Can I or should I bother converting my gasoline engine to an air powered engine in my 2003 GMC Yukon?

Question

I have been looking at alternative power sources for vehicles and I am finding that air powered vehicles may be the smartest greenest way to power a vehicle. Electric requires batteries. Air power just requires an air motor or impeller that would rotate the crankshaft of an engine or else bypass that engine. Are there eny kits out there to make this transformation and to eliminate the need to burn oil in my vehicle?

Answer 1

Lol.  Good luck buddy

Answer 2

Don't mean to point out the obvious,but compressed air is considered to be one of the most expensive "utilities" available by engineers.Think for a moment,to compress air,some sort of power is required to drive the compressor.The best air compressors are 30% efficient.When factoring the driver cost for a compressor and the inherent inefficiencies of air compressors,you are actually using more energy than an average internal combustion engine would require.

Answer 3

You can't get enough power from an air powered engine to run an SUV because air compressors are very inefficient.  That's why air-powered cars are so lightweight and won't be introduced into the USA (because they won't pass our crash tests, as they have to be made of very lightweight materials).

A system which stores energy in a battery and transfers it through electrical wire to an electric motor is nearly 90% efficient.  That's why electric vehicles are designed that way.

Answer 4

Not practical for this application.  Too much power would be wasted rotating an engine that isn't doing anything.

To pump air into this engine to make it rotate, you would need to build a custom camshaft to open and close the intake and exhaust valves at the correct time.  You would not want to use the existing 4 stroke camshaft.  Power would be wasted during the compression and non existent power stroke, wasting half of your power.  Do you have the skills needed to engineer and machine such a camshaft?

You could remove the engine and related components such as the fuel system.  Then replace it with an air driven motor.  You would need one with enough power to move your 4500 pound Yukon.  It would need to be adapted to the remaining drive train.  It would need to operate at the correct RPM range to move your Yukon at a good speed.  What good would is a Yukon with a top speed of 12 MPH.

You need a way to operate the power steering.  Have you ever tried driving a 4500 pound vehicle without power steering?  It will make a man out of you.  You also need to figure out how you will operate the power brakes without engine vacuum.

You need to figure out how to power the electrical system.  Stuff like the required exterior lights, windshield wipers, horn, etc.  Heating and air conditioning may also be required.

If you live in a cold climate, you may need to figure out how you are going to dry the air in the air system.  If not, your air motor will quickly become a block of ice and stop functioning.

You might be better off finding a vehicle engineered from the ground up to run off air.  I would bet it would cost you over $100,000 to convert your Yukon to air power.  It would be cool, but only for a few miles.

Also, have you considered that it takes electricity to run the air compressor to supply air to this vehicle?  Electricity that most likely comes from fossil fuels.  So are you really saving the environment?

Answer 5

I am glad you asked what PSI you would need, because that is the problem. You would need an impossibly high PSI to go more than a few feet. I doubt any pressure tank strong enough exists that could take a car even 1 mile. And of course you would need a pump to fill that tank with that high pressure. And electric car would be FAR easier, IMO.

Answer 6

Why don't you just put some wings on it???

Answer 7

What you are asking is close to what a Stanley Steamer CAR did...VERY CLOSE!!!!!! Stanley Steamer CARs did 80MPH top speed. As a matter of fact, a Stanley Steamer could run off of air, but you would still need a big air tank, one that could blow you and your truck and everyone else around you up like a big bomb. S.S.'s ran off of steam pressure which came from boiling water. You would HAVE TO have at least a DIESEL ENGINE BLOCK because of the higher torque power a air engine would produce. Then you would need a smaller air tank with an big air pump, but what would you connect to the air pump to power it? electric motor with batteries , gas/diesel engine?

No matter what YOU WOULD NEED a AIR COMPRESSOR that was powered by a engine.

Just look at this one->

Chicago Pneumatic Quiet Rotary s***w Air Compressor with Dryer —

-30 HP engine, 230 Volts

-120GAL. air tank

Only $14699.99

I wouldn't dare use a tank that big, shoot I wouldn't dare even use a 60gal tank. I personally would put the air tank in a sealed WELDED safe PERMANENTLY with a few big air holes in it!