Q&A: Pneumatic Hybrid

We frequently get questions about different aspects of LHI. I will be posting some of them here in the hopes that readers will find the info interesting or helpful.


Q: The actual energy storage is in the gas in the bladder of the hydraulic accumulator. Why not have a pneumatic hybrid? Way back in 1930, a diesel-pneumatic was more efficient than a diesel-electric, and air is cheap and easy to store.

A: The Hydraulic Hybrid in this configuration is essentially a pneumatic hybrid as mentioned. The energy is in fact stored by compressing air. The air that is compressed is nitrogen gas which is held in the accumulator bladder. The advantage of the hydraulic system is that you are pumping an incompressible fluid which allows you to achieve higher flow rates in a smaller package. A one hundred horsepower compressor that would allow you to compress and store enough energy to accelerate the vehicle from a stop would be half the size of the vehicle itself. Imagine an industrial air compressor. As I understand most pneumatic hybrid vehicles use a smaller compressor that runs continuously at a low power setting. The one hundred horsepower hydraulic pump occupies much less than a cubic foot of space and only weighs 45 pounds.

It's Official

Lightning Hybrids is an official contender in the Progressive Automotive X PRIZE!

In March of this year, the X PRIZE Foundation and Progressive Insurance jointly announced the $10 million dollar Progressive Insurance Automotive X PRIZE. This competition invites teams from around the world to focus on a single goal: design viable, clean and super-efficient cars that people want to buy.

And Lightning Hybrids is going to be one of those teams.

We are excited to participate in this competition with our revolutionary automotive technologies. If you are reading our blog you already know that we have developed a unique and patent-pending biodiesel-hydraulic hybrid vehicle which emphasizes thermodynamic and hydraulic system efficiencies, lightweight mechanical and composite structures, and sports car styling. We know these vehicles can win this competition and look good doing it.

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The X PRIZE race will take place in the late summer of 2010 - a little over a year from now and we have an aggressive plan to win. This is a great opportunity for us to be part of an international event, with significant public exposure and promotion to potential partners, sponsors, investors, manufacturers, distributors and customers.

The competition has tough entrance requirements, stringent judging criteria, and race courses that test and reward manufacturability, marketability, safety, durability and performance. Our vehicles are designed to excel in every one of those areas.

Check back often to learn of our progress towards winning the Progressive Automotive X Prize.

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