the air cars

8/3/2019 The Air Cars

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The Air Cars

http://www.mkescene.com/forums/general-discussion/air-cars/?wap2

http://www.theaircar.com/acf/air-cars/air-cars.html

Compressed air is an energy vector that can be used, in a viable way, to transport both people and goods.

The main goal of Air Car Factories is to develop and manufacture a vehicle driven by a compressed airengine with a level of performance that will respond to the actual needs of todays market. With this aim wehave drawn up a full agenda and an R&D plan of action for production start up.

The Air Car

At the moment we are working on the design of the car and exploring the possibilities concerning our firstmodel, The Air Car Eureka 1.1, with an air compressed motor, either on a mono- or bi- energy system(compressed air combined with electricity).

Advantages of compressed air as an energy vectorA vehicle powered by compressed air offers a lot of advantages in comparison with a normal combustionengine or an electrical motor.

The idea of using compressed air as an energy vector can, for example, also by applied to a hybrid vehicle,with cylinders functioning on compressed air and an additional battery working on electricity, creating avehicle powered solely on electrical-pneumatic propulsion.

Advantages of vehicles powered by compressed air:

* The costs involved to compress the air to be used in a vehicle are inferior to the costs involved with anormal combustion engine.* Air is abundant, economical, transportable, storable and, most importantly, nonpolluting.* The technology involved with compressed air reduces the production costs of vehicles with 20% becauseit is not necessary to assemble a refrigeration system, a fuel tank, spark plugs or silencers.* Air itself is not flammable

* The mechanical design of the motor is simple and robust* It does not suffer from corrosion damage resulting from the battery.* Less manufacturing and maintenance costs.* The tanks used in an air compressed motor can be discarded or recycled with less contamination thanbatteries.* The tanks used in a compressed air motor have a longer lifespan in comparison with batteries, which,after a while suffer from a reduction in performance.

Energy StorageThe use of compressed air for storing energy is a method that is not only efficient and clean, but also


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economical. In 1973 CAES (Compressed Air Energy Storage) installed their first compressed air energystorage plant in Germany, making use of natural underground caves for compressed air storage and takingadvantage of the surplus energy produced by the generating plants. Later on similar plants were installed inthe United States (Alabama and Ohio).

These plants are designed to operate 24 hours a day; they charge during the night and they dischargeduring the day.

The advantage of these kinds of plants is that they make use of the surplus of electricity (at low cost) byturning it into compressed air stored underground. Later on this energy is used in a turbine generator tohelp the electricity network during periods of high demand.

A specific example, which is yielding good results, is the power supply system installed in Alabama, USA.In this case the reservoir is of a constant volume, in comparison with others where there is subterranean

connection with water deposits.

The air is compressed gradually with cooling intermissions. This is done to reach good efficiency on thestorage stage of the energy in the periods when there is a surplus of energy.

At the peak hours the compressed air is used to help gas turbines. This is also done using a recuperativecycle of good thermodynamic efficiency, with combustion and post combustion , and heat recovery of exitgases.

No matter how efficient the recuperative cycle is completed, they will never reach the total efficiency ofnormal gas turbines. In comparison with normal gas turbines the efficiency level will be around 75%.

Actually, during the generation stage the accumulative energy is transformed; all the energy that isgenerated by the gas turbines is used to drive the electricity generator, so the energy that is necessary todrive the electricity generator is not derived from compressors. This explains the limited efficiency on thistype of gas turbines.

The drawing above corresponds with the first installation of this kind in Alabama, U.S.A., as mentionedearlier. Underneath you will find the functional data of this installation. Power: 110MW Location: Mac Intosh Alabama (USA.) Maximum capacity: 26 hours Ratio: 1.7 hours of compression for every hour of generating

Efficiency: 75-76,1 % Costs: 500 U$S/KW (1988)

Compressed air as a form of energy can also be used to describe the technology on a smaller scale, likethe cars operated by compressed air or wind turbines that store the energy in carbon fiber tanks. Thestorage of compressed air as a form of energy is a very viable solution to adapt to the irregular energysupply of wind turbines and the fluctuation in demand.


