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FUTURE TRENDS IN AUTOMOBILE:
AIR POWERED VEHICLES
A SEMINAR REPORT
Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirement for the award of the degree of
BACHELOR OF TECHNOLOGY
(Mechanical Engineering)
Of
COCHIN UNIVERSITY SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY (CUSAT)
By
DHEERAJ KUMAR
(Roll No. 15140216)
DIVISION OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING
Cochin University College of Engineering Kuttanad (CUCEK)
CUSAT Kuttanad Campus, Pulincunnoo 688 504, Kerala State,
INDIA
2016

COCHIN UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
(CUSAT)
CERTIFICATE
This is to certify that the seminar report entitled “FUTURE TRENDS IN AUTOMOBILE:
AIR POWERED VEHICLES” is a bonafide work done by DHEERAJ KUMAR
(Register No. 15140216) in the seventh semester of the year 2016 towards the partial
fulfilment of the requirement for the award of the Degree of Bachelor of Technology in
Mechanical Engineering from Cochin University of Science and Technology.
Dr. MATHEW CHERIAN Dr. SHIYAS C R
Professor (Faculties in charge of Seminar) Associate Professor
Smt. SALAJI S
Head and Associate Professor
Division of Mechanical Engineering
Cochin University College of Engineering Kuttanad
CUSAT Kuttanad Campus, Pulincunnoo – 688 504, Kerala State
INDIA
2016

Seminar report on
FUTURE TRENDS IN AUTOMOBILE: AIR POWERED VEHICLES
Page | 3 DHEERAJ KUMAR | Dept. of ME, CUCEK
3
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
I express my sincere gratitude to Dr.Mathew Cherian, Professor, Division of
Mechanical Engineering, Cochin University College of Engineering Kuttanad
(CUCEK), for his valuable suggestion, advice, guidance and encouragement in
carrying out the seminar.
I especially thank Dr.Shiyas C R, Associate Professor, Division of Mechanical
Engineering, Cochin University College of Engineering Kuttanad (CUCEK), our
seminar coordinator, for his guidance and help rendered for the successful completion
of my seminar and for making available the facilities of the department for the
presentation of this seminar.
I am greatly thankful to Smt.Salaji S Head and Associate Professor, Department of
Mechanical Engineering Professor, Division of Mechanical Engineering, Cochin
University College of Engineering Kuttanad (CUCEK), for all necessary help
extended him in fulfillment of this seminar report.
I also express my gratitude to all members of staff, my parents and friends who were
very co-operative for the successful presentation of this seminar report. Last but not
the least I thank the God Almighty for his abundant grace on preparing this seminar
report.
DHEERAJ KUMAR

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ABSTRACT
The latest trend in the automotive industry is to develop light weight vehicles. Light
utility vehicles are becoming very popular means of independent transportation for
short distances. Every automotive industry is looking to reduce the weight of the
vehicle as it helps in the better handling of the vehicle and increases the efficiency of
the vehicle. Today, the heavy vehicles are run on the basically petrol & diesel, which
producing a large amount of harmful gases like CO2, SO2 etc. which act as the major
source for global warming. The Cost and pollution with petrol & diesel vehicles is
very high manufacturers to develop vehicles fueled by alternative energies. So
research is going on to find a light weight vehicle which does not pollute the
environment. One of the alternatives is the use of compressed air to generate power to
run an automobile. Due to the unique and environmental friendly properties like
compressed air for storing energy is a method that is not only efficient and clean, but
also economical. So the air is considered as one of the future fuels which will run the
vehicles.
This paper provides an overview of air power vehicles in brief and emphasizes the
potential advantages and disadvantages of the compressed air technology. And assure
that the compressed air is the alternative fuel for the vehicles.
Keywords: Air powered vehicles, Alternative Sources of Energy, clean & highly
efficient, Compressed air, light weight, Non-polluting.

