Save Money-Drive An Air Carby Michele Cheplic | More from this Blogger 29 Oct 2006 08:18 PM You've heard of cars that are powered by the sun, and cars that are powered by electricity, hydrogen, even vegetable oil. But, how about air? A father-and-son team from France insists air power is no joke. Guy and Cyril Negre say they have spent several years tooling with the idea of fueling cars with compressed air at their factory in southern France. Plain old air compressed in the tank. They say it's not only cheap but also helps preserve the environment. For the past few months the team has been trying to convince skeptics that their idea is a winner. "This is not a toy car," Cyril recently told news reporters. "It's a real car. The other thing is it's a very zero emission car. You won't pollute, there won't be emission and the thing also, you have a very economical car." How economical? According to the Negres, "fuel" cost for the car average just $2 for every 120 miles. And it seems they know what they are talking about. The Negres have a long history in the world of auto mechanics. Guy designed a Formula One race car engine. Cyril worked at Bugati. The technology for their car, they say, is relatively simple and safe. "When you compress the air in the tank, inside of the tank, this is like compressing a spring, and then the tank gives you back the energy of the air when it expands," says Cyril. Simply put, compressed air in a carbon-fiber tank, similar to what scuba divers use, drives the pistons and turns the crankshaft. There is no combustion and no gasoline... and therefore no pollution. And when it's time to fill up you simply do so at the nearest air compressor. It may sound like the brainchild of ingenious Frenchmen, but surprisingly there is another man who is also exploring the power of air. California professor Su-Chin Chow says these air cars could be the wave of the future. "The beauty of this concept is air is everywhere and it doesn't generate pollution. The main problem is the technology to make use of air," Chow told reporters. So what does it feel like to get behind the wheel of an air car? The Negres say it drives a bit like a lawn mower, but it is a solid piece of machinery. The father-and-son team went on to tell reporters that after years of delays they have solved their technical problems and hope to be ready for large scale production in the next year or two. Related Articles: The Gas Pill-Will It Really Relieve The Pain At The Pump? Pop Quiz: Test Your Fuel Savings IQ Biking-An Alternative Mode of Transportation Learn more about Michele Cheplic  Michele Cheplic was born and raised in Hilo, Hawaii, but now lives in Wisconsin. Michele graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a degree in Journalism. Relevanttravel tags User Comments  Gwyllum (301) 29 Oct 2006 08:25 PMI watched something about this on the TV in the past 2 days or so - I think it is an exciting future we await in relation to this concept. Sounds good anyway.  Michele Cheplic |
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