Ortis checks out the Airpod - a car that runs on air! Bonjour, bonjour! Why the amazing degree-level-standard French? Because I recently took a trip across the Channel and headed to Nice to check out a prototype car thatâs powered by nothing but air â the AIRpod! Looking like something designed by a sci-fi comic book artist from the 60s, the AIRpod is powered by compressed air. It can hold up to 200l of air, and itâs so densely packed that when itâs released the air expands and itâs forced into cylinders to drive the wheels. So how do you fill it up? Imagine pumping your tyres and itâs a bit like that, only you can fill up the air tank in around two minutes. And on a full tank you go 125miles! Thereâs even an onboard compressor that can fill the car up overnight from the air around it. With a couple of joysticks for control, the AIRpod is a clean, efficient way of getting around. Find out when itâll be floating across the Channel in the video above. Zut Alors! The above was from the Channel 5 Gadget Show in the UK. Looks like GM etc. are way behind as usual but give 'em about 5 years to respond !! MDI Air Car: with a compressed air engine Filed under: Autos, Environment | By: Peter Chubb The MDI Air Car, well that is its nickname has taken fourteen years to develop but oh boy has it been worth it as it is the first engine to use compressed air. The MDI is set to become the biggest technological advancement of my time, as it is every environmentalist dream. The engine will produce zero pollution in cities and far less pollution while driving outside urban areas thanks to a mix of compressed air and fuel. Although the technology behind the MDI Air Car is not new, it is the ongoing research that has helped this dream become a reality. The other great advantage with the MDI vehicle is that it is not as expensive as say an electric or hydrogen powered vehicle, these vehicles also are not restricted by a limited driving range. For more information please visit: www.theaircar.com
The best advantage is that there is a zero pollution as the air gets compressed by magic ... Perpetuum mobile rise again
Filling up the tanks creates a crapload of heat. Go to a scuba shop and watch them fill some tanks - they have to put them in cold water to keep them cool - otherwise the heat raises the pressure of the tanks. You have to cool the tank or fill it very slowly. Draining them likewise cools everything. Driving this in the winter will cause freeze ups unless you heat the thing up. There's undoubtedly ways to store power cheaply and efficiently draw it without having to buy new batteries every few years or lose a lot to inefficiencies of conversion. And I'll be glad when we figure some of them out. But this isn't it.