- An air car runs entirely on compressed air held in tanks, using an engine similar to a gasoline engine. It was invented in the 1990s by a French engineer and is being produced and tested in several countries. - The air car works by compressing air from outside into a chamber, heating it up, and mixing it with expanded air from the tanks to drive the piston and engine. It can reach speeds up to 60 mph and has a range of 120 miles before needing to recharge the tanks. - While initial costs are higher, air cars are more efficient and emit no pollution. Production is ongoing to address issues like speed and range. Air cars represent a promising sustainable transportation

1. AN ISO 9001-2008 CERTIFIED INSTITUTE
SSBT’S COET JALGAONSSBT’S COET JALGAON
DEPARTMENT OF E&TC ENGINEERINGDEPARTMENT OF E&TC ENGINEERING
PRESENTATION ONPRESENTATION ON
““AIR CAR”AIR CAR”
Guided by:-
Miss.P. D.Girase
Presented by:-
Miss.Dipali D. Sonawane

2. Outline
 What an air car is
 Who invented them
 How they work
 Recharging compressed air
 Advantages / disadvantages
 Models available
 Where you can get them
 Cost / grants
 How they compare to conventional cars

3. History
The first compressed air vehicle
• The pneumatic motor was first applied to the field of transportation
in the mid-19th century.
• The car can be powered solely by air or combined (as in a hybrid
electric vehicle) with gasoline, diesel & ethanol.
• An air powered car is a car that uses an engine
powered by compressed air.
Invented by Guy Nègre, a French
engineer;
in 1991 started Moteur Development
International (MDI), Luxembourg.

4. What is an Air Car?
 Runs entirely on compressed air held in 300 liter
tanks underneath the car
 Uses an engine similar to a conventional gasoline
engine (piston engine)
 Is possible to run one of these cars completely
emission free

5. The mind behind air cars
 Invented by French engineer, Guy Negre
 Retired Formula One engine designer
 Invented air car engine
 Motor Development International (MDI) bought
technology / patented idea
 Negre still employed as lead engineer on team

6. The Concept of the Engine
 Air engine consists of three chamber system
– 1 cylinder compression
– 1 small combustion chamber
– 1 large expansion cylinder

7. What drives the compression
cylinder?
 The cylinder used for compressing the air
taken from outside is driven by recovered
energy.
 This energy is recovered from the energy lost
in the braking and deceleration process.

8. How do they work?
 First Chamber – takes in air through grill,
compresses, heats up air
 Second Chamber – mixes the hot compressed
air and cool expanded air
(from tanks) pressure
drives the piston to drive the
engine
 Third Chamber –allows for expansion and exhaust of
the mixed air from the combustion
chamber

10. • Maximum speed 60mph
• Acceleration 0-30 mph: 7 seconds
• Re-Acceleration Time 0-30 mph: 3 seconds
• Range 120 miles or 10 hours
Air car performance

11. Recharging the Air Car
 Two ways to recharge the compressed air
tanks
1) Quick refill (2-3 minutes)
2) recharge compressor inside of car through an
outside power source (4+ hours)
- solar
- electricity

12. Disadvantages
 Max speed 60 mph (120mph)
 Power 700cc’s (1600cc’s)
 Refuel 120 miles (~300 miles)
 Time to refuel up to 6 hours (max 5 min)

13. Solution to Disadvantages
 To eliminate these problems the air car is also
fueled by petrol.
 Even on gas alone these cars get 140 miles per
gallon
 Electronically controlled
 50 mph and above – runs on petrol
 Below 50 mph – runs only on air

14. Models Available
 Because of their speed limitations, these cars are
ideal for use in the city
 Available as:
– Taxis
– Pick-up trucks
– Delivery vans
– Bus prototypes being worked on
– Buggy prototype (Bombardier, Canada)

15. Where can you find air cars?
 Being tested and produced in Brignoles, France
 Hudson Valley, United States
– President of MDI searching for production site here
– Employs 130 workers
– Produce 2,000 to 6,000 cars per year
 Mexico is the first country to mass produce
– Bought 40,000
– Working to 87,000
– Worst pollution in world in that city

16. How much do they cost?
 A car alone only costs $13,000
 This does not include:
– 20 year air compressor - $3000
– 10 solar panels to charge emission free - $4290
Still less than conventional car, even with large initial costs

17. Why Air Cars?
 Much more efficient
– Lighter shell (carbon fiber)
– Lighter engine (77 pounds / 1/3 of gas engine)
– Longer combustion time in piston to burn fuel better
 Emissions
 Current transportation system not sustainable
– Air car
 cleaner air, electricity usage (if applicable)
– Conventional Car
 Cause lung damage, smog, global warming, etc.

18. Misc. Facts about Air Cars
 Handles like a regular car
 Less noise than a gas powered car, not quite as
quiet as a hybrid
 Little danger of rollover because of low center of
gravity
 Safer in a crash than a conventional car
 Excellent suspension

19. Conclusion
 Despite some faults, air cars can soon be very
real method of transportation
 Almost completely sustainable
 Cheaper than most conventional cars
 Can improve air quality considerably
 Can reduce greenhouse gas emissions
considerably