Korean Job Discussion Forums

[vox]

And fuel is up to a 1500 Won a litre now?

p-shaw.

I was just looking at this and wondering how long until Korea jumps on this bandwagon. Looks like India and Israel are interested too. Can you imagine what would happen if China decided to buy orders for it?

A Breath of Fresh Air: MDI Makes World's First Air Powered Car
Ingenious Motor Allows Car to Run on Air
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Canadian Auto Press
Short of hydrogen-powered, fuel cell or pure electric vehicles, there aren�t very many ways of obtaining zero emissions status. Admittedly, there�s still plenty of research left to do on fuel cell vehicles before they hit the road, not to mention the hydrogen refueling infrastructure that needs to be built, and while there�s been progress on electric cars such as the Tesla roadster, cost is always an issue. Now, French automaker MDI has come up with a clever solution that�s affordable and produces zero emissions to boot. How did they do it? The car is powered by air!
The CAT is powered by a thermodynamic motor that runs on air that�s been compressed to 4,350 psi. When the air enters the engine it expands and exerts force on pistons, thus creating the power. When the driver presses the accelerator pedal, a valve opens which sends air to the engine. The CAT has a 52-gallon compressed air tank that powers either a 15 or 22 horsepower motor, enabling the car to reach a top speed of between 90 to 110 km/h (68 mph), and travel up to 200 km (125 miles). What�s nice about air power is that in certain areas of Europe, the car is classified as a �neighborhood car�, meaning that it can be piloted without a full driver�s license.
There are a couple of different bodies and sizes available, depending on a given buyer�s needs, starting with one the size of the tiny smart fortwo. A panel van suitable for delivery use is also available, as is a taxi cab van capable of seating six, plus a small pickup truck. The bodies are made from lightweight fiberglass, which is easy and cheap to produce.
Once the initial 52-gallon fill has been emptied, the CAT can be recharged in two different ways. If there�s a nearby electrical outlet, the car can be hooked up to a local electrical grid, and with its onboard compressor will fill the tank in about four hours. This method costs about $2 or so in electricity per tank, which makes it the cheapest vehicle to fill we know of. The second way involves hooking the car up to a compressed air station, such as the type found at gas stations. If you can find the air for free (becoming a rarity), then there�s no cost to filling up. It also only takes two or three minutes, making it a more convenient solution.
MDI looks to be in talks with India's Tata Motors for a production deal, which will result in the creation of 6,000 of the air-powered cars for its own government. There are other countries that are interested in MDI�s cars as well, including Germany, South Africa and Israel. Sounds like a good idea for inner-city Canada too.

http://news.en.autos.sympatico.msn.ca/article.aspx?cp-documentid=5044057

[eamo]

That's a fantastic idea.

I would love one.

[sojourner1]

That's an ingenious idea. Do you realize how much cleaner our environment would be world wide if we didn't have all this exhaust choking us? It would be amazing to see a clean sustainable alternative energy become common place. I think it will happen, because oil is not a sustainable energy due to decreasing supply and increasing prices to the point of causing economic hardship on the majority while destroying our environment that we have to live in and pass onto future generations.

I think the Indians are onto something big with compressed air powered engines. In fact, this idea has been around for a while in theme park rides and power tools. I wonder what would happen if a business person in America built a new car company employing alternative energies such as this. It would be beneficial in too many ways to mention here. So why does innovation to create new opportunities only happen in developing places like India? It would be a joy to see an American set a company up to produce alternative energy engines for cars and equipment and to see it fly high with jobs being created while reducing pollution around the world. This technology could solve the huge problems of pollution in Asia and India as well as the oil crisis that will only get worse.

I think they could modify the tank to be more high performance in producing more power for longer distance capacity.

It might be worth the extra expense of having the tank made out of a titanium alloy to create the required extra strength for increasing capacity.

The funny thing about this is that an air powered engine is actually simpler technology than gas powered engines, but the oil and auto industries are in cahoots like they have been for many decades. Deviating away from oil dependence is required for a sustainable efficient economy and environment, but is not allowed; yet. Bring on the air powered cars and engines!

[cbclark4]

How is the air compressed?

[seoul101]

Yes, on a city-scale there would be less pollution, but where do you think the electricity that powers the vehicle comes from? Most likely nuclear in Korea (where uranium mining is polluting, and don't forget about the nuclear waste)..

At present, 'clean energy' doesn't really exist.. hydro and the like can have only a small impact on most countries energy requirements.

I wonder how fusion technology is coming along..?

[cbclark4]

Maybe you could buy an air powered air compressor.

http://www.northerntool.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/category_6970_87

[cbclark4]

[genezorm]

come to Korea? let me know if that car comes to America in the next 25 years

[vox]

[Col.Brandon]

How many kilometers does the average commuter travel in Seoul every day? I would bet well under 200. This kind of car would be perferct. I investigated converting a regular car to electric-only (120 km range) up to 160 km/h speed, but apparently it's illegal to modify cars in Korea. My thinking was that regular electric cars are too "gay" (who wants to drive a golf cart?), but something like a converted Toyota MR-2 would be perfect for commuting around Seoul.

[HyperPatriot]

That's a good question -- how much electricity does it take.



I wonder if they could put SOLAR PANELS on this thing and make it store up enough energy to power its own Air Compression, in case of an emergency?


That's the only suggestion i'd make.



Pretty neat though.


[Patriot]

[cbclark4]

True airheads.