A new take on an old idea. An air powered car, with an on board compressor turned initially, by a magnetic motor powered by a high endurance, high efficiency automotive battery, and in steady state, by recycled compressed air.
Individually, all of these components, air powered cars, compressors, etc., already exist. Combine them with a little “Secret Sauce” and you get… The magnetic air car.
So far so good. Except for one thing. They claim that once in motion, you will get an *unlimited* driving range out of their combination. Supposedly without somehow violating the laws of physics.
Personally, I can see the potential for an extremely efficient system here, but *UNLIMITED* driving range? Unless that secret sauce is pixie dust or something, I’ll believe it when I see it.
Via: The Red Ferret Journal
Sauce: Magnetic Air Cars
More Info: Almaden Times Weekly
Unlimited driving? opps- Another target for the government to kill. Drill Baby Drill!
It’s not pixie dust! It’s powdered Unicorn horn!
In this house we obey the laws of thermodynamics!
I was just about to say ” this looks like a job for Reboot.”
Maybe it seems unlimited since it is a ridiculously long distance?
They will be using hopes and dreams, as said by vin deisel in fast and furious. They only laughed at it because it was not yet stable, but due to modern technology, it is!
Possibly it uses power from braking to recharge.
@Darthmalt,
No mention of hybrid capacity, how would they store the energy (a flywheel would work, I suppose)?
I’m guessing it is simply efficient, and the “unlimited” is simply marketing hype (“it’s range is unlimited… as long as you keep refueling”).
But seriously, a car that candy is an expensive toy. It HAS to be high performance. Douches with too much money expect no less. I’m guessing it gets 20 mpg.
“secret sauce”=Gasoline!!
@...Darthmalt:They claim primary source of power is supposedly air, not electricity, so I think regenerative braking would be only of ancillary benefit, but even if it were purely electric, that would still not net them enough power to become self sustaining…
@...WistfulD: They don’t claim to be designing a hybrid, this is a purely air powered vehicle. No gasoline whatsoever. The energy storage mediums would have to be compressed air reservoirs and capacitors.
And saying “unlimited” when they mean “extended” is kind of lame. Why start out the gate with a blatant lie? Obviously people are going to know the difference, and may be quite peeved when they run out of “gas” (literally) in the middle of nowhere…
If you can’t say what it is, it usually means that the secrect sauce is a nice helping of bullshit.
Were never-ever gonna hear from this company again either.
I think many of you misunderstand something…
The scientific principal that dictates that perpetual motion is impossible actually states that you cannot sustain motion without an infusion of outside energy.
As the vehicle moves, it collects a new source of fuel. It is essentially a ram scoop, which has been a valid scientific concept since long before it became even remotely viable.
Since it is constantly taking in new fuel, this vehicle does not defy the principal of perpetual motion being impossible. It will continue moving only by infusion of new energy, and regular maintenance.
(I know I’m a year and a half late for the debate… But in case anybody else stumbles in here.)