Pneumatic Hybrid Engine on the Works at ETH Zurich
Scientists from the ETH Zurich are working on the development of a hybrid engine depending on pneumatics. The internal combustion of the power plant of the vehicle will be linked to a compressed air storage instead of the usual battery system. The paper with regard to this will formally be presented during the 2009 SAW World Congress.
Pneumatic engine design may give way to a more efficient fuel consumption that is comparable to hybrid cars. The concept of pneumatic engine design is based on the supercharging and down sizing concepts.
The pneumatic engine works efficiently by utilizing an electronically controlled valve that regulates the flow of compressed air concurrent with the injection of the fuel.
The technology also allows downsizing. The average 150 horsepower car can be downsized to only 30 horse power which is sufficient enough for dialing driving.