The stricter environmental laws in various parts of the world, the need for restricting the dependability on greenhouse gases, and the heavy taxes levied on fossil fuels has resulted in alternative fuel vehicles grabbing the attention of the people worldwide. The highest priority given by the auto companies and the Government in exploring alternative sources for fuelling vehicles has led to interesting innovations like the air car.
Air car makes use of compressed air to fuel its engine. Even though not much of an innovation has occurred in this field of study, it is an early prototype that was in existence even before the birth of the internal combustion engine. This concept evolved in the middle of the 19th century and is being considered today, thanks to the increasing need to explore alternative fuels.
Air cars are equipped with tanks capable of holding large volumes of compressed air that are channelled towards the piston to turn the crankshaft. The power so generated can be made to produce speeds up to 35 mph. When the car is driven at higher speeds, an in-built compressor will start its operation of compressing more air to give it an extra push. Besides, the air car takes advantage of the heated air in the engine to power it. The air that gets expanded when heated up is used to drive the car forward.
After driving, the compressed air tank can be re-fuelled by plugging in the compressor that uses the air from the environment for a complete refill. Typically, the process of refilling might take around two hours for its completion, as they are expected to hold about 3,200 cubic feet of compressed air. And, if air refuelling stations spring up at normal gas stations, they will be able to make use of technology that will pump air in about three minutes.
The engine that powers cars using compressed gas was developed by the French company, MDI (Motor Development International).
The car has been so designed that it tends to be lighter, making it possible to remain fuel efficient and move faster for a longer duration. With engineers working to provide customers with better efficiency engines, the average cost for refuelling can be estimated to be $2 worth of electricity. With compressed air posing great risk should an accident occur, the vehicles will have air tanks made of carbon fiber. Carbon fiber tends to crack rather than shatter in the event of a mishap. As well, placing the valve on the sides creates a lesser chance of ‘rocket-like’ propulsion.
While Tata Motors in India will likely be the first company to launch air cars in the market, it probably will be closely followed by the Zero Pollution Motors’ production of FlowAIR hitting the roads of America.
Being more or less termed as a non-polluting vehicle (except for the small amount of carbon emission from the in-built compressor when refuelling), the air car can be denoted as the car of the future, which holds the promises for an enhanced development and improvement.
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