Peugeot Bets on a Different Kind of Hybrid Car
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Re: Peugeot Bets on a Different Kind of Hybrid Car
#2Isn't compressed air somewhat like capacitors? So-so energy density, but great power density? It's supposed to be great for a burst of speed, but not for lots of range.
Re: Peugeot Bets on a Different Kind of Hybrid Car
#3Isn't compressed air somewhat like capacitors? So-so energy density, but great power density? It's supposed to be great for a burst of speed, but not for lots of range.
Perhaps, but my understanding is that gas engines are really very efficient at keeping you at speed; it's accelerating from a stop where you use a lot of fuel. So a burst of power with little range can win out if it adds a lot less mass to the car than the battery and electric motor in an electric hybrid.
Re: Peugeot Bets on a Different Kind of Hybrid Car
#4Isn't compressed air somewhat like capacitors? So-so energy density, but great power density? It's supposed to be great for a burst of speed, but not for lots of range.
Perhaps, but my understanding is that gas engines are really very efficient at keeping you at speed; it's accelerating from a stop where you use a lot of fuel. So a burst of power with little range can win out if it adds a lot less mass to the car than the battery and electric motor in an electric hybrid.
Yep, it's a completely mechanical way to recover the energy expended in braking and apply it to getting the vehicle rolling again. In this way the gasoline engine is mainly used to maintain speed and climb hills.
Other experimental vehicles have used flywheels to capture braking energy, but the advantage of compressed gas is that it can store the energy indefinitely (assuming no leaks).
Sounds like it could be more efficient and reliable than the electrochemical process that electric hybrids use, with less weight and environmental concerns related to battery manufacture and disposal.
Re: Peugeot Bets on a Different Kind of Hybrid Car
#5Isn't compressed air somewhat like capacitors? So-so energy density, but great power density? It's supposed to be great for a burst of speed, but not for lots of range.
There could be huge gains if it really can store all the breaking energy and subsequently release all of it quickly (even with what must be pretty large losses in a system like this). On my Prius anything more than light breaking engages the disc brakes and the electric motor is not able to accelerate the car at all.
Re: Peugeot Bets on a Different Kind of Hybrid Car
#6Earlier quoted context omitted.
Perhaps, but my understanding is that gas engines are really very efficient at keeping you at speed; it's accelerating from a stop where you use a lot of fuel. So a burst of power with little range can win out if it adds a lot less mass to the car than the battery and electric motor in an electric hybrid.
Yep, it's a completely mechanical way to recover the energy expended in braking and apply it to getting the vehicle rolling again. In this way the gasoline engine is mainly used to maintain speed and climb hills. Other experimental vehicles have used flywheels to capture braking energy, but the advantage of compressed gas is that it can store the energy indefinitely (assuming no leaks). Sounds like it could be more e…
Well, there's always a risk when you're storing energy. In this case it would be explosion. Could be a very small risk, though.
Re: Peugeot Bets on a Different Kind of Hybrid Car
#7Oh gosh, I don't want to complain, but I reported this about 1 month ago, and it didn't even get 1 point.
It seems different timezones, have different taste :P hehe
Re: Peugeot Bets on a Different Kind of Hybrid Car
#8Earlier quoted context omitted.
Yep, it's a completely mechanical way to recover the energy expended in braking and apply it to getting the vehicle rolling again. In this way the gasoline engine is mainly used to maintain speed and climb hills. Other experimental vehicles have used flywheels to capture braking energy, but the advantage of compressed gas is that it can store the energy indefinitely (assuming no leaks). Sounds like it could be more e…
Well, there's always a risk when you're storing energy. In this case it would be explosion. Could be a very small risk, though.
I had the same "concern" but they say:
The energy stored in the nitrogen tank is small — equivalent to only about five teaspoons, or a couple dozen cubic centimeters, of gasoline
So I guess that the explosion of a tank full of "about five teaspoon" should not wreak too much damage :)
Re: Peugeot Bets on a Different Kind of Hybrid Car
#9Earlier quoted context omitted.
Well, there's always a risk when you're storing energy. In this case it would be explosion. Could be a very small risk, though.
I had the same "concern" but they say: The energy stored in the nitrogen tank is small — equivalent to only about five teaspoons, or a couple dozen cubic centimeters, of gasoline So I guess that the explosion of a tank full of "about five teaspoon" should not wreak too much damage :)
What I gather from the article it's not the stored energy that's of some concern, but the 250 bar nominal pressure in the tanks - a rupture might lead to metal splinters flying around. However, they claim that the car's underfloor is enough shielding. I'd say let some independent safety tests figure that one out.
So far I think this is a very promising concept - I was always weary about electrical hybrids because of the use of rare earth metals and the environmental impact in some regions because of that. Putting some nitrogen tanks and mechanical/electronic bits in a car to achieve the same effect for city driving seems like a big winner - mass produced I'd think you could make those cars only minimally more expensive than normal gas powered ones. Electrical Hybrid car prices, meanwhile, don't seem to scale down much.
Re: Peugeot Bets on a Different Kind of Hybrid Car
#10Oh gosh, I don't want to complain, but I reported this about 1 month ago, and it didn't even get 1 point. It seems different timezones, have different taste :P hehe
Also strongly depends on what else is going on when it is posted. Only time I can recall being on the front page for long was when a hurricane had tons of people out of power and not posting. :)