AIRPod: tiny air-powered commuter costs half a Euro per 100km

70kph. 220km. =3,14h? 5,5hp= 4kW? =12,56kWh?

12,56kWh for 1,1 Euro makes a very good compressor and air engine?

3-4 tanks and you do not need a battery EV?

Always doubt until it is proven?

diesel ola

- March 7, 2009 @ 10:03 pm PST

I'm just curious, it will be considered "Hybrid" if AIRPod will come equiped with a battery powered air compressor? With a small battery, to remove it when at home, and charge it at the wall socket. It will increase the range big time. And you will never have to stop at the gas station!

gruitamarius

- March 9, 2009 @ 10:03 am PDT

Excuse me for double posting, but speaking about safety and tests, how many quads, mopeds, scooters and motorbikes have to pass these tests? What about golf carts, segways and all other vehicles allowed on the public roads.

gruitamarius

- March 9, 2009 @ 10:03 am PDT

I have been watching this idea develop for a long time, and really think you should acknowledge the originators over at www.mdi.lu

The Frenchmen who have been working on this engine for nearly 10 years have developed a very complex piston action to extract maximum energy, visible in the engine graphic.

My one reservation with the design is that I can see these engines being awfully clattery when they age.

Otherwise - how good is the idea for the average commute? Very.

Sqidge

- March 9, 2009 @ 06:03 pm PDT

Gruitamarius: The trick for the US roads is to build a trike, something to do with the vehicle only having three wheels keeps it from having to abide by automotive rules. If I'm not mistaken its thereby classified as a motorcycle. Otherwise, it falls under the jurisdiction of intense scrutiny through carefully crafted foreign-competition-unfriendly safety standards. (Tangent: Does the US really need to have rules which are so different from EU that we simply can't drive the same car?...reciprocity would be nice especially for the ranger 2.5TD)

diesel ola: I'm sure that the max. speed and max. range do not occur at the same time. I'm guessing the range would be about an hour at that speed if that considering the unwieldy shapes I've seen so far.

I truly love the approach to the problem as its a mechanical engineers dream, a solution based in the fundamentals of a typical undergraduate education. I believe it could work, and would be a tremendous benefit to urban traffic at least. 2010 is coming up... I want to see this work.

TheDuke

- March 9, 2009 @ 07:03 pm PDT

The Airpod certainly looks interesting. My weekly journeys are (1) Main shopping 8 Km away, (2) Local shops 1 Km, (3) Church 10 Km, so the Airpod should be ideal.

With the Ford Falcon I currently drive, going up the car park ramp is a matter of estimation where the ramp sides are - No bother with the Airpod. Parking - No bother with the Airpod. Space for the shopping - No bother with the Airpod.

Where to get the compressed air - would be difficult at present unless one had a special 'Home Compressor'.

Look forward to hearing more about it.

William Jackson

Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia

williambobjackson

- March 9, 2009 @ 10:03 pm PDT

There is not an independent engineer or a journo anywhere in the world who has tested these vehicles for range.

Compressed air - or hot air - or vapourwair?

Stuart21

- March 10, 2009 @ 06:03 pm PDT

FYI, an old episode of "Modern Marvels" called "Enivironmental Tech II" aired twice this week already which features MDI's engine, there's even a short clip of the van version driving around.

TheDuke

- March 11, 2009 @ 03:03 pm PDT

You're right of course Stuart21 and diesel ola - test systems have all been very short range affairs to date and we haven't seen anywhere near the claimed potential mileage demostrated as yet.

I'd also very much like to see how compressed air stacks up as a "battery" - can it stack up to lithium-ion batterines in terms of grid-to-wheels energy efficiency? I very much doubt it.

Still, batteries do take a long time to charge, and they're expensive - which are two of the key barriers that will prevent one-car families from going electric for some time, even if the majority of their driving is done around town. Compressed air cars can be filled up fairly snappily at a properly-equipped service station, and the equipment itself is nothing particularly special. The cars should also be loads cheaper than electrics.

So if the range issue gets sorted out, air cars do look like a wonderfully practical petrol alternative.

Loz

- March 11, 2009 @ 09:03 pm PDT

Thanks tgmeob - yes, I've seen the video but didn't post it as it was relating to a previous MDI model that we've already covered, and not the AIRPod. For those who haven't seen it - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D-A3XHFT5qc

Loz

- March 11, 2009 @ 09:03 pm PDT

Somewhere I saw exact calculations why aircars are impossible from the compressed air energy storage point of view. You simply cannot ever store enough energy under reasonable pressure to drive the car far enough. You go for 5 minutes not 5 hours. It is a hoax. Their results support this sceptic position. One more neverland cash cow. It is such a pity. I also would love to have one cheap reliable pod for my modest needs. This wil never happen.

nehopsa

- July 11, 2009 @ 03:07 am PDT

There is not a chance in hell this car will ever be produced. It has no range. I'd be surprised tp see it get 3 miles at 40 mph. It's basic physics 101.

jerryd

- July 23, 2009 @ 02:07 am PDT

Loz. You mentioned a possible heating problem when re-filling with air. This is only a consideration when re-filling at home. If you re-fill at a filling station , the air is already at high pressure, and you are just transfering the air into your tank. At home, the air heats up as you compress it, and the heat would need to be dissipated. You could have a spare compressed air tank for an immediate re-fill. This tank could charge while you were out, and cool off by itself. By the way, the heat could be piped into the house, so as to be energy efficient. I understand some models of the air car will have a small motor on board, to run a compressor, and also to provide some heating in cold climates. One question puzzles me. Why are hybrid cars more efficient than regular cars?

windykites1

- July 23, 2009 @ 08:07 am PDT