Inhabitat

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Fantastic, although technically the compressed air is an energy carrier (like a battery) rather than a fuel. If the power used to compress the air comes from a renewable source then this is a zero emissions vehicle. I imagine that this compressed air storage and engine system would be cheaper than a lithium ion battery electric motor system with equivalent power and range.

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TO me this makes much more sense than a hydrogen fuel cell vehicle. There are many ways to store energy, and this is a bit more efficient than the conversion from coal to electricity to hydrogen to electricity to motive force. Now, thermodynamically there are a few questions left unanswered in the blog. Is the system adiabatic, i.e. does the heat produced by compressing the air stay in the tank? This would be the most efficient. If the system reaches equilibrium with the environs (isothermal system) the tank will cool as the air is released, giving a lower tank pressure. I wonder how they addressed these properties of a compressed gas?

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That’s an incredibly good idea, no idea why it hasn’t been thought of again… I’m assuming hydrogen fuel cells are a better prospect or we’ve have heard of these before? Either way the more options out there the better

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Neat idea! Now if we could modify them with a diesel engine running a generator to charge a bank of batteries that would run an electric motor that would run an air compressor to recharge the air tank so it could go more than three blocks……we would have something.

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..and no harmful chemicals from batteries need to be disposed of at the end of it’s life, right? make this car biodegradable and/or completely recyclable “upstream” and we’re there. oh and increase the mileage just a bit.

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I think this is a good start. Why not marry this with other technology? Add a Solar Cell for re-charging the Battery for the pump while parked or moving? Why not re-consume the energy lost from the wheels/brakes to re-charge the battery for the pump?

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OK, everyone stop and think. Compressed air has to be created somehow. In industrial applications, use of compressed air is much more inefficient than electricity. So, the car may be very efficient, but one must look at the whole system, including the means that charge the car. Ths application for this car is when zero emissions must be obtained — not for efficiency.

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WE americans welcome this concept. What do we need to do to have this vehile in the USA. Please e mail all mkembers of our congress as well as those of the the state of calif. This will get the movement going

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I was doing some alternative fuel Ideas of my ow, and stumbled on MDI.
Sounds like a simple idea, possible and cost effective. Why not have cities put in a MDI lane to help getting this into the USA, I believe that safety standards are good and needed in the USA, but could be reviewedm and routes set up for MDI autos only, maybe add a chip to monitor distances of MDI and automatically remind the driver and possibly slow the vehicle. The way government standards change and the unfluence of petrol companies could keep this alternative creative ideas out of the USA.
1) Price?
20 Has anyone contacted Air America, Glen Beck, Larry King, O’Reily, Hillary Clinton etc…why has the MDI not really being talked about? Is it real of fiction??
We should not have to demand a non-fossil fuel vehicle!!

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Barry: “…why has the MDI not really being talked about?”

Amazing amount of silence on the subject, isn’t there? All they talk about is CAFE & the ethanol boondoggle! I’ve seen it in at least two magazines, I think one being the June Pop Mechanics, but the “news” media writes not a word.

I have to wonder how much stock in the news media is owned by the oil companies?

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I don’t think there would be a sudden cessation of fossil fuel use, but in sunny areas, the air could be recompressed using solar-generated electricity. That would not only clean up the air, but ease the demand for fossil fuels. Normally cloudy areas, or winter sky areas, would continue to need alternative fuels, or buy tanks. Of course, transporting the tanks would use energy. Meanwhile, what happens with sudden impacts on tanks? Would there be an explosion? I have followed the MDI car developments since 2002, and am impatient with its non-appearance on the commercial market. I’d like to see its developers honestly, publically assess the downside as well as the upside. If something sounds too good to be true, it usually is. It surely appeals to me, and with quirks ironed out, I’d like it for my next town car. Indeed, with stations available, distance shouldn’t be a problem. Have we alternative car manufacturing companies in the US? If they don’t get with it, overseas will get the jump on us and seize the market (when it finally arrives).

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This air car is a great idea. I was wondering if yall were going to make the car attractive. People are materialistic and some can careless what it fuel it runs on if its ugly. To be completely suer your gonna get customers in the marketplace u guys show make a model that is cool. Like the 99 Viper of Chrysler. Then try a turbo charged air compressed engine for like sportscar. That would be a great idea also.

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I know what i’m asking for. For my sweet 16!

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ive been looking for something like this in years.
this is a great idea and i love it
this surly will not deplete the ozone layer. we need these cars all over the world
but this will bring a problem for gasoline retailers.
i dont care.

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The reason this car will never work (and that prototypes have only gone 7 km in tests) is simple - compressed air is a horrible and wasteful energy storage mechanism. This will never change, and thus this will never work well enough to gain acceptance. Its all there in the timeless energy fundamentals document that don lancaster wrote ages ago: http://www.tinaja.com/glib/energfun.pdf

This car was on a discovery channel show this evening and was claiming that they could compress air by using other compressed air? If conservation is to catch on, it needs to quit looking stupid by embracing wasteful technology like this or claiming perpetual motion (like the discovery show did).

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What is the truth, does the car go 155 kilometers on a tank or not?

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I think that this is a great idea and will make a great impact on the earth and the way we think about traveling. I do wish they would travel a bit longer but I’m 16 so this car is very cute and smalland not like the huge family car I have to drive. I would buy one if it went faster on the highway and could last longer! (and if I had the money)

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This would be a wonderful improvement, why was it not done 20 years ago? My husband would have been thrilled, as we had talked about having some thing done about the gas for 20 years, he talked about it all the time. to late for him as he has passed, but maybe I will get to see it.

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To get extended range on these vehicles for longer trips, one would need a secondary power source. Wanting to be completely independent from fossil fuels, it would be worth the extra cost to me to also make the air vehicles plug-in electric hybrids. For RVs, they make these really cool roll-up solar pannels that somehow plug-in to the RV’s power system. They aren’t very expensive, and could take the form of the windshield shades that people put in front of their mirrors, to keep their cars cool in the summer heat. Such a device could do double duty and also provide solar energy when the car is parked, to charge both the lithium-ion batteries as well as the air tanks. One could have four solar pannels for each window, to catch as much rays as possible.

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asking about prices of yhese car and specification

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this is important for peoples life………thanks