air powered car http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/988265.stm

 

Tuesday, 24 October, 2000, 11:06 GMT 12:06 UK
The car that runs on air

The lightweight car car be air-filled in just three minutes
By Carolyn Dempster in Johannesburg

Urban transport could soon be revolutionised with the launching this week in
South Africa of a prototype new car which designers say runs on air.

It is being predicted that the e.Volution will be able to travel up to 200km
(120 miles) for only 30 US cents.


With petrol and diesel prices going up, and the price of oil subject to
fluctuations, motorists might be only too happy to "go green"

The car, which resembles a small minibus, is being promoted by the slogan
"Simple, Economic and Clean", but details of how the vehicle will work
remain sketchy. 

The e.Volution prototype will be unveiled at Auto Africa Expo 2000 in
Johannesburg this week and is being touted as the first viable alternative
to cars that run on conventional fuels.

Researchers have been working for many years to produce 'eco-friendly' cars,
but so far these attempts have not been successful. Some models already in
development use hydrogen as a fuel.

It is expected to sell in South Africa for about R74,000 ($10,000) which is
on a par with a medium-sized saloon car.

Specifications 

Helen Brown who heads "Zero Pollution Motors", the company which has the
rights to manufacture the car locally, says it will be ideal for urban
transport. 


First models to be on the road this year
The compression engine technology was pioneered by a former French formula
one engineer Guy Negre, who has spent years searching for an alternative to
the traditional oil-fuelled engine.

The piston engine is powered by the release of compressed air which is
stored in tanks, very similar to scuba diving tanks, attached to the
underside of the car.

The body of the vehicle weighs only 700kg, and the engine itself is a mere
35kg. 

This means that the vehicle can theoretically be driven for up to 10 hours
in an urban environment at an average speed of 80km/h.

Filling up 

The designers of e.Volution say it will be possible to merely plug the
vehicle into any electrical power source to fill it up. That could take up
to four hours. 


It could be a serious challenge to the current motor vehicle market
But the manufacturers envisage that fleet owners could install their own air
stations, where a fill up could take as little as three minutes.

If the e.Volution lives up to all the hype, it could offer a serious
challenge to the current motor vehicle market.

There are currently two factories in France, with the first models expected
on the streets later this year.

There are five factories planned for Mexico and Spain, with three in
Australia. 

Anti-globalisation idea

But South Africa will be the second country after France to open a factory
and begin production.

Helen Brown says her company aims to set up a production line in the
province of Gauteng by next year, with the first cars off the production
line and onto the salesroom floor by early 2002.

" It's really an anti-globalisation production idea" she said.

"The aim of the project is to cut costs and create jobs locally, serving the
consumer market directly."

With petrol and diesel prices going up, and the price of oil subject to
fluctuations, the Middle East crisis and occasional shortfalls, motorists
might be only too happy to "go green" if it means a lifetime saving on fuel
costs. 







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