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CONTENTS Page no.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT...................................................................................3
ABSTRACT.........................................................................................................4
1. INTRODUCTION ………………………………………………….…..8
2. NEED FOR TECHNOLOGY……………………………………….….9
3. LITERATURE REVIEW….……………………………………….…..10
4. COMPRESSED AIR VEHICLE…….…………………………………11
4.1 Working principle of air powered vehicle………………………….11-12
4.2 Layout of actual working ……………………………………….….12
4.3 Transformation made in conventional i.c engine………….……..…..13
5. DETAILED WORKING OF ENGINE……..…………………….14-15
6. COMPONENTS OF AIR POWERED VEHICLE………...16,17,18,19
7. TYPES OF ENERGY MODES…………………. ………….………19
8. FUELING PROCESS…………………………………….…............19
9. MODELS OF AIR CAR………………………………………….....20
10. COMPARISION WITH ELECTRONIC VEHICLE SYSTEM…….21
11. PERFORMANCE , CALCULATION & OBSERVATIONS…21,22,23
12. MERITS AND DEMERITS…………………………..…………….24
13. FUTURE SCOPE…………………………………………………..25
14. CONCLUSION…………………………………………………….25
15. REFRENCES………………………………………………………26

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LIST OF FIGURES
Figure No. Description Page No.
FIGURE 1: Compressed air vehicle………………………………………..11
FIGURE 2: Layout of actual working……………………………………12
FIGURE 3: Transformation details……………………………………….13
FIGURE 4: Stage 1 operation…………………………………………….14
FIGURE 7: Electric control if crankshaft……………………………….15
FIGURE 8: Engine………………………………………………………..16
FIGURE 9: Axle…………………………………………………………..17
FIGURE 10: Air tank………………………………………………………18
FIGURE 11: Air filter………………………………………………………18
FIGURE 12: Van…………………………………………………………..20
FIGURE 13: Details of steering wheel……………………………………20
FIGURE 14: Torque test setup……………………………………………21
FIGURE 15: Indicated power v/s Pressure……………………………….23
FIGURE 16: Brake power v/s load……………………………………….23
FIGURE 17: Pressure v/s rpm…………………………………………….23

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LIST OF TABLES
Table No. Description Page No.
TABLE 1: Comparison of air powered vehicle with electronic vehicle system
like Nissan and Toyata……………………………………….. 21
TABLE 2: Performance and calculation……………………………………22

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1. INTRODUCTION
Compressed air is the air kept under a pressure that is greater than atmospheric
pressure. It serves many domestic and industrial purposes. We know that our world is
facing fuel crises now. All kinds of conventional source of fuels are the verge of
exhaustion. Gasoline which has been main source of fuel for history of cars is
becoming more and more expansive and impractical. These factors are leading car
manufactures to develop cars fuel alternative energies. Two hybrid cars took to the
road in 2000 & in three or four years fuel-cell-powered cars will roll on to the world’s
highways. While gasoline prices in the United States have not yet reach their highest
point. But cost is not only problem with using gasoline as our primary fuel [1]. It is
also damaging to the environment, and since it is not a renewable resource, it will
eventually run out.
One possible alternative is the AIR POWER VEHICLES. It is hard to believe that
compressed air can be used to drive vehicles. However that is true and “air vehicles”
as it popularly knows has caught the attention of research worldwide. It has zero
emission and is ideal for city driving condition. MDI (Motor Development
International) is one company that holds the international patents for compressed air
car.
Compared to fuels like petrol and diesel, compressed air is favourable because of a
high energy density, low toxicity, fast filling at low cost and long service life. These
issues make it technically challenging to design air engines for all kind of compressed
air driven vehicles. To meet the growing demand of public transportation, sustainable
with environmental consciousness, people are in the search for the ultimate clean car
with zero emissions. Many concept vehicles were proposed that run on everything
from solar power to algae, but most of them are expensive and require hard-to-find
fuels. Compressed air vehicle project in the form of light utility vehicle (LUV) (i.e.,
air car in particular) has been a topic of great interest.

