Air motors are not new being used in the 1800s in mines. There have been
advances with a rotary design in Australia. This French company made a
hybrid petro/air motor all in the one engine unit - no separate electric
motor and large expensive battery banks adding complexity. They use brake
regen to charge the air tank. It can run on just air, petro or air/petro
with the management system switching it in and out of modes. On low speeds
if enough air in the tank, it uses air and petro switches in at higher
speeds. The air tank can be charged up from a mains socket for cheap
commuting running mainly on air at low speeds.
The engine is claimed to emits one-third the carbon dioxide of
conventional
motors of the same size. Cold air, compressed in tanks to 300 times
atmospheric pressure, is heated and fed into the cylinders of a piston
engine. No combustion takes place when in air mode, meaning there is no
pollution,
If the billions spent on batteries was spent on hybrid air/petro engines
we
would all be riding around in one by now.
The big makers are going into series hybrids like the Chevy Volt,
propelled
only by an electric motor. The Chevy Volt does 60mpg when the IC genny set
is powering the electric motor using a 1400cc engine on a car that would
normally have a 2000cc engine. They optimise the genny engines to near
maximum as possible. The 1400cc engine is an off-the-shelf in stock auto
engine adapted. Lotus have developed a specific ~1000cc 3 cylinder genny
engine which is superior to the Chevy 1400cc engine in efficiency and
power/weight ratio, so would beat the Chevy Volt in mpg. There is no
gearbox
to sap power on a petro/electric series hybrid setup.
A large battery bank is used to charge up overnight giving ~40 miles range
and reclaim brake regen.
The Volt is a rather bigger car. They were to have a specially designed
1000cc 3 cylinder unit but backed out in favour of adapting the old
1400cc.
They had the prototypes running using the 1000cc unit - cost and existing
production, etc, were the factors. I think the 1000cc genny engine is
still
under R&D as the 1400cc is interim. So, an engine half the displacement
does
better in the series hybrid setup. The Lotus genny engine offers even
more.
This setup is not new as Ferdinand Porches used it in 1902. Advances in
generators, electric motors and fine tuning an IC engine means it can
outdo
an IC only engined car.
These large companies have spent billions on battery R&D and are not going
to turn to compressed air, whether it is better or not.
Also, where there is improvements a lot is in the lith-ion batteries and
smaller more efficient electric motors. Toshiba have set up sales offices
to sell their
latest battery:,,, Read on..... Temperatures as low as -30C Wow! I need
one
now!!!
......What Toshiba say....
http://www.toshiba.com/ind/data/news/news_241.pdf
Toshiba International Corporation, January 27, 2010 - Toshiba proudly
announces that it has established US-based sales and technical support for
its new product, the Super Charge Ion Battery, SCiBT. This nano-based
breakthrough lithium technology is noted for its rapid charging capability
of 90% charge in less than 5 minutes, long life of more than 10 years even
at rapid charge rates, and excellent safety performance. The SCiBT product
line will be supported out of the Toshiba International Corporation
headquarters in Houston, Texas and the SCiBT team will focus on business
development activities, battery pack design, prototyping, assembly,
technical support, and service.
The SCiBT battery technology offers numerous performance advantages that
make it an ideal solution for many of today's toughest energy storage
challenges.
* Inherently Safe - Advanced Lithium
Chemistry Based on Nano-Technology
Prevents Thermal Runaway Even Under
Extreme Physical Duress
* Fast Charge Rates - Capable of Full
Recharge in < 10 Minutes, 90% in < 5
Minutes
* Superior life - Minimal Capacity Loss,
Even After 6,000 Rapid Charge-Discharge
Cycles
* Greater Usable Capacity - Up to 85%
Usable Capacity Without Compromising
Cycle Life
* High Output Performance - Equivalent
Discharge Rates to those of
Ultra-Capacitors
* Superb Low-Temperature Performance -
Excels at Temperatures as Low as -30°C
* Proven Production - Produced on a
State-of-the-Art Automated Production
Line
SCiBT cells comprising the battery packs will be supplied from Toshiba's
state-of-the-art automated production line in the Saku Factory located in
Nagano, Japan. Initial market development activities in the US will focus
on
automotive HEV/PHEV/EV, industrial lift trucks, smart grid/grid storage,
medical equipment, wind and solar power, scooters, and UPS market
segments.
Toshiba currently has two battery pack offerings commercially available, a
12 V, 4.2 Ah pack and a 24 V, 4.2 Ah pack. Both offerings are based on
Toshiba's 2.4 V, 4.2 Ah cells and include Toshiba's proprietary battery
management system, which ensures optimum performance and safety.
Additional
packs are under development.
--------
This means the full Electric Car is now within easy reach. All it needs is
charging points around. London has them around the city centre and more
are
being installed.
BTW, to make a car lighter and get more mpg? Fit helium gas tanks in it.
