Alternative Fuel for Smart Air Car by Jay Mulye

Air Flow Car by MDI

Pietro, German born Australian Engineer, Developer of Compressed air engine

Air Car

Air-Powered Car (Compressed Air)

Engines:
Compressed air cars are powered by engines fueled by compressed air, which is stored in a tank at high pressure such as 30 MPa (4500 psi or 300 bar). Rather than driving engine pistons with an ignited fuel-air mixture, compressed air cars use the expansion of compressed air, in a similar manner to the expansion of steam in a steam engine.
Storage tanks are often made of carbon-fiber for weight reduction while maintaining strength; if penetrated carbon fiber will crack but not produce shrapnel. This will answer some of the questions related to carrying heavy weight electrical batteries in the air

Advantages:
Refueling can be done at home using an air compressor or at service stations. The energy required for compressing air is produced at large centralized plants, making it less costly and more effective to manage carbon emissions than from individual vehicles.
Compressed air engines reduce the cost of vehicle production, because there is no need to build a cooling system, spark plugs, starter motor, or mufflers.
The rate of self-discharge is very low opposed to batteries that deplete their charge slowly over time. Therefore, the vehicle may be left unused for longer periods of time than electric cars.
Expansion of the compressed air lowers its temperature; this may be exploited for use as air conditioning.
Compressed-air vehicles emit few pollutants, mostly dust from brake and tire wear.
Air turbines, closely related to steam turbines, are a technology over 50 years old.
Reduction or elimination of hazardous chemicals such as gasoline or battery acids/metals
Some mechanical configurations may allow energy recovery during braking by compressing and storing air.


Examples/ Concepts:
· India’s largest automaker is set to start producing the world’s first commercial air-powered vehicle. The Air Car, developed by ex-Formula One engineer Guy Nègre for Luxembourg-based MDI, uses compressed air, as opposed to the gas-and-oxygen explosions of internal-combustion models, to push its engine’s pistons.

· The Di Pietro Motor, Australia(Rotary Air Engine) The Di Pietro motor concept is based on a rotary piston. Different from existing rotary engines, the Di Pietro motor uses a simple cylindrical rotary piston (shaft driver) which rolls, without any friction, inside the cylindrical stator. The space between stator and rotor is divided in 6 expansion chambers by pivoting dividers. These dividers follow the motion of the shaft driver as it rolls around the stator wall. The motor shown is effectively a 6 cylinder expansion motor.
The cylindrical shaft driver, forced by the air pressure on its outer wall, moves eccentrically, thereby driving the motor shaft by means of two rolling elements (not shown) mounted on bearings on the shaft. The rolling motion of the shaft driver inside the stator is cushioned by a thin air film. Timing and duration of the air inlet and exhaust is governed by a slotted timer which is mounted on the output shaft and rotates with the same speed as the motor.
Variation of performance parameters of the motor is easily achieved by varying the time during which the air is allowed to enter the chamber: A longer air inlet period allows more air to flow into the chamber and therefore results in more torque. A shorter inlet period will limit the air supply and allows the air in the chamber to perform expansion work at a much higher efficiency. In this way compressed air (energy) consumption can be exchanged for higher torque and power output depending on the requirements of the application.
Motor speed and torque are simply controlled by throttling the amount or pressure of air into the motor. The Di Pietro motor gives instant torque at zero RPM and can be precisely controlled to give soft start and acceleration control.

Sources:
http://www.engineair.com.au/airmotor.htm
http://www.popularmechanics.com/automotive/new_cars/4217016.html
http://www.mdi.lu/english/miniflowair.phphttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compressed_air_car#History

Carbon Fiber and Cellulosic Ethanol

Hello,

In science, we watched a video about carbon and it talked about carbon fiber and a type of ethanol made from cellulose rather than corn. Carbon fiber is much lighter and stronger than steel. If the Smat-Air-Car is built out of carbon fiber, it will be lighter, which in turn will make it more fuel efficient. Also, carbon fiber is very strong. It is used in race cars because it doesn't crumple around the driver like metal, but it breaks off taking the force of the impact with it. Another thing that I learned about is a new type of ethanol made from the cellulose of plants. We can use this instead of the hydrogen made from water because water is a very valuable resource and many places have a water shortage so people wouldn't approve of using a much needed resource to power cars. Cellulosic ethanol is made from all parts of a plant so it wouldn't use much needed resources like water. Studies done by the U.S. Department of Energy show that cellulosic ethanol reduces green house gas emissions by 85% over gasoline, while starch based ethanol may not reduce emissions at all because it uses natural gas to provide energy for the process. We should implement carbon fiber and switch the hydrogen fuel to cellulosic ethanol for our Smart-Air-Car. We can mention why we decided to do this instead of our previous idea of hydrogen in our presentation.

