Check out this YouTube video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QmqpGZv0YT4
It shows two different compressed air motors. Make sure you watch all the way through - the second one seems far more impressive to me than the first. Once you've watched it - now imagine four of those little motors in each wheel... Woo hoo!
Cool title. Very catchy. Seems very familiar, eh? Anyway, we've already talked about these cars and I think that very video. http://visforvoltage.org/forum/2903-air-car ...
- David Herron, The Long Tail Pipe, davidherron.com, 7gen.com, What is Reiki
DOH! Sorry about that folks - I see I even posted on that last thread too. I guess I had a "senior" moment :)
Anyways - although MDI seems like a bigger concern I think the rotary engine in the second half has more technical promise (and I note usatracy agrees with that ;) )
John H. Founder of Current Motor Company - opinions on this site belong to me; not to my employer
Remember: " 'lectric for local. diesel for distance" - JTH, Amp Bros || "No Gas.
The numbers they say strike me as well...kind of silly. The basic concept seams sound enough though.
On a side note how do you guys do you think that rotary design would fair with CNG, Hydrogen, Brown Gas, or even petrol?
EDIT: And why is the piston one going with a 4 stroke design? Seriousely. 2 strokers are much more efficent and powerful than 4 strokers based on a given size. Gasoline cars don't use them because of emissions, but if your just using compressed air, thats not really a concern, is it? Also I'd imagine delrin would be a better material choice for the pistons, or carbon fiber sheathed in either aluminum or Delrin.
Delrin is light weight and self lubricates. Paintballers like mysel use it for the bolts in our 30+ BPS guns. The bolt on a paintball gun is very similar to a piston in an engine in terms of what it does. Delrin bolts have less kick than aluminum ones in PB guns (which would translate into a smoother engine) and weight signifigantely less
Carbon fiber, besides being a good buzzword to sell people on it, is stronger than steel and would allow a good, light weight piston head, allowing less energy to be lost moving the piston, and allow the engine to rev higher.