Here's an air powered bike.
Air-powered bikes inching towards production reality?
Jem Stansfield with his Puch moped, which has been converted to run on compressed air!
In June last year, we first wrote about the possibility of air-powered engines – which are already being used on cars – also being used on bikes. Now, merely a year later, people have already started working on air-powered bikes and scooters!
In April this year, MCN carried a report on one Jem Stansfield, an inventor who claims he’s developed the world’s first air-powered bike. Stansfield, an aeronautics graduate from the University of Bristol, converted his Puch moped to run on air. He fitted two high-pressure carbonfibre air cylinders on his bike, which power two rotary air engines, which deliver power to the rear wheel.
It must all be incredibly complex, we’re sure, and on top of that, Stansfield’s bike will do only 10km between air top-ups and has a top speed of about 28km/h. Still, it was a start. Now, two researchers – Yu-Ta Shen and Yean-Ren Hwang – from the National Central University in Taiwan have developed their version of the air-powered bike. Like Stansfield’s machine, the Taiwanese bike also uses energy from compressed air to drive the rear wheel.
There are limitations, of course. The way the prototype is right now, Shen’s and Hwang’s bike will do barely more than 1km before needing an air refill. But with bigger air tanks that can hold air at higher pressure, the researchers are confident of being able to increase range to around 35km in the near future. And when you need to refuel, just ride up to the nearest air compressor and tank up!
Right now, various companies are working on air engines which may be fitted on cars and three-wheelers. And while some experts feel that air power may not be viable for two-wheelers (because of the size of air tanks that would be needed to provide an adequate riding range before requiring a refill), you never really do know. Tomorrow, if some new technology comes along that allows smaller tanks to carry air at a much higher pressure, air-powered bikes may find their way to production reality after all…
The TV presenter Jem Stansfield modified this small moped to function on compressed air stored in two high pressure carbon fiber tanks, like the ones that the firefighters use. The engine has been replaced by two rotary air engines. The two tanks can be fully charged in a matter of seconds from any air compressor. This compressed air bike can go about 8 miles, reach a speed of 18mph (about 30km/h).
The inventor says he could never travel big distances with it, but it surely is clean. Now if the compressor had a clean power source, that would be to the benefit of the environment, since I can imagine compressing the air is much more efficient and cleaner than burning the fuel locally in the motorbike’s engine.
For more details on air-powered engines, go here
Jem Stansfield with his Puch moped, which has been converted to run on compressed air!
In June last year, we first wrote about the possibility of air-powered engines – which are already being used on cars – also being used on bikes. Now, merely a year later, people have already started working on air-powered bikes and scooters!
In April this year, MCN carried a report on one Jem Stansfield, an inventor who claims he’s developed the world’s first air-powered bike. Stansfield, an aeronautics graduate from the University of Bristol, converted his Puch moped to run on air. He fitted two high-pressure carbonfibre air cylinders on his bike, which power two rotary air engines, which deliver power to the rear wheel.
It must all be incredibly complex, we’re sure, and on top of that, Stansfield’s bike will do only 10km between air top-ups and has a top speed of about 28km/h. Still, it was a start. Now, two researchers – Yu-Ta Shen and Yean-Ren Hwang – from the National Central University in Taiwan have developed their version of the air-powered bike. Like Stansfield’s machine, the Taiwanese bike also uses energy from compressed air to drive the rear wheel.
There are limitations, of course. The way the prototype is right now, Shen’s and Hwang’s bike will do barely more than 1km before needing an air refill. But with bigger air tanks that can hold air at higher pressure, the researchers are confident of being able to increase range to around 35km in the near future. And when you need to refuel, just ride up to the nearest air compressor and tank up!
Right now, various companies are working on air engines which may be fitted on cars and three-wheelers. And while some experts feel that air power may not be viable for two-wheelers (because of the size of air tanks that would be needed to provide an adequate riding range before requiring a refill), you never really do know. Tomorrow, if some new technology comes along that allows smaller tanks to carry air at a much higher pressure, air-powered bikes may find their way to production reality after all…
The TV presenter Jem Stansfield modified this small moped to function on compressed air stored in two high pressure carbon fiber tanks, like the ones that the firefighters use. The engine has been replaced by two rotary air engines. The two tanks can be fully charged in a matter of seconds from any air compressor. This compressed air bike can go about 8 miles, reach a speed of 18mph (about 30km/h).
The inventor says he could never travel big distances with it, but it surely is clean. Now if the compressor had a clean power source, that would be to the benefit of the environment, since I can imagine compressing the air is much more efficient and cleaner than burning the fuel locally in the motorbike’s engine.
For more details on air-powered engines, go here
