Electric bikes are so 2011. Let's go for compressed air!

[squeezer]

MELBOURNE — Last month industrial designer Dean Benstead unveiled the 02 Pursuit — a prototype for a motorcycle fueled not by gas or electricity, but by compressed air.

Based on the geometry of a 250cc motocrosser, the O2 Pursuit prototype uses the breakthrough engine technology developed by Angelo Di Pietro of Engineair.

Benstead, a recent graduate of the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT), has harnessed the power that exists in the air tanks to mechanically drive the vehicle.

According to Benstead, testing of the motorcycle showed close to a quarter of an hour running time with stops at around 25-45 km/h. During stationary testing, Benstead’s team timed the speed off the back wheel, registering over 100 km/h. Preliminary testing of the prototype was limited to an indoors factory environment on a circular track.

...

The innovation was the result of Benstead’s final-year design research into the future of motorcycles, looking at air as a genuine alternative to petrol and electricity.

“Air was the starting point back in 2010, but I continued to explore this for the prototype because of its low-tech nature,” Benstead said. “A solar panel and a compressor now becomes your refinery and without huge battery packs to dispose of, we now have a low-cost to free powered bike with minimum impact on the environment.”

...

Benstead, recently named in Melbourne’s Top 100 most influential people, is currently working with Australia’s Engineair on a new design that can bring the technology to the market.

The rest of the article and some specs are at:

http://www.smartplanet.com/blog/global-observer/air-powered-motorcycle-has-arrived/1592?tag=nl.e550

[Kneescrubber]

That's really cool.   So how do they get all that pressurized air in those tanks?  

[Cablebandit]

Sound like a neat concept.  It would surely be easier to refuel on the road than an electric.

That said, if this starts to take off expect to find this guy with a two to the head govt assisted suicide.

[Rincewind]

I could see owning one as a commuter, but only if the range was well into the double digits.  They say the scuba tank that they are experimenting with runs it only 1/4 hour, which is not very long at all.

[Cablebandit]

Well, it is a "first gen" bike.  I'm sure range will increase as it has for electrics.  

[Rincewind]

Electrics have benefited from advances in battery technology, but how much advancement is available for pressurized air tanks?  If I have to ride on a stack of four scuba tanks in order to go on an hour's ride, that's a lot of weight.

[HipGnosis]

The article/site says they're running the tank(s) at 200 bar and looking at going up to 400 bar for more performance and distance.

400 bar equals 5,800 psi.
A.  I'm not straddling that - and damm sure not riding it on public road ways.
B.  That will not be any where near 'free'  (have you tried to find free air for your tires lately?!?)
C. The US govt. does or will
  a.  have all kinds of safety regulations prohibiting creating that kind of pressure
  b.  just ain't gonna let it go to public market

[Jim M.]

5,800 psi isn't bad when you consider that a single cylinder of a 350 cu. in. engine produces around 6,300 psi at ignition.

[Rogue]

Yes but those ICE cylinders are only compressed when you run the engine.  If the engine is not running, no compression.

[axelwik]

C'mon guys... Right now we're riding bikes with several gallons of highly flammable liquid between our knees. The potential energy of four gallons of gasoline is far more than that of a couple scuba tanks.

People tend to fear what they're not familiar with.

[greidel]

True. If you tried today to invent the ICE, and described it as going only 15-20 miles on a gallon of a highly combustible petroleum product that had to to be extracted from the ground and then refined in huge factories, people would think you were daft. Oh, and the availability of that fuel wil be controlled by a few coporations and the cost will be affected by hostile nations. The gov't and the enviromentalists will never allow it! Where would I fill up? It's too dangerous!

The range of a current motorcycle isn't that far, really. The only thing that makes it practical is the convenient placement and abundance of gas stataions. Now, on that bike you could carry a compressor with you, and air is everywhere...

[Dan K]

Yes but those ICE cylinders are only compressed when you run the engine.  If the engine is not running, no compression.

Those cylinders are encased in an engine block and will only move in one of two directions.  Air tank shrapnel on the other hand...

[ConPilot1]

I didn't read the article but I'm curious does the bike engine re-compress and recharge the air cylinders when it's running??

[Kneescrubber]

I didn't read the article but I'm curious does the bike engine re-compress and recharge the air cylinders when it's running??

That's not physically possible.

[Dan K]

That's not physically possible.

Multiple tanks?

[napper]

I didn't read the article but I'm curious does the bike engine re-compress and recharge the air cylinders when it's running??

The article mentioned running an electric air compressor from solar panels.

[Kneescrubber]

Multiple tanks?

If you can figure out how to power any machine with any type of power source and recover 100% of the energy used; you can be a very very rich person.

[Dan K]

If you can figure out how to power any machine with any type of power source and recover 100% of the energy used; you can be a very very rich person.

Obviously not saying 100% is possible - just that you could compress air in a second tank from the movement of the bike.  Don't know if it's worth the effort, but if regenerating energy from braking works, why not running a compressor off a spinning wheel or gear?

[Kneescrubber]

Anything you attach to a spinning wheel or gear to re-compress the air is going to rob energy from the original energy source whose purpose is to propel the bike. Read Boyle's Law: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boyle's_law

[cbsnbiker]

Anything you attach to a spinning wheel or gear to re-compress the air is going to rob energy from the original energy source whose purpose is to propel the bike. Read Boyle's Law: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boyle's_law

I think he's talking about using braking or coasting energy to recompress the air.