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Advantages

The principal advantages of an air powered vehicle are:

Refueling can be done at home using an air compressor or at service stations. The energy required forcompressing air is produced at large centralized plants, making it less costly and more effective to managecarbon emissions than from individual vehicles. Reduced vehicle weight is the principle efficiency factor of compressed-air cars. Furthermore, they aremechanically more rudimentary than traditional vehicles as many conventional parts of the engine may beomitted. Some plans include motors built into the hubs of each wheel, thereby removing the necessity of atransmission, drive axles and differentials. A four passenger vehicle weighing less than 800 lbs. is areasonable design goal. One manufacturer promises a range of 200 kilometers by the end of the year at a cost of 1.50 per fill-up. Compressed air engines reduce the cost of vehicle production by about 20%, because there is no need to

build a cooling system, spark plugs, transmission, axles, starter motor, or mufflers. Most compressed air engines do not need a transmission, only a flow control.[citation needed] The rate of self-discharge is very low opposed to batteries that deplete their charge slowly over time.Therefore, the vehicle may be left unused for longer periods of time than electric cars. Lower initial cost than battery electric vehicles when mass produced. One estimate is 3,000 less. Compressed air is not subject to fuel tax. Expansion of the compressed air lowers in temperature; this may be exploited for use as air conditioning. Compressed-air vehicles emit no pollutants. Air turbines, closely related to steam turbines, is a technology over 50 years old. It is simple to achievewith low tech materials. This would mean that developing countries, and rapidly growing countries likeChina and India, could easily implement a less polluting means of personal transportation than an internal

combustion engine automobile. Possibility to refill air tank at home (using domestic power socket). Lighter vehicles would result in less wear on roads. The price of fueling air powered vehicles may be significantly cheaper than current fuels. Some estimatesproject $3.00 for the cost of electricity for filling a tank.

Disadvantages

Just like the modern car and most household appliances, the principle disadvantage is that of indirectenergy use. Energy is used to compress air, which - in turn - provides the energy to run the motor. Anyindirect step in energy usage results in loss. For conventional combustion motor cars, the energy is lost

when oil is converted to usable fuel - including drilling, refinement, labor and storage. For compressed-aircars, energy is lost when electrical energy is converted to compressed air.

Further disadvantages:

According to thermodynamics, when air is expanded in the engine, it cools via adiabatic cooling andthereby loses pressure, reducing the amount of power passed the engine at lower temperatures.Furthermore, it is difficult to maintain or restore the temperature of the compressed or compressing airusing a heat exchanger due to the high rate of flow. The ideal isothermic energy capacity of the tank willtherefore not be realized. Low temperatures may also encourage the engine to ice up. Refueling the compressed air container using a home or low-end conventional air compressor may take


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as long as 4 hours. Service stations may have specialized equipment that may take only 3 minutes. Early tests have demonstrated the limited storage capacity of the tanks; the only published test of avehicle running on compressed air alone was limited to a range of 7.22 km.

Sources:

http://www.efcf.com/reports/E14.pdfhttp://www.theaircar.com/acf/air-cars/energy-storage.htmlhttp://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6138972/http://www.popularmechanics.com/automotive/new_cars/4217016.html

http://zeropollutionmotors.us/

FAQ - The Air Car

http://www.aircarfactories.com/FAQ_AirCar.html

http://www.aircarfactories.com/index.html

In this section we try to answer the most frequent questions asked to us about our project. Please

understand that some questions cannot be answered because of the confidentiality of some of the

information. (Updated in July 2008)

Is it possible for a vehicle to function on compressed air only? What is the maximum speed and autonomy of the Air Car? Which models are being launched? When and where will the first Air Cars be sold? For which price will the Air Car be sold? What will be the warranty on the vehicles and how will after sales service be handled? How are the compressed air tanks refilled? And at which price? Air compressed to 300 bar stored on board of a vehicle. Does this represent a hazard to the

passengers? How are you planning to install heating on board of the vehicles? Can solar energy or electricity be used to refill the vehicle by itself?

Will the Air Car make a lot of noise? All the cars offered by Air Car are equipped with a motor functioning on compressed air? Do the vehicles offered by Air Car Factories S.A. comply with all the safety standards? Do you

need a drivers license? Did the cars already pass safety standards? Will they pass the safety standards? Can I test-drive a prototype of the Air Car in my country? Will your vehicles really be pollution-free? Dont you need to produce electricity to refil l the tanks? How can I pre-order my Air Car? Does a compressed air motor have other applications? Can a compressed air motor be applied to a bicycle or motor? Do you already have ecological vehicles for sale?


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The vehicles offered by Eureka Cycles are produced by you? How can I economically participate in this project? I Would like to become a distributor or sales agent for your vehicles. How do I do that? I am not an investor, how can I help? I have a product or idea that would improve or contribute to the project. Would you be interested? What is the relationship between Air Car Factories, the company MDI, and the technology of Mr.

Guy Negre? I would like to visit your company, Is this possible?

Answers

Is it possible for a vehicle to function on compressed air only?For more than a 130 years, compressed air motors have been used in distinct industrial areas. TheSwedes started to use compressed air engines down in the mines because the risk of explosionprevented them from using engines working on fuel. In 1930 both the Germans as well as theFrench used locomotives functioning solitarily on compressed air. At the moment more than a 100compressed air motors are being developed in different areas of the world, many of themapplicable to vehicles. Compressed air presents some disadvantages in comparison with gasolinebut the increasing gasoline prices make compressed air seem more and more viable to be used fortransportation. For further information please click here.

