Five-seat concept car runs on air

13-02-2008, 21:17

Interesting...

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/7241909.stm

Link to BBC video

Octal · 13-02-2008, 21:25

Okay, so where is all this energy going to come from to generate the compressed air? A air compressor isn't the most efficient of machines.

Oh, and they will be taxing air soon, you don't think we are going to get off that lightly

**Graham M** · 13-02-2008, 21:53

Prepare to see this company go into liquidation no matter how well they appear to be doing

</conspiracy>

Wicked_and_Crazy · 13-02-2008, 21:58

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zeph

Prepare to see this company go into liquidation no matter how well they appear to be doing

</conspiracy>

Lol, you think TATA will go into liquidation??

---------- Post added at 21:58 ---------- Previous post was at 21:57 ----------

Quote:

Originally Posted by Octal

Okay, so where is all this energy going to come from to generate the compressed air? A air compressor isn't the most efficient of machines.

Oh, and they will be taxing air soon, you don't think we are going to get off that lightly

Plus they're not doing anything to refill the air tanks when the car is coasting

Vlad_Dracul · 13-02-2008, 22:43

Energy cannot be created or destroyed. It can only be converted into something else. So the illusion is that air is free. No it isn't. And compressed air certainly isnt free. Somewhere along the line, fossil fuels were burned to produce the energy to complress and store that air.

**Hugh** · 13-02-2008, 22:45

Unless the compressor was powered from a nuclear power station.......

Halcyon · 13-02-2008, 23:21

Even if someone did produce a free energy source that can power cars, you can bet that the petrol companies wil pay them off to keep quiet or find a way of stopping it from happening.

13-02-2008, 23:27

They already have. Conceptual engines that run on water and petrol iirc were bought up. A friend of mine who is the best mechanic you are likely to meet witnessed said engine before it was bought in the 70's

tweetypie/8 · 14-02-2008, 00:06

Quote:

Originally Posted by Enuff

Interesting...

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/7241909.stm

Link to BBC video

sounds like a lot of hot air to me.

Mr_love_monkey · 14-02-2008, 06:52

Quote:

Originally Posted by foreverwar

Unless the compressor was powered from a nuclear power station.......

Or they use a perpetual motion machine.

I once saw that being demonstrated with 2 potatoes and 3 bits of string.

Cobbydaler · 14-02-2008, 07:05

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mr_love_monkey

Or they use a perpetual motion machine.

I once saw that being demonstrated with 2 potatoes and 3 bits of string.

Sorry, but I think you're mistaken.

True perpetual motion requires that there be 3.5 bits of string...

Mr_love_monkey · 14-02-2008, 07:23

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cobbydaler

Sorry, but I think you're mistaken.

True perpetual motion requires that there be 3.5 bits of string...

No, you're thinking of a time machine.

and you need 4 bits of string for a cold fusion reactor

14-02-2008, 07:35

And don't forget the Flux capacitor.

Mr_love_monkey · 14-02-2008, 07:59

Quote:

Originally Posted by Enuff

And don't forget the Flux capacitor.

Now you're just being silly

altis · 14-02-2008, 09:34

I can't see the range being very far!

I once saw a video of a bus that was powered by a flywheel. At each stop was a mains-powered motor to spin the thing up and the bus would make its own way to the next stop. Pretty neat!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gyrobus

I've ridden on a battery-powered public bus that ran around Birkenhead. Nice and quiet but very slow - and no longer running.
http://icwirral.icnetwork.co.uk/gn3t...0898-17689910/
http://citytransport.info/Electbus.htm

For a really clean fuel you could try LNG - which is just methane compressed and kept very cold. It burns very cleanly to produce just CO2 and water (no NOX or anything)

CH4 + 2O2 → CO2 + 2H2O

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lng
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Methane