It doesn't seem practical to me. Then again, I didn't think that hybrid cars seemed practical, yet there's a good chance that my next car will be a Prius.  


As for the bike, it sounds like a real gas.  

[2Pokey]

Solar power? battery backup? lightweight gearing? Maybe all togetherto power a small compressor? I would think a scuba tank could be filled to 200 psi in the fifteen minute allowance of the primary tank thus filling a secondary tank? At the very least it stirs the imagination.

[Kneescrubber]

So how much energy did it take to fill the original scuba tank to 5800 psi? How much of that energy is recoverable?

[Gary B.]

Like electric powered vehicles, this technology is in it's infancy. Look how far the electric stuff has come in a few years. Gas engines of the 1900's were inefficient, heavy, low powered, and had a short life span. This air power is basically a first, rough draft. If it gains interest (I'm sure it will) you can bet others will get on the development train. With the materials available today, I'm sure lighter, larger, and stronger tanks could be made, the motor could be made more efficient, and some sort of regenerative braking could be designed.

[Cablebandit]

So how much energy did it take to fill the original scuba tank to 5800 psi? How much of that energy is recoverable?

We don't care about that.  Remember, it only needs to be marketed as eco-friendly so people feel good about themselves.

Nobody thinks about where all the electricity comes from for these electric cars (coal), or the wars being fought for the resources for the batteries.

[axelwik]

We don't care about that.  Remember, it only needs to be marketed as eco-friendly so people feel good about themselves.

Nobody thinks about where all the electricity comes from for these electric cars (coal), or the wars being fought for the resources for the batteries.

Can you elaborate on the lithium wars? New one on me...

Most lithium comes from Chile and we have our own in Nevada. I haven't heard of any military campaigns called "Chile Freedom."

And by the way - when using coal to power electric cars, the pollutants are less than with a gas car of the same weight. On top of that only about 40% of our electricity comes from coal (nationwide).

[cbsnbiker]

Can you elaborate on the lithium wars? New one on me...

Star Wars, Episode 8: The Lithium Wars.  

We don't care about that.  Remember, it only needs to be marketed as eco-friendly so people feel good about themselves.

Nobody thinks about where all the electricity comes from for these electric cars (coal), or the wars being fought for the resources for the batteries.

Most of my electricity comes from hydroelectric power.

[Cablebandit]

Well last summer the Pentagon announced they had identified a deposit worth upwards of 1 trillion dollars in Afghanistan.  Coincidence?

[Cablebandit]

Most of my electricity comes from hydroelectric power.

I just use coal as an example since it's the largest source of electricity here in the USA.

[axelwik]

Well last summer the Pentagon announced they had identified a deposit worth upwards of 1 trillion dollars in Afghanistan.  Coincidence?

Lithium occurs almost anywhere on earth; very common element - it's only a matter of developing the resource. The easiest extraction method is from brine salts, of which we have a lot of right here in the good old USA.

The "deposits" you speak of in Afghanistan are not just lithium, they're gold, copper, and a plethora of other commodities. Certainly not worth going to war over.

[cbsnbiker]

I just use coal as an example since it's the largest source of electricity here in the USA.

That's valid, but we do have good hydroelectric in this area.

[axelwik]

Directly from the DOE website. 2010 data.

[squeezer]

Directly from the DOE website. 2010 data.

10% renewable is better than I thought. I assume that's almost all hydro?

Regardless, it's a cool concept and I have a real soft spot for this kind of backyard engineering. What will really matter is if that engine company can develop something efficient. Applications will follow if they do.

[Kneescrubber]

I had no idea nucular was so high.  

[axelwik]

I had no idea nucular was so high.  

There are still more than 100 nuke plants operating in the US.

[mesmotized]

I wonder about the effects of an accident on a pressure vessel.  If it comes to impact, I'd rather not be sitting on top of a 200 psi steel tank.  I suppose that could be said of almost any fuel source, but I think pressure vessels are particularly dangerous.  Maybe it could be handled in tank design?

[Cablebandit]

CNG vehicles have been around for a while with no real instances of horrible accidents.

[Rincewind]

I wonder about the effects of an accident on a pressure vessel.  If it comes to impact, I'd rather not be sitting on top of a 200 psi steel tank.  I suppose that could be said of almost any fuel source, but I think pressure vessels are particularly dangerous.  Maybe it could be handled in tank design?

It could make for an interesting ride!



http://youtu.be/tyINNUaXa8Q

[squeezer]

It's not in English, so it doesn't apply. The English speaking tanks are much better.

No question. I don't even trust bilingual tanks.

Although the test should relieve the explosion anxiety. The tanks didn't explode when holed. The air leaked out. There was enough of a jet to move the tank around. Maybe it would move the bike a bit and scratch the fairing.

I know they were busting off the valve and not holing the side of the tank, but the right materials, it's going to be the same result, I think. They don't explode. They foof.*


* Highly technical engineering term.

[Kneescrubber]

Is foofing really loud? If so, it might appeal to the Harley crowd.