The Best Alternative Energy Car: CPAP Driven!

September 11, 2008

Air car of 1932 reborn with high tech engineering

Vehicle currently in development requires no fuel, no external charging

By Sean Eastwood
Staff Writer

In 1932, J.M. Custer of Piggott, Ark. had an idea for a car that would run on compressed air.


He not only built the car, but it actually ran. He used an engine that was the result of six years of research by Roy J. Meyers, which resembled a radial airplane motor in appearance. It was mounted upright in the same space occupied by gasoline motors in standard cars.

Four air tanks filled with compressed air powered the car 500 miles at a speed of 35 miles an hour. The engine did not require a cooling system, ignition system, carburetor, nor the hundreds of moving parts included in a standard gasoline motor. The compressed air took care of all of those features and left a vehicle that cost nearly nothing to maintain or use.

That year, they conducted an amazing demonstration in Los Angeles using a standard automobile chassis that was powered with a newly developed compressed air motor. It whizzed around the city streets using nothing but the compressed air and requiring no gasoline even though fuel prices back then were dirt cheap. The motor headed the air tanks until a pressure of 200 PSI was obtained. As the warm air went through the engine and cooled, it was recovered and drawn into a compressing chamber, where it was reheated again and returned to the tank.

That technology, which didn’t attract much interest 75 years ago is resurfacing using today’s high technology by a research and development company called Magnetic Air Cars, Inc. The Times sat down recently with that company’s CEO, Manual Parks, to discuss a new air-powered prototype car in development in Silicon Valley. Parks agreed to the interview as long as we paid tribute to J.M. Custer’s original 1932 compressed air car design.

Eastwood: Mr. Parks, can a car really run on compressed air?

Parks: I believe that question was answered back in 1932 and very few people are aware of Custer’s achievements. Of course, in the 1930’s, more powerful combustion engines were gaining popularity and gasoline was relatively inexpensive, so the idea never took off.

Eastwood: The motor in 1932 was claimed to heat, use, cool and return air to the tank. Was the inventor referring to getting free air from filling stations to run your car at no cost? Even people in 1932 must have wondered about the cost of compressing the air.

Parks: We believe that Custer in 1932 may have used some type of magnetic motor and generator to heat the air until the tanks reached 200 PSI. Our prototype Magnetic Air Car™ is the end result of that first step made more than 75 years ago to provide a clean-tech, low-cost solution for our current energy crisis. We are passionate about fulfilling Custer’s vision.

Eastwood: What type of mechanical energy are you proposing to use in your cars?

Parks: We believe that air-bearing turbochargers are the best solution for creating mechanical energy. Both NASA and Toyota believe that air-bearing turbochargers will create a turbocharger revolution.

Eastwood: What makes you believe that you can compete with NASA and Toyota?

Parks: They are using turbochargers with gasoline and heat. Our turbochargers run on cold compressed air. This means that we can use stronger light-weight materials that can operate longer and at much higher speeds than either NASA or Toyota.

Eastwood: How can compressed air propel a modern car fast enough for today’s freeway driving compared to the top speed of 35 mph speed obtained by the first air car in 1932?

Parks: There is enough energy available through the use of super-capacitors, earth friendly recyclable batteries, solar power, magnetic motors and magnetic generators to compress entrained ambient air. We believe we can obtain a higher speed with these components, some that we have invented and some invented by others that may soon become strategic partners. Most important, our solution does not violate the laws of energy conservation or the basic principles of thermodynamics.

Eastwood: How did you come up with Magnetic Air Car Motor™ design?

Parks: Our senior technical officer was introduced to frictionless bearings 34 years ago and dreamed of someday using the application for vehicles in the future. The frictionless, oil-less bearing have now evolved as air bearings, capable of obtaining revolutions as high as one million RPM. The secret ‘sauce’ that was missing was an advanced air flow device, the Air Cycle Machine™, which our engineers began designing a few years ago.

Eastwood: Will the Magnetic Air Car™ produce enough air to achieve a top speed of more than 100 MPH?

Parks: We are providing a legitimate power source to run our compressor to power our Air Cycle Machine™ consisting of an air-flow amplifier and air bearing turbochargers in a unique way. We believe that the combination will be sufficient to power a modern new vehicle, or retrofit a used vehicle, such as a large SUV or truck. As an example, we have been approached to retrofit a few Hummers with our magnetic air engine. Others have suggested purchasing GM’s entire Hummer fleet.


Magnetic Air Cars™ 2009 prototype concept design
Eastwood: Is the Magnetic Air Car a true zero emission vehicle?

Parks: Air power is cleaner, cheaper, simpler and can be very powerful if you use an advanced air flow device. Just look at the powerful air dynamics of a tornado or hurricane. That is how our air flow device works. It stirs up the air through convection. We believe we can store power and transport it safely with the vehicle. Any claims about ‘zero pollution’ depend entirely on the source of the power used to compress the air. If that power source is fossil fuels then the car is still producing carbon emissions. We do not use fossil fuels.

Eastwood: How is your car different from today’s electric cars?

Parks: What we are building is similar to an electric car but with compressed air tanks instead of expensive rechargeable batteries that can only provide short driving distances. We believe our engineers have developed a solution for manufacturing air while the vehicle is in motion which may provide an unlimited driving range. We use only one specially designed battery the size of a regular car battery which has three times the charging capacity and a much longer life cycle. Instead of $3,000-$5,000 for lithium batteries, our battery costs less than $70. The battery does not contain acid, it will retain its first charge sitting on a shelf for up to three years, and it can be recycled. This is truly a significant “green” technology achievement.

