The Compressed Air Racer
Many years ago I started working on a concept for a race car that processed carbon dioxide and converted it to fuel - while it’s completely impractical to attempt to do this on board, I was looking for ways to think outside the usual sphere when it comes to vehicle propulsion. The EV race is at full throttle and while electric motors are a wonderful thing, battery manufacturing is not.
Over time I became interested in compressed air motors which have been around for a long time. While not without their limitations, their potential hasn’t yet been properly unleashed.
(This is a work in progress to be completed in 2022)
Industrial designer
Concept + vision designer
Researcher
Writer
While surface treatments and graphical break-ups have been altering as time goes on, the overall proportion has not. Long ago, race cars had elongated bonnets (hoods) and small cockpits, not because of the pleasing aesthetics but rather to accomodate the beastly-large engines that lay beneath.
As propulsion systems changed over time, and aerodynamics came into play, design languages followed suit. With the advent of EVs this has changed yet again.
Based on the idea of a LeMans style race and race car, CARBON is designed to accomodate very large tanks of compressed air that are hot-swappable, hence an elongated form-factor. The ‘flying tail’ is a counterweight that provides aero stability for what is an extremely lightweight vehicle.
Applying a holistic approach to vehicle design means considering materials and modularity, and the vehicle is designed to be repaired and upgraded as quickly and simply as possible.
While a long time has been spent on the vehicle design, an equal amount of time and effort is now being directed towards the narrative. What world does this vehicle live in and what/who are the characters?
The car is the hero but the narrative will support its journey, which includes the racetrack, the ecosystem, the racers, the designers, the builders, and the energy source. All will be educational and entertaining parts of this story.
Supporting details such as interior control studies and helmet technology will round out the story.
The vehicle will have no on-board electrical system and will be analogue in its operation. But the helmet will contain HUD (heads up display) technology that relays telemetry and vehicle diagnostics to the driver via series of distributed sensors, wirelessly linked together.