Thank You,
Mihir Iyer

Using the sixth sense

I presented the sixth sense a few months ago. Most people probably forgot about it but it is useful and could be used in our flying car.

Our smart-air car or smarter car can become better. The sixth sense can do a lot of things like taking pictures with your hands and going on the internet by projecting it on the wall. Since the smarter car is autopilot, you can do anything while driving. The car could have a touch screen windshield and you can go on the internet and look at your e-mail. And you can turn it on and off. If you wanted to look outside, then all you have to do is turn it off. You could have two modes on the windshield. It could be a computer and a camera. If you saw something interesting outside, you switch to camera mode and take a picture. Then it could do the same thing as a regular camera, by showing you the picture and letting you view them.

I look forward to receiving input.

http://www.moller.com/videos.htm#

Griffin Robots Rock!

ffin Robot TEAM SMART Transportation Version4d

A "gas station" opens on Norway's hydrogen highway

Hydro's President and CEO Eivind Reiten and State Secretary Steinulf Tungesvik of the Norwegian Ministry of Transport and Communications took a spin in a hydrogen-powered car during the opening of Hydro's hydrogen fueling station in Porsgrunn last week.

"The future belongs to those who can develop new energy solutions with little impact on the environment," Reiten said at the opening ceremony.

"The work with the Hydrogen Highway and the hydrogen station here at Porsgrunn is an example that it is possible to find solutions that are good for the environment when politicians, the authorities, organizations and industry pull in the same direction."

About 40 public and private partners are cooperating in building the 'Hydrogen Highway' between Oslo and Stavanger.

In addition to Oslo, Porsgrunn and Stavanger, stations will be built in Lyngdal and Drammen for the Hydrogen Highway opening in 2009.

Reiten helped State Secretary Tungesvik fill up the first "tank" of hydrogen in one of the new vehicles. Tungesvik was also the first to actually drive one of the cars for a short tour.

"Hydrogen can be one of the future’s most important energy carriers for transportation. It is, however, vital to produce the hydrogen from renewable energy sources, or from fossil fuels in which the CO2 emissions has been taken care of," Tungesvik said, before sliding behind the wheel.

The petrochemicals plant at nearby Rafnes supplies hydrogen as a by-product of its other activities , and the energy used in the hydrogen production comes from pure hydropower. An undersea gas pipeline transports the hydrogen from Rafnes across a fjord to the hydrogen station.

The station is the first in Norway that is directly connected to the source of production, which also lessens the environmental impact of transport. The location near a large industrial site also makes it easier to expand later, as demand for hydrogen increases.

Parachute Car

This car uses a parachute and is very safe.

X-Hawk Flying Car

This is a video about how one of the cars, that Jay posted, works.
It is very cool because there are almost no visible add-ons for it to take-off, fly, and land.

Al Gore on Global Warming - Eye opening

http://www.cbs.com/late_night/late_show/video/?pid=Tp75Q1EpEhdIfu4zJlvk8T0j71L6vkTW&vs=Default&play=true

Watch the David Letterman show from here
 The full episode from 11/3 - Al Gore is the guest. 

M400 Sky Car

The M400 Skycar from Moller International is a VTOL (Vertical Take-Off and Landing) aircraft for public consumers. An onboard computer ensures that piloting the M400 is as easy as driving a car, just point the controls in the direction of desired travel.

The 4 passenger Moller M400 has a cruising speed of 275 mph, and a top speed of 375 mph, courtesy of 1200 horsepower from the 8 ethanol fueled Rotapower engines.

Safety in a vehicle like the Moller M400 is an important aspect, and therefore numerous safety features have been intergrated into the design including:
- Multiple engines, with the ability to operate with one or more out of action.
- Backup computer stabilisation systems.
- Aerodynamically stable glide ability.
- Dual parachutes, in the event of total loss of power the dual parachutes of the M400 can be deployed to bring the aircraft safely to the ground.


Similar and related vehicles:
PALV
Avrocar
Bell X-22
NASA AD-1
H-4 Spruce Goose

Here is a real flying car

Sixth Sense and Smart Transportation

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/tv/TED-India-Pranav-Mistry/videoshow_ted/5231080.cms

Lets think of how we can roll this 6th sense technology into Smart Transportation

On the lighter side

What would we do to drive a flying car? FUNNY

High Speed Rail keeps train makers on track

Siemens

Russia's Siemens-built Sapsan train, seen in May, will shrink the Moscow-to-St. Petersburg trip to three hours and 45 minutes from 4½ hours.

