Discussion on:

Air-powered motorcycle has arrived

The key question on this subject is whats the range???

Exactly! The range is the most critical feature to know about. I don't really care about weight, engine weight, and top speed. The RANGE is main factor.

It would go 15 miles except a dirt bike uses all of its gears and goes up and down so its most likely of no use as a dirt bike. It also staes that they are using a solar panel to power the compressor but you would also have to carry it with you.

My guess is it will go very fast in a straight line for nearly a mile or more!

With a high-speed solar powered compressor, "refueling" should take no more than 2.5 hours, then you're ready for the next mile!

Can you smell the Hooey?

And the article presented it as such.. Just remember that when Lewis and Clarke began their trek to the Pacific Ocean, they did not take a powder-driven gun with them. Their rifles were air powered, using brass airtanks charged to 1200psi using hand pumps. Their firing mechanisms were so efficient that 40 shots of 47 caliber lead WITHOUT a measurable drop in air pressure.
Did I mention that these were French made guns produced before 1800?
Cut these folks some slack! Its a design exercise. The tubular steel of the frame may be used as air storage - who knows? If you have something POSITIVE to offer, do so. Otherwise, all YOU have to offer smells like so much HOOEY!

Can you read ? This is a prototype .. a concept, not a finished product. What the article so very clearly points out is that the preliminary results were based on the cycle using a standard scuba tank. A compressor and solar panel are only the next refinement to this CONCEPT.

Article seems to say less than 15 minutes at less than 45 km/hr, which would be a range less than 10 km.

this concept could be adapted for compact cars
using a 500 bar or larger tank

bar is a unit of pressure, not tank size. You can get increased power from more highly pressurized tanks but it gets more and more difficult -- and dangerous -- as that number goes up

Doesn't it use electricity to compress the air to 200bar? How much does it take?

Good point - now let's join a few more dots....
And what sort of fuel is providing the energy to generate the electricity to, in turn, compress the air to power the thing? Hopefully it's going to be renewable, in lieu of burning fossil fuel to do it - else the whole point of this exercise is just a waste of time....

???A solar panel and a compressor now becomes your refinery..."

They really need an editor to keep the content of smart planet smart.

passively and then we're talking more RANGE & POWER

What's power got to do with it? Guess we need to build a noise maker into it, too, so it'll go "vroom vroom" really loud, right?

Range a major factor not given. The Engineair motor, the most important component, is not commercially available. To put it another way: not ready for prime time and no hint as to whether it ever will be. We've had too much of designs that either will never have any practical use or never see production. While he was at it, why didn't he design this motorcycle to fly to the moon? Just as achieveable.

Hey they got me to read the whole article looking for the range! lol
You would think that would be important!

I'm looking forward to stop at a gas staton for... air

I'd likely have a few spare tanks in my garage as well. Looks to be enough room to fit a 2nd tank near the engine or near the other tank. Nice concept overall!

Air is made up of gasses. All though Air Station sounds pretty nice.

And, how does the energy required to propel a light motorcycle compare to the amount needed to compress the air?

Coal fired power plants, no doubt.

You didn't read the solar powered compressor part?

Great in theory, but exactly how long in the sun does it take to compress enough air to make that thing go for any significant distance? I'm willing to bet that there's a plug-in somewhere.

I am trying to study infinite power loop. there are already a lot of theories about it from youtube. some called it zero point energy. Hopefully I could build one of these during my lifetime for a change. I hope they too can build one.