Aera Cadillac: Compressed Air Powered Car Prototype Introduced in Los Angeles

The Cadillac Aera (Aero + Era) launches Cadillac’s philosophy of “Art and Science” into new territory by taking an innovative and stylistic approach to ultra-light weight vehicle design.

It was designed by California-based General Motors Advanced Design Studio for the Design Challenge hosted at the 2010 LA Auto Show.

Aera is a 1,000 lb, 2+2 touring coupe, with a range of 1,000 miles and an advanced body structure based on a 3D lattice, mono-formed frame.

This polyhedral structure is inspired by similar configurations found in nature, for example inside the grouping of bubbles.
 
The structure is formed from unique, alloy semi-solid freeform manufacturing, which creates a naturally strong, extremely lightweight frame.

 All major body parts, including interior components, are “grown” into a single part lattice structure.

Honda Air Concept

Presented by Honda at the 2010 LA Design Challenge, the Honda Air Concept is a lightweight open four-seater with a compressed-air powertrain and an essential design inspired by modern roller coasters.
Created for the 2010 LA Design Challenge by the Honda Advanced Design Studio in Pasadena, CA, the Air concept is defined as “a vision of the future of lightweight and alternative fuel performance vehicles”.

Inspired by modern roller coasters and skydiving wing-suits, the Air is powered by a compressed air and pneumatic regulator system and has a total weight of 800 lb.

It utilizes turbo vacuums and external air-flow to regenerate tank pressure for extended range and increased boost for an estimated 100 miles.

The chassis doubles as the master tank and all components, including the seats, are mounted to the central chassis/tank to eliminate redundant structure and reduce overall weight.

The body features vegetable-based polymer panels and fairings.

The Air’s cockpit and package is aimed at maximizing the open air experience.

In order to save weight and increase performance, a hub-less wheel and drive system eliminates the use of heavy drive train components.

Additional weight savings are achieved thanks to the glass reinforced seating panels, urethane tire composition and skeletal sub-frame components.

The main tanks and reserves can be filled quickly and safely using a simple generator / air compressor at home or a tire filler at the local filling station.

Di-Pietro: Engineair’s Ultra-Efficient Rotary Compressed-Air Motor

Elegant minimalist design eliminates most of the working parts traditionally associated with internal combustion engine; offers nearly 100% energy efficiency for a variety of transport and stationary applications.

EngineAir Motor Prototype
Imagine a vehicle with nothing under the hood (or bonnet), no gearbox, no transmission, no carburetor or other fuel feeds. Yet it converts virtually all the energy fed to its motors into actual motion. With the elegance of absolute simplicity, this concept makes traditional internal-combustion cars look like the Rube-Goldberg contraptions they are: using way too many parts and stages to do what is really a simple task.

All we have to do is to get wheels to turn, preferably with as little wasted motion and energy as possible.

By comparison, the traditional car’s engine uses up to about 65% of the energy potentially available from the fuel, just to move all its parts such as pistons and cams, plus what is wasted generating excess heat. Then the transmission uses 6%, the accessory load 2% and idling losses come to about 11%, leaving about 16% of the energy actually engaged in making the wheels turn. Because of the weight of all these structures, the engine block, crankshaft, gears, transmission, etc., that 16% of the energy is having to move a vehicle weighing perhaps a ton and a half – which may have only one person sitting in it, weighing only 150 lb.

There is a lot wrong with that 100-year-old picture. It should be laughed off the road as unsuitable for the 21st century.

In Melbourne, Australia, an Italian-born mechanical engineer named Angelo Di Pietro has been experimenting for many years to find a more efficient design than the traditional reciprocating combustion engine. Inspired by his earlier work on Wankel rotary engines at Mercedes Benz in Germany, he pursued the notion of a rotary engine with fewer parts. Since his 1999 breakthrough, Di Pietro has been testing and perfecting his unique design which also eliminates traditional pistons and their housings. Though it weighs only 13 kilograms (28.6 lb), this rotary air motor is capable of powering a car without creating any pollution.


The Rotary Piston Unit

Cross section of Engineair motor.