What is the maximum speed and autonomy of the Air Car?

Our objective is to develop a car with a maximum speed of 120 km/h (75 mph) and a range of atleast 150 km (93 miles). Because 80 % of the world population does not travel more than 60 km(38 miles) per day, our Air Car can be used on a daily basis for very low energetic cost and zerocontamination.

Which models are being launched?

We are in the process of developing different models to form a range of vehicles to be used forindustrial purposes as well as the transportation of persons. These vehicles will either function on acompressed air motor only or on a hybrid motor combining compressed air with electricity. Weconsider the possibility to make some models with electric motors or even experimental andalternative motors. For further information please click here.

When and where will the first Air Cars be sold?The first manufacturing plant will most probably be set up in Barcelona, Spain. The nextmanufacturing plants will be set up according to which manufacturing licenses are sold first. Whenthe Air Car will be available depends on the development of the manufacturing plants in yourcountry, but sooner or later our car will be introduced in your country. If all goes according to planwe can begin production in 2009.

For which price will the Air Car be sold?


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We want to offer a car accessible to the public at large. Because of the light weight of the car andthe simplicity of its elements we will be able to offer our Air Car for a price of approximately 10.000euros (16.000 U.S. dollars) in Europe and the U.S. In other countries where the price of labor isless, the price of the car will obviously be inferior. The price of the car is also dependant of the taxand subsidies set by each country for this kind of ecological vehicles.

What will be the warranty on the vehicles and how will after sales service be handled?The warranty applicable to the vehicles offered by Air Car Factories is similar to that of cars drivencurrently. The after sales service will be handled by the same dealerships and manufacturers of AirCar Factories S.A. All our vehicles are developed to be low maintenance.

How are the compressed air tanks refilled? And at which price?The compressed air tanks can be refilled at home simply by connecting the car to the electricitynetwork. The small compressor incorporated inside the car will fill the tanks completely in 4 to 6hours. The cost to refill your tanks completely will be around three euros (5 U.S. dollars), makinguse of the nocturnal tariffs. When the market evolves and more and more people are using ourcars you will also be able to refill your tanks at the gas station in less than three minutes.

Air compressed to 300 bar stored on board of a vehicle. Does this represent a hazard to thepassengers?

Compressed air, being regular air, does not imply any risk of explosion. The high pressure tanksare developed with a technique similar to whats being used for vehicles functioning on natural gasand oxygen tanks for firemen. All tanks are made of plastic covered with a layer of carbon fiber.

How are you planning to install heating on board of the vehicles?At the moment the only option available to heat the air exiting the Air Car is by using the electricitygenerated by the movement of the wheels of the vehicle. On the other side, a big advantage of ourAir Car is that to have air conditioning on board we simply use the air exiting the exhaustion pipe(at a temperature of -20 degrees Celsius or -4 degrees Fahrenheit). This way the car does notloose any engine output and does not use any contaminating gas.

Can solar energy or electricity be used to refill the vehicle by itself?Solar energy will be used on an industrial level of our project but it is unfortunately not viable toincorporate solar cells in the car itself. Calculations have shown that we would need a surface of atleast 50 m2 of solar cells for the compressor to refill the tanks by itself. Electric generators (eitheralternating current generators or dynamic generators) neither permit the Air Car to refill by itself.

Will the Air Car make a lot of noise?Our Air Car will not be as quiet as electric vehicles but it emits a noise level inferior to aconventional car because there are no explosions inside the motor, only expansions.


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All the cars offered by Air Car are equipped with a motor functioning on compressed air?No, to facilitate the market entry of our vehicles we are going to start with a model equipped with amodern electric motor.At the moment we are deciding on the final motor, we can already specify it will have a power ofbetween 25 and 50 Horsepower.We are also interested in other kind of non-polluting motors that are now beginning to appear onthe market, like for example hydrogen motors.

Do the vehicles offered by Air Car Factories S.A. comply with all the safety standards? Do youneed a drivers license?

Our vehicles will be approved like all cars (M1) and will comply with the same safety rules andregulations. The cars tubular chassis increases resistance in case of a crash. A drivers license isobligatory when driving an Air Car, like it is for any other car.

Did the cars already pass safety standards? Will they pass the safety standards?The standardization of the cars is the last stage of the project. When we start serial production thefist cars (pre-series) will be used to do the crash tests. The standardization is made up of a list of ahundred questions, all related to safety. Obviously we are keeping those questions in mind as wedevelop the car. The standardization will be done in the European Union and will be validworldwide, making small modifications when necessary, for example in countries where thesteering wheel is on the right or where small changes to the brake lights have to be made as is thecase for the U.S.