Eastwood: Are there any companies with similar compressed air car designs?

Parks: Yes. There are compressed air cars currently being developed in France, India and Korea, but they are using different technology.

Eastwood: How are their motor designs different from the Magnetic Air Car?

Parks: When comparing the designs, our Magnetic Air Car™ uses air-bearing turbo chargers and our competitors use traditional pistons. These competing motors use compressed air instead of gasoline to drive a piston. The French design, for example, only has a driving distance of about 160 kilometers (100 miles) before the air tanks need to be refilled at a filling station — taking anywhere from 10 minutes to as much as four hours to fill. Filling their vehicles’ air tanks also consume energy. We feel that their design is inefficient and a waste of mechanical energy.

Eastwood: How are you able to keep the air car’s tanks filled?

Parks: Our air tank system design supplies air pressure to our patent pending cold air bearing turbocharger and Air Cycle Machine™. We do not care about air flow since our motor creates enough pressure to drive any load. This is what makes our design a superior zero pollution solution.

Eastwood: So is it true the Magnetic Air Car™ produces no carbon emissions?

Parks: We do not use fossil fuels to produce compressed air. In fact, we plan on using a patented water filtration system, which cleans the air entering the car’s motor. The air leaving the vehicle will actually be cleaner than the air entering the vehicle. We believe the filtration design can improve air quality in cities and reduce the effects of global warming.

Eastwood: So the new air car is not classified as a hybrid?

Parks: Hybrids use fossil fuels as their primary power source. We believe we can create high ambient compressed air without burning fuel. This is a far more efficient and cleaner way of powering vehicles. We believe our motor technology will not only produce ‘zero pollution’ but may also help clean the environment while the car is operated.
Eastwood: Will the Magnetic Air Car release heat into the atmosphere?

Eastwood: Will the Magnetic Air Car release heat into the atmosphere?

Parks: We believe that the car’s exhaust will only increase the outside air temperature by five degrees at approximately 200,000 RPM. The inside of the cabin will be recycled with clean filtered air.

Eastwood: Will you approach car manufacturers like GM or Ford to produce the car?

Parks: Our engineers have one goal in mind…complete the prototype, test and validate the car by independent laboratories, automotive engineers and scientists. Once we have successfully validated all of our claims, we will approach auto manufacturers to use our technology.

Eastwood: What type of computer intelligence are you planning for the new Magnetic Air Car?

Parks: We believe that microprocessors and digital signal processors may be used to add sophisticated computer intelligence for the magnetic motor and the Air Cycle Machine™. This may allow the magnetic motor and air cycle machine to capture energy that is normally lost and recycle that energy more efficiently. We may also integrate a UHF/VHF wireless network for two-way audio, video and data communications with human interface capabilities. We plan to file a patent for a new GPS system for authentication between sender and receiver. The Motor may be shut off and disabled through authentication for security. GPS also may be able to provide constant telemetry update of the motor while the car is in motion.

Eastwood: What about the automotive retrofitting business?

Parks: The technology can be applied to new car manufacturing as well as retrofitting operations. We have no intention of going into the car manufacturing business. However, we will continue building our prototypes here in Silicon Valley. We have already been approached to build several custom cars for Silicon Valley executives once our technology is validated.

Eastwood: If the car works, it could be worth billions of dollars and potential investors will be lining up by the minute.

Parks: We currently have no investors and we have been self-funded, and our team has been working without salaries for several years. We are now at a point where we need $1 million to $3 million to finish the project. The R&D costs expended by outside firms providing Magnetic Air Cars™ with components total more than $12 million. We are fortunate that we did not have to raise the capital needed to develop the components required to build the air car. Additionally, some of our vendors have indicated they would like to be acquired by Magnetic Air Cars, Inc.

Eastwood: The capital you are seeking seems very low. How are you obtaining funding?

Parks: Since our business model is essentially an R&D think tank that licenses its motor technology around the world, our cash requirements are somewhat on the low side. We do not need to spend money on manufacturing plants. We plan to issue promissory notes this month with an option to convert the loans to common stock with a possible IPO. Our attorney is working out the details.

Eastwood: If you go public, what is your projected market cap?

Parks: Several Silicon Valley investment types believe our market cap may be similar to Google and that our margins could be 75-80 percent since we’re essentially an R&D company. It is difficult to say exactly what our valuation will be. The company’s value will change as we get closer in obtaining the validation of our technology, including endorsements from respected scientists.

Eastwood: Do you plan to stay in Silicon Valley?

Parks: Silicon Valley is fast becoming the green capital of the world. We have some of the best minds in the world living here. Our families are here, so we do not see the need to move out of the valley. We look forward to a future meeting with government officials to fully explain the significance of our technology and the positive impact it will have on Silicon Valley, the United States, and the world.

Eastwood: Where can someone learn more about your new automotive technology?

Parks: Magnetic Air Cars™, Inc. will have an information booth at the West Coast Green Exhibition (http://www.westcoastgreen.com) on Sept. 25-27 in San Jose at the McEnery Convention Center. There will be prominent speakers there, including San Jose Mayor Chuck Reed and former vice president Al Gore.

Editor’s note: For more information on Magnetic Air Cars, Inc., e-mail: contact@magneticaircars.info or call 1-866-471-7741. Copyright 2008 Times Media, Inc.