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Compressed-Air Car Nears Trial

Posted by timothy on from the under-pressure dept.

DeviceGuru writes "Air France and KLM have announced plans to conduct a six-month trial of a new zero-emission, compressed-air powered vehicle. The AirPod seats three, can do 28 mph, and goes about 135 miles on a tank of compressed air. Motor Development International, the vehicle's developer, expects the AirPod to reach production by mid-2009, and to sell for around 6,000 Euro. Initially, it will be manufactured in India by Tata Motors, and distributed in France and India."

2 of 173 comments (clear)

  1. Re:AirPod by MichaelSmith · · Score: 5, Insightful

    How much energy is required to run the compressor to fill the high pressure air cylinders?

    Obviously more than you get out of the drive line at the other end of the system. Compressed air does lose lot of energy to heat.

    In fact calculating energy loss would almost be a textbook example in thermodynamics.

    --
    http://michaelsmith.id.au
  2. Re:AirPod by Paradise+Pete · · Score: 5, Insightful

    the electric plant, petrol engine, or whatever other source used to run the compressor that compresses the air, certainly does pollute.

    Which can be dealt with more effectively than it can on each car.