Does anyone know the true fuel efficiency that the air car has?

Question

I've heard it has great fuel efficiency when it's used with another fuel. However, I've heard the opposite as well. Would there be a mathematical formula to figure this out? If so how could it be figured?

Air car: http://www.theaircar.com

Answer 1

Roughly, in Thermodynamic, it would be the same as another similar system:

Pressured Air as energy storage for electricity. It consists simply in a hole in a salt layer which you fill and empty using a compressor/turbine. The efficiency can be slightly over 60%. That just makes the fuel cell look ridiculous.

The other thing is that is allows to create a quite light vehicle... and you don´t need the 5% energy for the AC (the gas expansion creates a cooling).

Answer 2

We have air cars? I want one. I don't know of there fuel efficiany...sorry.

Answer 3

The power used by a vehicle can be calculated quite accurately if you know 1 it's rolling resistance 2 it's curb mass. 3 it's coefficient of wind resistance 4 its frontal area

The formula for wind resistance is pretty hard to right out here but is listed on this site under power

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wind_resist...

For rolling resistance it is

Power =gravity x mass x speed x coefficient of rolling resistance.

Just add the two together.

If you also calculate the power contained in (and consumed producing) the fuel source you will be able to calculate efficiency. power out/ power in.

The hassle with the air car is that compressed air uses a lot of power to produce. Compressed air power is one of the most inefficient methods.Which tends to make it look bad on efficiency.

It's advantage is that it can re-compress air during the braking process which makes it far more efficient as a vehicle.(like regenerative brakes).

As with any transport overcoming wind resistance is the key to greatest improvements in efficiency.

So depending on which way you present it it could look good or terrible.