Air Car - The Car that Runs on Air

By: Air Commodore Azfar A Khan (Retd)

Good things come to those who wait; better things come to those who try.

... Unknown

The entire mankind, at present, is addicted to the use of fossil fuel for transportation purposes. A lot of research had been going on to find alternatives to this problem so as to free the mankind from this addiction.

This dream has now come true as France has been successful in manufacturing a car that would solely be driven by air. Guy Negre, who produced this car, is a mechanical engineer by profession and has the distinction of designing nearly one hundred engines. This mega achievement by France will bring about a revolution in the world auto industry!

Approximately, 10,000 air cars will be produced per year which would cost around US $ 17,800 a piece. The USA will be the first country to use this car.

There's an old saying: "Necessity is the mother of invention." This is true in the case of air car. The people have been facing the brunt of heavy taxes on fuel, severe environmental laws, the volatile prices of oil in the world market and their resultant impact on the local markets, and imposition of more curbs on greenhouse gas emissions, etc. All these issues necessitated the manufacture of a car that should be cost-effective, efficient and environment-friendly which has now been achieved!

An air car basically runs on compressed air. We cannot use air in its existing form, available all around us. This air has to be compressed so as to store energy. This is done squeezing this air tightly in a robust container of the car with the help of a mechanical air compressor. Once the compressed air is released, it expands. This expanded air is used to drive pistons and turn the crankshaft that powers an engine which results in the movement of the car. We can say that the engine converts the compressed air stored in the tank of the car to rotational energy. The power thus produced runs the car at an approximate speed of 55 kilometers per hour. When the car exceeds that speed, a motor comes into action and the car's internal air compressor kicks in. It compresses more air and provides extra power to the engine thus making the car cruise at higher speeds.

An air car doesn't use any battery; instead, it uses compressed air to store its energy. The tank of the car can be filled with compressed air from a pump station in about three minutes' time. At home, it will take nearly three and a half hours to fill.

An air car doesn't involve a complicated technology. It's all mechanical. Any country can venture into the manufacture of this car. But, as it has already been developed, it wouldn't be advisable for any country to re-invent the wheel. Rather, it should sign a deal with MDI to co-produce this vehicle as has been done by many countries like Germany, Israel, South Africa, etc. Research, however, could be undertaken side by side for further development and refinement of the car by involving talent from the country's local universities and the auto industry.

Air cars have many advantages. These cars don't need any fuel; only air is used which is free. With the induction of these cars, phenomenal reduction in the oil import bill could be achieved. Nothing harmful will be pumped into the atmosphere. Fire risk will be reduced as air is non-flammable. The cost of vehicle production will be reduced by about 20%, as there would be no need to manufacture items like cooling system, Ignition System, silencers, etc. The mechanical design of the engine is simple and easy to maintain. The time taken to refill the tank is much less than the time required for recharging the batteries. The price of fueling these cars is much cheaper as compared to the current fuels. At service stations, a tank will be filled by paying only two dollars which would take the car for another 200-300 KM.

The air car is an amazing invention of this century. With its invention, there would be no need for any country to grab the oil resources of another country. It would have a salutary effect on the world political scenario and the world will be a better place to live.

Air Commodore Azfar A Khan (Retd),

E-mail: azfar44@hotmail.com,

Tel: +92-300-5122864.