Air Car Tantalisingly Close
February 23, 2007 · Filed under Transport, CleanTech - Air by Craig Mackintosh
A French designer of engines for Formula One racing cars has turned his attention to
creating an engine that runs on, and emits, only air! By all accounts, this is no
pie-in-the-sky dream invention either - as the vehicle’s release is slated for later
this year.
With a top speed of 110kph (68mph) and a range of about 200kms (125miles), it looks to
be an entirely useable commuter, and more. In fact, once the initial model is on the
market, there are plans for a hybrid version - a car that will use a small amount of
fuel to generate the compressed air required for the main engine - resulting in a
4,500km range (2,800 miles) from just one tank of fuel!
Because there is no ‘combustion’, the engine temperature remains tepid. This fact means
the engine parts can be produced from metals with lower melting points, like aluminium -
allowing for smaller lighter engines (about half the weight of a regular petrol engine)
which increases the vehicle’s range.
Watch the video to learn more::
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QmqpGZv0YT4&eurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww%2Ecelsias%2Ecom%2Fblog%2F2007%2F02%2F23%2Fair%2Dcar%2Dtantalisingly%2Dclose%2F
