Crash Victims Info

Has anyone done any research on using compressed air as a "fuel" to power automobiles?

I recently typed in "compressed air vehicle" on an internet search. I got a lot of "hits". Looks like a French company is well on the way to creating one. I'm curious if there are any automotive engineers out there who have researched the subject, and what difficulties they have experienced with this energy source. I'm also curious if anyone can tell me how much pressure can be held in certain containers. I know acetylene bottles are around 2000 psi; scuba tanks are around 4500 psi. Anything out there able to hold 10,000 psi ? What type of materials would be necessary for this? Would a container like this survive an automobile crash? Why don't the auto makers use compressed air for "regenerative braking" instead of generators and batteries, in the hybrid cars?

Public Comments

1. they are working on hydrogen powered cars
2. Actually the european version is set to go and the Market shares for selling them in the Us have all Been Bought up so it is looking like the Auto dealers believe they are coming and soon or they wouldntr have bout up the rights to sell them so quick
3. Ford produced an F-350 Mighty Tonka truck in 2002 that used a compressed air system. As I recall, the problem was they needed something like 5,000 psi to make it work, with peak loads even higher. It was known there as Hydraulic Launch Assist. There's a lot of information at the Ford link. The pressure constraints sound similar to those for hydrogen vehicles--materials cost is the big problem. The Eaton website seems to suggest that Peterbilt is looking into it...