ST. PETERSBURG, Russia—As an engineer pulls the throttle, villagers track side gawk at the bullet-shaped train as it gathers speed. Soon, forests and wooden shacks are a blur as a dashboard display reads 250 kilometers an hour (155 miles per hour).
Ten years in the making, Russia's state-owned railway is testing eight aerodynamic trains that in December will rush travelers from here to Moscow in less than four hours. With fancy kitchens and leather seats in first class, the Sapsans (Russian for peregrine falcons) mark a change in Russia's egalitarian rail tradition.
More broadly, though, Russia's new trains mirror a global push in high-speed rail that spans from China to the U.S., an effort that is buffering Siemens AG, Hitachi Ltd., Bombardier Inc. and other industrial giants against the economic slump.
Global spending on trains, tracks and equipment is expected to reach €122 billion ($182 billion) this year, flat with last year, but up 18% from 2004, according to Unife, an international trade association. It projects that the figure will rise to €150 billion by 2016, propelled by stimulus projects and environmental concerns.

Going High-Speed

View Slideshow

AFP/Getty Images

For the "Sapsan" project, Russian Railways spent nearly $1 billion for its eight Siemens Velaro trains. A German-made Sapsan (Russian for "peregrine falcons") arrived at St. Petersburg station July 30, 2009.

More photos and interactive graphics

Rail spending "has a short-term effect on unemployment as well as a longer-term effect on economic growth," says Michael Clausecker, Unife's director general. Rail lines, he says, tend to anchor development of new towns, companies and jobs while increasing travel between cities.
A high-speed rail link between Madrid and Barcelona that opened last year has stolen former air travelers, cutting daily flights between the cities in half to 35. Spain plans to surpass Japan with the world's largest network of high-speed routes in 2010, and India and China plan to surpass Spain before long. France hopes to double its high-speed track to about 2,500 miles by 2020.
Denmark is shifting transportation funding from roads to public transportation, the bulk of which will be spent on rail.In the U.S., President Barack Obama has vowed to spend $13 billion over five years to build high-speed rail links between major cities, including $8 billion under the economic-stimulus plan.
The spending is aiding the fortunes of train makers.
Bombardier's rail-division revenue in the quarter ended July 31 rose 5% from a year earlier to $2.55 billion while total company revenue was flat. The Canadian manufacturer recently reported a $190 million order for 30 tram-trains for Karlsruhe, Germany, and a $2 billion contract to send 80 Zefiro high-speed trains to China by 2014.
China "is making the strategic investments" to build a high-speed rail network and sustainable transportation system, says Jianwei Zhang, president of Bombardier China. The country wants to build "the most advanced rail network in the world."
Japan's Hitachi shipped six high-speed bullet trains to the U.K. this summer and plans to build rail cars there. Revenue for the unit that includes rail rose 19% for the fiscal year ended March 31, making the business one of Hitachi's strongest.
Alstom SA's transportation sales increased 3% to a record €5.69 billion for the year ended March 31 as its order backlog climbed 13% to €19.51 billion. The transportation division, which makes up roughly 30% of Alstom's business, received a boost in train orders from Italy and the U.K. recently. The company projects continued strong demand, citing stimulus packages in the U.S., France and elsewhere in Europe, says Chief Executive Patrick Kron.Patrick Kron. The French company in March formed a joint venture to develop products in Russia, the largest railway market in Europe with 85,000 kilometers of electrified track and 1.3 billion passengers a year.
And while General Electric Co.'s rail operation primarily makes locomotives for freight trains, executives plan to sell fuel-efficient locomotives for faster passenger railroads in the U.S., Mongolia, Kazakhstan and elsewhere. GE wants to sell Amtrak more engines that go as fast as 123 mph, replacing "20-year-old locomotive clunkers," says Stephan Koller, a spokesman for GE Transportation. Trains that are even faster are further on the horizon as they would require expensive track upgrades.
For the Sapsan project, Russian Railways spent nearly $1 billion for its eight Siemens Velaro trains. "The market is really developing," says Edzard Lübben, the company's vice president for high-speed trains, sales of which are growing around 8% a year. "That's a huge growth rate during these times."
The Sapsans will trim the Moscow-to-St. Petersburg trip to three hours and 45 minutes from 4½ hours, running about 60 mph below their capacity because of difficulties upgrading tracks. The trip is expected to cost about $100 one way, which is roughly the same as the average plane fare.
"It makes everything more convenient," by removing airport security lines and the need to travel between an airport and the center of town says Irina Darienko, a delivery-operations specialist for Alcatel-Lucent in Moscow.She travels to St. Petersburg about three times a year for work and plans to ride the new trains.
Russian Railways says its eight-hour "night trains" between Moscow and St. Petersburg will continue to offer service to budget travelers. The Sapsans will replace the faster trains that run during the day.
"I'm sure they'll push away aircraft," says Alexander Dumnich, a captain of the famous Red Arrow train, which was introduced by Joseph Stalin in 1931 and pressed into military service during World War II.
Alexei Daibov, an auditor with PricewaterhouseCoopers in St. Petersburg, is more skeptical. "I travel by plane," he says, expressing but he hopes a price war will lower the cost of plane tickets.
Write to Paul Glader at paul.glader@wsj.com

Another Flying Car

Flying Car

This car has pivoting propellers.