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2. NEED FOR THE TECHNOLOGY
Today fossil fuels are widely used as a source of energy in various different fields
like power plants, internal & external combustion engines, as heat source in
manufacturing industries, etc. But its stock is very limited and due to this tremendous
use, fossil fuels are depleting at faster rate. So, in this world of energy crisis, it is
inevitable to develop alternative technologies to use renewable energy sources, so that
fossil fuels can be conserved. One of the major fields in which fossil fuels are used is
Internal Combustion Engine. An alternative of IC Engine is “AIR POWERED
ENGINE”. It is an engine which will use compressed air to run the engine. It is cheap
as it uses air as fuel, which is available abundantly in atmosphere. There are several
technical benefits of using this engine, like as no combustion takes place inside the
cylinder, working temperature of engine is very close to ambient temperature. This
helps in reducing wear and tear of the engine components. Also there is no possibility
of knocking. This in turn results in smooth working of engine. One more technical
benefit is that there will not be any need for installing cooling system or complex fuel
injection systems. This makes the design simpler.
Here air is compressed using compressor which in turn uses electricity, to run, which
is cheaper and widely used. This adds value to its economic benefits. Also, as
discussed earlier, as no combustion takes place which results in smooth working of
the engine with minimum wear and tear, this will require less maintenance.

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3. LITERATURE REVIEW
Behaviour of compressed air Compressed air is clean, safe, simple and efficient.
There are no dangerous exhaust fumes of or other harmful by products when
compressed air is used as a utility. It is a non-combustible, non-polluting utility. When
air at atmospheric pressure is mechanically compressed by a compressor, the
transformation of air at 1 bar (atmospheric pressure) into air at higher pressure (up to
414 bar) is determined by the laws of thermodynamics. They state that an increase in
pressure equals a rise in heat and compressing air creates a proportional increase in
heat. Boyle's law explains that if a volume of a gas (air) halves during compression,
then the pressure is doubled. Charles' law states that the volume of a gas changes in
direct proportion to the temperature. These laws explain that pressure, volume and
temperature are proportional; change one variable and one or two of the others will
also change, according to this equation:
𝑃1.𝑉1
𝑇1
=
𝑃2.𝑉2
𝑇2
Compressed air is normally used in pressure ranges from 1 bar to 414 bar (14 to 6004
PSI) at various flow rates from as little as 0.1 m (3.5 CFM - cubic feet per minute)
and up. The laws of physics dictate that uncontained gases will fill any given space.
The easiest way to see this in action is to inflate a balloon. The elastic skin of the
balloon holds the air tightly inside, but the moment you use a pin to create a hole in
the balloon's surface, the air expands outward with so much energy that the balloon
explodes. Compressing a gas into a small space is a way to store energy. When the
gas expands again, that energy is released to do work. That's the basic principle
behind what makes an air cargo.

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4. COMPRESSED AIR VEHICLE
A compressed-air vehicle (CAV) is powered by an air engine, using compressed air,
which is stored in a tank. Instead of mixing fuel with air and burning it in the engine
to drive pistons with hot expanding gases, compressed-air vehicles use the expansion
of compressed air to drive their pistons.
Fig.1. compressed air vehicle
4.1 Working principle of air powered vehicles
The principle of compressed-air propulsion is to pressurize the storage tank and then
connect it to something very like a reciprocating steam engine of the vehicle. Instead
of mixing fuel with air and burning it in the engine to drive pistons with hot
expanding gases, compressed air vehicles (CAV) use the expansion of compressed air

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to drive their pistons. Thus, making the technology free from difficulties, both
technical and medical, of using ammonia, petrol, or carbon disulphide as the working
fluid. Manufacturers claim to have designed engine that is 90 percent efficient. The
air is compressed at pressure about 150 times the rate the air is pressurized into car
tyres or bicycle. The tanks must be designed to safety standards appropriate for a
pressure vessel. The storage tank may be made of steel, aluminum, carbon fiber,
kevlar or other materials, or combinations of the above. The fiber materials are
considerably lighter than metals but generally more expensive. Metal tanks can
withstand a large number of pressure cycles, but must be checked for corrosion
periodically. A company has stated to store air in tanks at 4,500 pounds per square
inch (about 30 MPa) and hold nearly 3,200 cubic feet (around 90 cubic meters) of air.
The tanks may be refilled at a service station equipped with heat exchangers, or in a
few hours at home or in parking lots, plugging the vehicle into an on-board
compressor.
4.2 Layout of the actual working

