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A moped that runs on fresh air |
A former sheepherder and current rocket scientist/inventor Jem Stansfield, took a couple of air canisters that are typically used by firefighters for their breathing gear, and strapped them on a moped. The result is an air-powered bike that spits out cleaner exhaust then the air that it initially takes in.
Both compressed air cylinders drive a pair of rotary air engines that propel the bike to a top speed of 18mph. It will only go about 7 miles until more air is required. Lucky for him, he has a local dive shop where he can fill up and he’s good to go. It’s people like this that tick off the oil companies, which I find awesome.
[Ecogeek] VIA [Dvice]
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Why are you congratulating this guy? He made an efficient moped into an inefficient POS. That moped probably got 80mpg, since it looks like an older 2 stroke, older 2 strokes can be a bit smoggy burning, with the oil premix, but 4 strokes while not getting as much power as 2 strokes, burn pretty clean and most 50cc 4 stroke mopeds get around 100 mpg. This guy here gets SEVEN mpg. He probably pays around 5 dollas for the dive shop to fill those tanks, unless he gets them filled for free for publicity. Gas is prolly 6-7 dollars there. So for around the same price he pays to go 7 miles at 20mph, he could go 80 or more, at 30+. So why would the oil companies be mad again?
The ecogeek article is also wrong about the price of lead acid batteries. Lead acid batteries dont cost much. Big car batteries cost 60ish, and motorcycle batteries like 20 or so. Air tanks are expensive. They gotta hold up to 3000 pounds per square inch of pressure. That’s a lot of pressure. Malfunctioning scuba and even 800PSI co2 filled paintball tanks have killed people from rocketting off. A carbon fiber paintball tank costs around 300 dollars, and I bet a big dive tank like that probably costs way more.
Also, 18mph is pathetic. A road bike can go 18mph, and it doesnt need any electrical energy to run at all.
I like stupid enviromental news like this. The only stuff that gets reported is stuff that’s basically just useless expiriments, like it’s gonna save the world, or ineffective crap like hybrids that take a ton of expensive technology just to do what a ton of other more efficient engines do. But, people who come up with real plausible and feasible solutions to problems dont get on the news.
Wow Joe, way to be a prick, if you don’t like it fine state your opinion ansd move on. But your dissertation on this was uncalled for.
Joe — you’re rather missing the point and making some hilariously silly comments along the way. Innovation is to be congratulated. Sure, the oil companies aren’t losing sleep over imminent compressed air propulsion. : ) But what’s the problem with taken a beaten up old scooter (which, regardless of mpg, old two-strokes are polluting major cities throughout Asia) and experimenting with some lateral thinking about a very important problem? This project probably became quite expensive (diving gear, regulators, etc. — not cheap) but along the way, I know from my own projects, the inventor tackles other, more widely applicable problems and who knows what discoveries can be made along the way.
And by the way, roughly what’s the risk of injury or death from Scuba gear malfunctions above water? Come on! You’re kidding, right?
This project and this story are about garage projects that can change the world. Heard of Hewlett Packard? : ) That started in a garage and I’m sure in the beginning it looked like a ridiculous waste of time and talent.
Again, if you want to read about more hard core environmental news, research into alternative fuels beyond the hype of Hydrogen or Ethanol or Switch Grass, just Google those terms. I’m sure, almost no matter where you’re typing your replies to these articles, just outside the door is someone making very real progress on solar energy or building their own plug-in hybrid vehicle, etc., etc.
And in a final note of agreement, I share your dismay that the day to day lives of people living in comfort, not worrying about wars or human tragedy let alone the environment, should not be so comfortable.
I should clarify that I don’t put myself (or you) outside this group of complacent people living in comfort — it’s only since the birth of our first child eight years ago that I even began to expand my attention outside my own self-interest.
The issue here is that I’m sure it takes more power to create the air canisters he’s using and compress the air he’s buying or getting free than it would to just use gas in the moped’s engine.
It’s cool to have a bike that runs on air, but Conner Flyn is wrong to think that this is energy saving or in any way efficient, or that it would in any way piss off the oil companies.
well its better for the environment in any case.
sure there are better things out there, but at slippery brick, sometimes the more outlandish ideas get more attention just because the site likes to have a bit of fun.
if you know of something that deserves more attention, post a link, and maybe someone will look at it.