Experts design the world’s first practical flying car

Experts have designed the world’s first practical flying car aimed at frustrated commuters – and it looks like a Reliant Robin.

The bizarre three-wheeled vehicle promises relief to motorists stuck in traffic jams by turning into an aircraft capable of soaring up to 4,000ft above congested roads.

With a top speed of 125mph on land, the Personal Air and Land Vehicle, or PAL-V, corners like a motorbike by automatically tilting as it negotiates each bend.

But hidden in its roof and rear are a foldable rotor, propeller and tail section which allow it to take off and fly at speeds up to 120mph.

Its comical appearance betrays its rapid acceleration from 0 to 60 in just 5 seconds – a far cry from Del Boy Trotter’s yellow Robin Reliant in Only Fools and Horses.

Its inventors believe that when the the one-seater cars go on sale to the public, they would cost little more than an executive saloon car.

When airborne, the PAL-V is similar to the tiny autogyro aircraft Sean Connery flew in the 1967 James Bond movie ‘You Only Live Twice’.

Called a gyrocopter, the design includes a rotor on the roof to lift it through the air, and a propeller at the rear to provide forward thrust.

To fly the PAL-V you need a recreational pilot’s licence, which takes between 10 and 20 hours training to obtain, while a normal driver’s licence covers you for use on the road.

Experts have spent six years developing concept versions and are now building the first commercial prototype with a view to begin manufacturing the vehicles soon.

Their target audience are motorists who are fed up with traffic jams. John Bakker, who invented the PAL-V, said: “Since Henry Ford built the Model T Ford, people have been dreaming of a vehicle that could drive and fly.

“It took almost 90 years before this dream could be realized. Now it will.

“It’s fun, it drives like the most sporty solution on the road and it also flies. This will be a revolution in door to door mobility in the near future.

“In countries with underdeveloped infrastructure it means safe and faster transportation but also in developed countries it will save people lots of time.

“The PAL-V is a solution to the increasing levels of congestion in our cities, highways and skyways.

“Soon private flying will no longer be the exclusive domain of executives and celebrities.

“Driving and flying will be combined in one vehicle that could cost little more than an executive saloon car.”

The vehicle needs 165ft to take off in and just 16ft to land, and it can fly for 340 miles under its fuel-efficient and environmentally certified car engine.

The same engine works for both road and air travel and runs on normal unleaded petrol, which means you can refuel at any roadside service station.

It can be driven and flown using the same controls by switching between two different modes.

On the ground, the slim-line vehicle is as comfortable as a luxury car but has the agility of a motorbike, thanks to its patented “tilting” system.

The single rotor and propeller are folded away until the PAL-V is ready to fly.

In the air, the PAL-V flies under the 4,000 feet floor of commercial air space and can therefore take to the sky without having to file a flight plan.

The autogyro technology means that it can be steered and landed safely even if the engine fails as it descends upright rather than nose-diving.

Unlike a helicopter, the rotor of an autogyro is driven by aerodynamic forces alone once it is in flight.

The PAL-V’s Dutch makers anticipate a time when such vehicles are so widely used that people will fly along sky highways, directed by GPS and using radar to prevent collisions.

They also claim there are already plans to build up to 60 heli-sites across their home country to cope with a new era of air traffic.

They believe it could also be used commercially for surveillance purpose and by emergency services.

The project gathered momentum after new European rules made it cheaper and easier to obtain licenses and certification for aircraft under 600kg built using standard components.

A video on a British Air force Jet Fighter - it can take off vertically just look our Hot Hawk.

Hydrogen Car

H2GO™ Real Time Hydrogen Injection System

The H2GO™ system is the first complete package in a series of “green” technologies that RMC is building for the future. It is a “bridge” solution which can be implemented economically on any internal combustion engine and it can be implemented today.

H2GO™ provides an immediate solution for the global transportation industry in its quest to greatly reduce greenhouse gas emissions. As well, in an era of higher gasoline prices, the H2GO™ technology will provide consumers with an immediate and substantial fuel cost savings.

H2GO™ was designed, developed and tested on Ronn Motor Company’s own finely built, eco-exotic supercar, the Scorpion™, as an effective means to deliver, market and showcase H2GO™, as well as prove the technology.

H2GO™ is designed to be easily and quickly be installed on any vehicle, from the largest turbo diesel powered truck to the typical gasoline powered family vehicle and high performance sports car.

H2GO™ creates hydrogen as a vehicle is driven on the road and does not use any on-board high pressure hydrogen storage tank.

Articles on Smart Transportation

This is a website I found that is complete with articles and other things on smart transportation
http://www.smart-transportation.com/presentations.html