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Fig.2. Layout of actual working
4.3 Transformation made in conventional i.c engine
First of all replace the spark plug with a pulsed pressure control valve which can
create required pressure. Now the pulsed air firing in this valve is controlled by
controlling the supply of electrical signal to the plunger . For this we require an
electronic timing circuit which can control the flow of electrical supply to the plunger
of this valve. This can be achieved by using PLC circuit. Now speed of the engine
will be controlled by controlling this input signal.
Now fuel tank is to be replaced with air vessel, as it requires pressurized air as input.
And two things are to be taken care while designing air vessel:
1) First is its strength to withstand high internal pressure, which exists due to
compressed air. For this outer body of it should be made of a material, having high
strength, like carbon fiber.
2) Second is its capacity to store air and its weight.
Now replace cam with a modified cam. This is to be done, so that both the inlet and
outlet valves open and close at the same time. Main advantage of doing this is to
achieve better scavenging system. Also this will result in conversion of 4 stroke
engine into 2 stroke air engines, which in turn gives us the benefit of low mean
effective pressure requirement in addition to other operational benefits.
Fig.3. Transformation details

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5. DETAILED WORKING OF ENGINE
The normal 4 stroke SI engine is shown as:
Fig.4. Stage 1 operation
OPERATION: Initial torque is supplied from the DC exciter motor, and then the
engine operation starts.
STAGE 1: When the piston is in the TDC, compressed air is injected through the
pulsed air firing valve, which pushes the piston to BDC.

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STAGE 2: Due to the motion of the engine and its inertia, the piston moves back to
TDC, pushing the air out of the valves.
The plunger of the pulsed firing valve is controlled by a timing circuit which is
specifically a PLC programmed circuit. It supplies the electronic signals by which the
plunger moves so that it opens and closes the pulsed firing valve.
Fig.7. Electric Control of Crank Shaft

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6. COMPONENTS OF AVCs
Frame
For mounting of all the accessories the base should be strong. The base here is called
as the frame. The material used for the making of frame is mild steel. The hollow type
pipes are fabricated to form a rigid construction so as to serve the purpose of frame.
The hollow pipe is used to minimize the weight of the vehicle.
Engine
The engine used for compressed air car is 100cc 4-stroke Hero Honda CD100 engine.
The slight modifications are done with the engine to serve the purpose of compressed
air car. Before modifications the engine was having 28 teeth on camshaft gear while
14 on crankshaft gear. After modification the camshaft gear has been changed with a
size equal to crankshaft gear. So, both the gears are of equal number of teethi.e.14
teeth. The other parameters of engine are kept same. The engine contains inlet and
exhaust valve operated by two cams, block and piston arrangement, timing chain,
crank shaft etc.
Fig.8. Engine
Engine specification
1. Stroke length of cylinder (L) = 50 mm
2. Bore diameter of cylinder (D) = 50 mm
3. Swept volume of cylinder = 9.8 cm³

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Steering mechanism
The complete steering comprises of steering wheel, steering shaft, tie rods, universal
joint, ball type arrangement, rack and pinion arrangement, bellows for dust protection.
The steering wheel is connected to steering shaft which transfers the motion to rack
and pinion arrangement through universal joint. Tie rods provides motion to the wheel
to assist the turning. Hence, ultimately front wheels move in right and left direction.
Axle
The real axle is connected to rear wheels of our car. Both the end of the axle is
connected to the wheels through knuckle joint and the chain sprocket mechanism is
mounted on it. The material used in axle is mild steel. The diameter and length of
axle is 25 mm and 950mm.
Fig.9. Axle
Tank
An Air powered vehicle is powered by an air engine, using compressed air, which is
stored in a tank. Instead of mixing fuel with air and burning it in the engine to drive
pistons with hot expanding gases; compressed-air vehicles use the expansion of
compressed air to drive their pistons. One manufacturer claims to have designed an
engine that is 90 percent efficient.

