106 MPG... my kinda car!

[Sonnie]

An Air Car You Could See in 2009: ZPM’s 106 MPG Compressed-Air Hybrid

[thxgoon]

Wow! I was a bit skeptical of this at first because of the use of electricity to compress the air but it looks legit. If I'm calculating correct for the losses in the power grid from a coal fired plant, it still expells less CO2 than a Prius. Cool! I hope this catches on.

[Mike P.]

ZPM’s US model will store about 3200 cubic feet of compressed air in carbon fiber tanks at 4500 psi. Carbon fiber tanks are used for safety reasons since they tend to split open (as opposed to explode) when punctured.

I know it would take me awhile to get used to that idea!

[salvasol]

Nice!!!

I like this one too ... it will use battery and flex-fuel (I know you still will use gas, but suppossedly more eficient 640MPG )

chevy-volt-concept-header.jpg

http://www.chevy-volt.net/chevrolet-...ry-details.htm

[Sonnie]

That's actually a pretty good looking car.

I truly wish these technologies would take off... then we could slowly but surely decrease our need for oil/gas. Of course, oil companies would figure out a way to get $25 for a quart of oil.

[SQCherokee]

I saw something about that compressed air car on modern marvels on the history channel yesterday morning.
They seem like a neat idea but the engine sounds like a rattley old diesel...and the bodys are a very light weight fiberglass...so they will probably transmit most of that noise inside the car.

The Chevy volt will be a plug in electric vehicle.
It will however have a small motor and small fuel tank on board...the engine will only be used to recharge the batteries if you run them down while driving...so thats were the 640 mile range comes from...and keep in mind that the tank will probably only be about a gallon or two.

Oh yeah...and the volt will be out in '09 or '10

[salvasol]

SQCherokee wrote:

It will however have a small motor and small fuel tank on board...the engine will only be used to recharge the batteries if you run them down while driving...so thats were the 640 mile range comes from...and keep in mind that the tank will probably only be about a gallon or two.

Oh yeah...and the volt will be out in '09 or '10

I recall reading that the tank will be 12 gallons ... but the engine I think will be a one or two cylinders

I remember that the price will be around 30K too

I found the specifications ... http://www.chevy-volt.net/chevrolet-volt-specs.htm

[pswayze]

Mike P. wrote:

ZPM’s US model will store about 3200 cubic feet of compressed air in carbon fiber tanks at 4500 psi. Carbon fiber tanks are used for safety reasons since they tend to split open (as opposed to explode) when punctured.

I know it would take me awhile to get used to that idea!

4200 psi, holy cow! Just hope that doesn't rupture. You might end up on the moon.

[tenzip]

Have you guys seen the Aptera? My sister who lives in Newport Beach, CA, is on the list to buy one when they start selling them. Only $500 deposit, and only in California.

I found it interesting that they tested a diesel engine that would have given them around 230 MPG with no electric assist, but they couldn't get it to pass CA's emissions standards, so it has to use a gasoline engine that doesn't do that well, but still very good. Their explanation of how they determine mileage makes sense to me, it's on the "details" page.

I think it's a really cool looking car. You'd have to wear a helmet in Nebraska, though, as it's registered as a motorcycle.