Can I test-drive a prototype of the Air Car in my country?Before manufacturing starts the car will be tested in all possible environments; countries with verylow temperatures, with geographic difficulties and any other possible circumstances. Theprototypes are very expensive because they have to be made by hand, we are not able to makemore units than the merely essential to show to the public.

Will your vehicles really be pollution-free? Dont you need to produce electricity to refill the tanks?

This is a question that is asked to us very frequently. Electricity can be created in an ecologicalway. The creation of electricity through wind power, hydro-electric power, etc. is viable andrealistic. If we use renewable energy to create electricity the concept of zero pollution vehicles isviable from the beginning until the end. Besides, from movement (tidal energy, a waterwheel in ariver, etc) we can compress air directly without having to transform this energy in electricity. TheC.A.E.S. offer an interesting way to store energy. These are electricity plants where the surplus ofelectricity is stored and converted in compressed air to be used when there is a shortage. Forfurther information please click here.

How can I pre-order my Air Car?


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At "booking form" you are able to fill in a form and communicate your wish to pre-order an Air Car.When you have completed the form and send it to us you will receive an automatic message toconfirm your reservation. When production starts we will get in contact with you to verify yourpetition.

Does a compressed air motor have other applications?Our main objective is the application of compressed air to a car. The use of compressed air haseven more possibilities for industrial vehicles because there is more space to transport thecompressed air.

Once our car is more advanced, we will begin to research our motor for its application to nautical,power generators, industrial machinery, public transport, etc. We havent even started to thinkabout the motors application in areas outside transportation and energy.

Can a compressed air motor be applied to a bicycle or motor?The volume necessary for the compressed air limits us a lot in the design of a two-wheeled vehiclebecause compressed air in the form of gas needs a lot of space in comparison to a liquidcombustible. Until a breakthrough in this technology we do not consider the application ofcompressed air to two-wheeled vehicles.

Do you already have ecological vehicles for sale?

For now we already offer electric minibuses, bicycles and scooters. All these products areavailable for sale and rental purposes through franchises of our brand Eureka Cycles. Thesefranchises offer our corporate image, suppliers, operating systems and campaigns to any personwho wishes to open a Eureka Cycles store. To have a look at our vehicles please click here.

The vehicles offered by Eureka Cycles are produced by you?For the moment the production of some of the scooters is done in China through an agreementwith an important local company. Other vehicles like the electric bicycles are imported from theUnited Kingdom while all accessories are imported. At the moment our engineers are developing

our own designs which, for now, will also be produced in Asia. To have a look at our vehiclesplease click here.

How can I economically participate in this project?Our company has been self-financed until now. We offer manufacturing and distribution licenses,as well as other ecological vehicles (electric bicycles and scooters) of our brand Eureka Cycles.These vehicles are already available for sale. At the moment we are involved in the search andselection of associates worldwide. For further information, please click here.

I would like to become a distributor or sales agent for your vehicles. How do I do that?


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We offer dealerships responsible for the sale of our Air Cars. These dealerships can start theiractivities as soon as the Air Car is ready for production. To start your activities right away we alsooffer retail outlets of our second brand, Eureka Cycles. The retail outlets of Eureka Cycles areinvolved in the sale and rental of other ecological vehicles, for example the electric bicycles,scooters, and minibuses. Eureka Cycles has innovative commercial ideas and is developing itselfin a sector of strong growth and high profitability. For further information please click here.

I am not an investor, how can I help?Our company will need a great number of people all around the world. At the moment we needcollaborators who are able to move to Barcelona for a certain period to work at our head office onvoluntary terms. These people will later on convert to our associates in their country of origin. Weare looking for people with a background in business, informatics, translation, mechanics,engineering, etc. For further information please click here.

I have a product or idea that would improve or contribute to the project. Would you be interested?A great part of our project is based on commercializing inventions of others when these productsseem useful to us and are connected to transportation and energy. Once our engineers haveshown serious interest we will present you, as the inventor, with a contract where you are assuredof your royalties and we will be responsible for the commercialization of the invention. For furtherinformation, please click here.

What is the relationship between Air Car Factories, the company MDI, and the technology of Mr.Guy Negre?

Mr. Miguel Celades Rex had represented the technology of Mr. Guy Negre for more than 8 yearswhen at the beginning of 2008 this relationship broke down indefinitely because of commercialdisagreements. At that moment Air Car Factories was created aimed to develop not only a carfunctioning on compressed air but also to commercialize other ecological vehicles and make themavailable to the public. Obviously we have started the development of our compressed air motorfrom the very beginning and through the association with other organizations which already havecompressed air motors. These compressed air motors have absolutely nothing to do with thepatented motor of Mr. Guy Negre.

I would like to visit your company, Is this possible?Our advice to everybody who would like to participate actively or economically in this project is tocome to Barcelona and get to know us personally so you can see the current state of our project.Please correspond your request to your contact person so we can coordinate your visit.

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