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Tank specification
The tank is made of carbon fibre and provided with lining for prevention in case of
accident.
Tank capacity - 130 liters , Tank size – Length =42 inch ,Diameter =14 inch , Type of
the compressor - Single Acting Single-Stage reciprocating Compressor ,Pressure -
200 psi, Time to fill - 4 minutes ,Compressor rpm - 650 rpm
Fig.10. Air tank
Air filter
A particulate air filter is a device composed of fibrous materials which removes solid
particulates such as dust, pollen, mould, and bacteria from the air. A chemical air
filter consists of an absorbent or catalyst for the removal of airborne molecular
contaminants such as volatile organic compounds or ozone.
Fig.11. Air filter

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Brake power recovery
It uses one mechanism that stops engine when the car is stationary (at traffic light,
junctions etc…), which recover 13% of power used.
7. TYPES OF ENERGY MODES
Single Energy Mode:
It uses only compressed air. The maximum speed is 50 km/h.
Dual Energy Mode:
It uses compress air as well as fossil fuel. At speed over 50 km/h, the engine will
switch to fuel mode.
8. FUELING PROCESS
There are three modes of fueling the air tank:
 Air Stations: Just as filling of petrol at petrol pumps , air can be filled in tanks
air stations. They use a huge tank already filled with compressed air at high
pressure. This method is less time consuming air can be filled in 3-4 minutes.
 Domestic electric plug : This method uses compressor installed in homes. This
is a time taking process, it can consume upto 4 hours.
 Dual-energy mode: This method uses gasoline and compressed air both. The
air car will be provided with an onboard compressor. When the compressed air
will be finished the car will be using little amount of gasoline and use
compressor to fill the air tank. Using this method one can go upto 800 miles.

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9. MODELS OF AIR CAR
Van
Designed for daily use in industrial, urban or rural environments, whose primary
drivers would be tradesmen, farmers and delivery drivers.
Fig.12. Van Fig.13. Details of steering wheel
Specifications: Airbag, air conditioning, ABS, 2 seats, 1.5 m3.
Dimensions: 3.84m, 1.72m, 1.75m , Weight: 750 kg
Maximum speed: 110 km/h, Mileage: 200 - 300 km, Maximum load: 500 Kg
Recharging time: 4 hours (Mains connector), Recharging time: 3 minutes (Air
station)
Mini Cat’s
The smallest and most innovative: three seats, minimal dimensions with the boot of a
saloon: a great challenge for such a small car which runs on compressed air. The
Minicat is the city car of the future.

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10. COMPARISION WITH EVS
 These comes under zero emission vehicles.
 Electrical vehicle batteries use toxic electrolytes, these electrolytes have to be
mnf.pr produce some pollution, battery replaced every 2-3 years.
 This car use natural air, compress air more efficient.
Table.1
Comparision NISSAN TOYATA AIR CAR
FUEL TYPE Electric Electric Air powered
ANNUAL FUEL COST $ 331 $391 $220
GREEN HOUSE GAS
EMISSION
3.5 4.1 1.2
PRICE $50999 $42000 $14000
11. PERFORMANCE , CALCULATION & OBSERVATION
Experimental analysis were carried out on this modified engine to find out its
performance characteristics like brake power, mechanical efficiency, indicated power,
torque etc.
To calculate the torque rope brake dynamometer was used. The arrangement is as
shown below:
Fig.14. Torque test setup

