Jan 24, 2005 3:49 pm

Check for Pick-Up

The Smart Roadster isn't that bad..

Robo · Post by **Robo** » Mon Jan 24, 2005 4:38 pm

Yeah, I don't think 'Smarties' are that bad actually.

Top Gun · Post by **Top Gun** » Mon Jan 24, 2005 6:27 pm

No, that roadster isn't too bad. I guess I'm stuck in the "stereotypical big American car" kick.

Give me a big@ss Buick LeSabre or Ford Crown Vic...aah. The only smaller cars I do enjoy are those of the persuasion of, say, the BMW Z-series.

roid · Post by **roid** » Mon Jan 24, 2005 6:48 pm

snoopy etc, this is essentially a battery powered car.
where the energy comes to charge the batterys has nothing to do with the car technology.

since an expensive and LARGE immobile energy plant has the theoretical capability to make energy at as greater efficiency as it can, i opt for this rather than having millions of smaller less efficient MOBILE power plants, which is what we use today with burning fuels in cars.

upgrade your power plant (you know, click upgrade and then click the power plant

) and suddenly every battery powered car becomes even LESS poluting. the wonders of power centralisation and specialisation.

JMEaT · Post by **JMEaT** » Mon Jan 24, 2005 10:24 pm

With a Flowmaster sticker it could possibly hold its own in a 25 MPH zone.

snoopy · Post by **snoopy** » Mon Jan 24, 2005 11:35 pm

JMEaT wrote:With a Flowmaster sticker it could possibly hold its own in a 25 MPH zone.

ROFL!