German Car Scene

GIMM MIIN-AER PORSCHE BOXSTER

Posted 29th September, 2008 in Porsche | Leave a comment

The MIIN-AER car, a proof-of-concept compressed-air car designed to answer the need for more efficient, lower cost and zero pollution vehicles, will have its world debut at AltCar Expo 2008, one of the West Coast’s largest alternative transportation event.

Made by GIMM, Inc., a Silicon Valley start up, the converted 1999 Porsche Boxster houses air storage tanks and a patent-pending drive system that uses compressed air multiple times for propulsion. This trademarked energy-recovery system, which emits no pollution, involves a simple multi-chambered motor with only six moving parts and no pistons. .

“We’ve developed a way to add energy to the system from the ambient environment,” said GIMM CEO Glenn Bell, a former Hewlett Packard Director in Asia-Pacific. The proof-of-concept Porsche car, he said, has a top speed of 65 mph. It can travel approximately 50 miles, depending on load and speed, on a full tank of air compressed by GIMM MIIN AER Porsche Boxster about 25 kilowatt hours of electricity. It takes Bell less than 10 minutes to fill the tank with air. These specifications, based on early development, will continue to improve.

Media are invited to test drive the MIIN-AER Car at an AltCar Expo media-only event, Thur., Sept. 25, from 10 a.m. to 11:30 p.m., at the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium parking garage, Santa Monica, CA. RSVP: (310) 383-0956.

Bell designed the MIIN-AER system, which can also be used for energy storage to ease peak demand. Its energy storage function is especially applicable to renewable energy sources such as wind and solar, which generate most power during off-peak demand periods.

The system will also address climate change as well as shortages in raw materials such as lithium which is increasingly being used in batteries for Electric Vehicles (EV). The MIIN-AER system is not subject to limitations of EV battery durability or overheating or lengthy recharging times.

“The MIIN-AER car is a solution to all those issues,” Bell said. “You simply test the air tank once every five years. Maintenance and its associated costs are low because the car has few moving parts. This is a very viable alternative as we move forward to a cleaner environment and a more cost effective national fleet.”

Although the MIIN-AER car can be fueled with home air compressors capable of 4,500 psi, this technology would have to be installed at public fueling stations. However, most gas stations already have less powerful compressors and upgrade costs would be minimal. And, unlike the costly fuel that’s needed to power other alternatives such as hydrogen fuel cell vehicles, “air is everywhere and it’s free,” Bell said.

Bell came up with the idea for the MIIN-AER system a decade ago and spent the past year on full-time research and development. He plans to start licensing the system by early 2009. GIMM expects to offer conversion kits and may also convert vehicles itself. (The proof-of-concept Porsche is not for sale.) The company is actively seeking collaborative partners and investors, both domestic and overseas.

Source: AirFuelAuto]