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Table.2
Case 1 Case 2 Case 3
Engine speed (rpm) 3100 2500 1000
Output shaft
speed(rpm)
900 720 140
Weight (kg) 28 24 20.5
Torque 5.08 N-m 4.35 N-m 3.72 N-m
Brake power 0.478 KW 0.327 KW 0.054 KW
Indicated power 1.78 KW 1.43 KW 0.279 KW
Efficiency 26.85 % 22.86 % 19.35 %
Diameter of pulley = 29mm , Diameter of rope = 8mm , Constant pressure from tank
= 6.07 bar
OBSERVATIONS
1. Tank pressure =7 bar
2. Weight of car = 150 kg
3. Maximum weight of driver =150 kg
4. Car’s top speed =90-95 km/hrs.
5. Time to fill tank/reservoir =3 min.(7 bar)
6. Exhaust temperature =150c
7. Distance travelled per refill =400m

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Fig.15. Indicated power v/s Pressure
Fig.16. Brake power v/s load
Fig.17. Pressure v/s rpm

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12. MERITS AND DEMERITS
Merits:
-Compressed-air vehicles are unconstrained by the degradation problems associated
with current battery systems.
-Much like electrical vehicles, air powered vehicles would ultimately be powered
through the electrical grid which makes it easier to focus on reducing pollution from
one source, as opposed to the millions of vehicles on the road.
-Compressed-air tanks can be disposed of or recycled with less pollution than
batteries.
-The tank may be able to be refilled more often and in less time than batteries can be
recharged, with refueling rates comparable to liquid fuels.
-The tanks used in a compressed air motor have a longer lifespan in comparison with
batteries, which, after a while suffer from a reduction in performance.
Demerits:
-Very little is known about air powered vehicles thus far.
-Compressed air vehicles likely will be less robust than typical vehicles of today. This
poses a danger to users of compressed air vehicles sharing the road with larger,
heavier and more rigid vehicles.
-Compressed air has a low energy density comparable to the values of electrochemical
lead-acid batteries. While batteries can somewhat maintain their voltage throughout
their discharge and chemical fuel tanks provide the same power densities from the
first to the last liter, the pressure of compressed air tanks falls as air is drawn off.
-When the air is expanded in the engine, it will cool down via adiabatic cooling and
lose pressure thus its ability to do work at colder temperatures. It is difficult to
maintain or restore the air temperature by simply using a heat exchanger with ambient
heat at the high flow rates used in a vehicle, thus the ideal is thermic energy capacity
of the tank will not be realized.

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13.FUTURE SCOPE
 The future scope of the air powered vehicle is that when we driving the car on
the road the aerodynamic is affected on the car, if we have done the
arrangement on the car that utilizes that air and send it to the air compressor
and send to the air engine, so the car does not stop for the reason of refueling.
 Recirculation of air
 High torque and power
 Improved methods of valve timing
14. CONCLUSION
Air powered vehicles is a realization of latest technology in automobile field. The air
vehicles are a clean, easy to drive, light in vehicles and performance vehicles. It
eliminates the use of non-renewable fuels and thereby preventing pollution and step to
a healthier environment.
Compressed air for vehicle propulsion is already being explored and now air powered
vehicles are being developed as a more fuel-efficient means of transportation. Some
automobile companies are further exploring compressed air hybrids and compressed
fluids to store energy for vehicles which might point the way for the development of a
cost effective air powered vehicles design. Unfortunately there are still serious
problems to be sorted out before air powered vehicles become a reality for common
use but there is a hope that with the development in science & technology well
supported by the environmental conscious attitude and need to replace costly
transportation methods, air-powered vehicles will definitely see the light of the day.

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15. REFRENCES
[1] International Journal of Advance Research In Science And Engineering
http://www.ijarse.com IJARSE, Vol. No.4, Special Issue (01), March 2015
[2] The Open Fuels & Energy Science Journal ISSN: 1876-973X ― Volume
8, 2015
[3] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compressed-air_vehicle
[4] http://auto.howstuffworks.com/fuel efficiency/vehicles/air-car.htm
[5] Richard, M.G. The Air-Powered Motorcycle by JemStansfield,
http://www.instructables.com/id/Air powered-bicycle
[6] R.S.Khurmi, J.K. Gupta “A Text Book of Theory of Machines”, S.Chand.

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