Peugeot unveils petrol hybrid using compressed air

[Bosonic]

Source: AFP

VELIZY-VILLACOUBLAY, France — French carmaker PSA Peugeot Citroen unveiled Tuesday a petrol hybrid engine that stores energy using compressed air which it hopes will be a game-changing technology to improve energy efficiency.

The engine, which allows up to 80 percent driving on compressed air in cities, offers fuel economy of 2.9 litres of fuel per 100 kilometres (81 miles per gallon) and emits just 69 grammes of carbon dioxide per kilometre.

"This breakthrough technology ... represents a key step towards the two litre per hundred kilometre car by 2020," chief executive Philippe Varin said at a press conference unveiling a series of new technologies.

Peugeot said what it calls Hybrid Air technology can be fit into small to midsize cars without any loss to storage space.

Read more: http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5gPKhICqZZAFOJYiRxbM_zIjr8KCA?docId=CNG.f13e0924e6ce3a29f2c8b9dfd07d7f70.681

[FailureToCommunicate]

1. Only drawback is the noise your car will make...

Last edited Tue Jan 22, 2013, 10:53 PM - Edit history (1)

(btw, I'm all for this technology development...I just am still lightheaded from yesterday)

[NBachers]

9. You been inhaling nitrous oxide from that thing, or what?

[FailureToCommunicate]

20. Nah, I was still dizzy from the real thing:

This:

[YOHABLO]

2. I just saw something about this on the tv. Amazing .. do you think? ..

I hope I live to see the day when we return to peace and quiet. Like the electric cars, they make very little if any noise .. maybe a swishhhhhhhhhhhhh!

[muriel_volestrangler]

3. about half the added weight of a hybrid battery system

Hybrid Air consists of a conventional petrol-powered internal combustion engine, mated to a bespoke epicyclic transmission, assisted by a hydraulic motor that’s powered by compressed air. The motor and a pump are positioned in the engine bay, fed by a compressed air tank underneath the car, running parallel to the exhaust. Using regenerative braking to generate energy, the motor and pump can refill the tank with air.

It can run on the petrol engine or air power alone, or a combination of the two. Air power would be employed solely for urban use, automatically activated below 43mph, and available for “60 to 80 per cent of the time in city driving,” claims PSA. Three drive modes are provided: full petrol engine, combined (ICE and hybrid) and zero-emission.

The system adds about 100kg to the weight of a traditional ICE powered small car, which is around half that of a conventional hybrid system. PSA claims it uses very simple, serviceable parts, with no rare metals like lithium-ion. The goal is to devlop a 'global' system that's cheaper than existing hybrids to appeal to China and Russia as much as European markets.

The firm also cites a 45 per cent improvement in fuel consumption over a conventionally powered car with an equivalent power output, and a 90 per cent increase in range.

http://www.autocar.co.uk/car-news/green-cars/peugeot-citroen-unveils-compressed-air-hybrid-tech

[thesquanderer]

6. The idea has been around for a while

I've been reading about prototypes of this kind of thing for at least about 5 years, and even announcements of production vehicles that, AFAIK, have never been produced. (Google, there are plenty of articles and youtube videos.)

But I think this may be new: "Using regenerative braking to generate energy, the motor and pump can refill the tank with air."

The "refueling" of the compressed air has been one of the complications, and if that works, that's a lot better than leaving a compressor hooked up to your car for hours after you get home, which is what another design was going to require. Safety is another issue, as compressed air is potentially explosive. And performance, but that's addressed by making it a hybrid rather than straight air. Interesting.

[Mister Ed]

16. Around for a very long time

I've read that garbage trucks have used this technology since practically forever. That's why they make the racket they make, with those air blasts. The noise is what's prevented it from being used in autos so far.

[alfredo]

14. That is exciting.

[leveymg]

4. No need to replace battery packs every 4-5 years. Brilliant!

Lead me too it.

[chuckstevens]

5. No Cancer!

I'm still not convinced that electric car batteries are safe. I wonder if there will be more cancers case among hybrid car drivers in a few years!

[RoccoR5955]

7. Why would

people contract cancer from hybrid car batteries?
Just wondering.

[RoccoR5955]

8. Prius batteries are warrantied for 10 years.

There are many that old that are still running on original batteries with more than 200k miles on them.
Those were first generation. I suspect that the better batteries in second and third generation batteries will last longer.

[NYC_SKP]

10. I'm at six years and 130,000 miles on my original battery set.

IIRC there was a 15 year backing, but I could be mistaken.

[Fuddnik]

17. Five years on mine.

Regardless of the warranty, Toyota considers the battery pack to be a "life of the vehicle" part, and will make adjustments for replacement after the warranty expires.

And March 1st it will be paid off.

[toddwv]

19. The belief that the battery packs would need to be replaced every 4-5 years

was just part of the strategy that the opponents of non-Big-Oil powered transportation propagated to discredit the move towards higher efficiency modes of powering personal transport.

They, even today, fail to mention that at a certain point, the batteries lose a certain percentage of their capacity over time and that the entire pack wouldn't just all of a sudden die and need a complete replacement.

[Cobalt-60]

15. True, but the pressure vessel will fatigue eventually

So there will be something to replace.
But it won't cost nearly as much as the cart load of expensive metals that make up a chemical battery.
The frequency of replacement will depend how light they go in the pressure vessel.

[NBachers]

11. Interesting - I'd been a little doubtful of the compressed air cars, but Peugeot has credibility

[demosincebirth]

12. Oil companies will, some how, stymie this.

[iandhr]

13. Is this a prototype?

[Orrex]

18. Sure, this sounds like a great idea, but what happens when we hit peak air?

[Xithras]

21. Honda demonstrated a similar system a couple years ago, and Tata has one in development.

Visually the Honda Air was a pure concept car, but the engine system was a brilliant and functional demonstration of the technology. Tata's version is even further along, with an actual car body developed, but they're release has been delayed by practical problems with the technology (like the fact that decompressing air tanks have a nasty tendency to ice up).

It's a good idea for an "around town" car, but I've long believed that hydrogen is a better option for longer range vehicles. Considering that ALL of the technology is developed and functional for hydrogen based cars (and since everyone from GM to Toyota has actually built fully functional hydrogen cars), it's a bit of a crime that we can't already buy one. The "next clean thing" is ALREADY here and ALREADY works...they just won't sell us the damned things!

[snooper2]

22. This was put up on YouTube in '07