The air car has turned out to be nothing more than a pipe dream, but that hasn’t stopped PSA Peugeot/Citroën. The company is adamant that it has found a hybrid-air solution that will reach a fuel-economy target of 2,0 litres/100 km. The complex HYbrid Air system employs a high-pressure air-storage tank mounted in the floor (transmission tunnel) of the vehicle, a low-pressure air accumulator in the boot and a hydraulic unit consisting of a motor and pump connected to the epicyclic transmission under the bonnet. This system runs in parallel with a highly efficient 1,2-litre petrol engine. Energy stored in the air tank is used to provide hydraulic oil pressure to power the hydraulic motor, which in turn provides zero-emission motive force. As it is a hybrid system, three modes are possible: air (zero emission), petrol and combined. Air pressure can be replenished by means of regenerative braking as well as an air pump connected to the petrol engine. It sounds promising, but the idea remains ambitious because the compression of air is a highly inefficient process and the specific energy of compressed air very low.
Hybrid Air?
X
Related Articles
Subscribe Today
Carmag
Reviews
Buy a Car
News
Videos
Powered By
CAPE TOWN OFFICE: 36 Old Mill Road, Ndabeni, Maitland, 7405, Western Cape > Telephone: (021) 530 3300 > Fax: (021) 530 3333
© Copyright 2024 CarMag