Kinetic energy reclaiming system for vehicle

A vehicle energy recovery system, comprising:

• a vehicle having an internal combustion engine which can convert a source of fuel to mechanical energy to drive said vehicle and which can compress air supplied to said engine if said engine is turned by the kinetic energy of said vehicle when said vehicle is coasting, said engine having an exhaust pipe for conducting exhaust gas from said engine when it runs on said fuel and for conducting said compressed air from said engine when it is turned by the kinetic energy of said vehicle,
• a transmission arranged to connect a mechanical output of said engine to a drivetrain of said vehicle for driving said vehicle when said engine receives and is powered by said fuel, and for connecting said vehicle to said engine such that kinetic energy from movement of said vehicle can be coupled to said engine so as to cause said engine to compress said air supplied thereto when said vehicle is coasting,
• a tank for receiving the compressed air supplied by said engine, said tank having a check valve at its input,
• control means for connecting said exhaust pipe of said engine to an exhaust outlet in response to said vehicle being underway or to said tank in response to said vehicle coasting,
• an air motor which can be run by said compressed air,
• connection means for connecting a mechanical output of said air motor to power said vehicle, and
• pressure sensing means for supplying said compressed air from said tank to said motor when said vehicle is underway if a predetermined pressure has accumulated in said tank.

A method of recovering and reusing the kinetic energy of a vehicle, comprising:

• providing a vehicle having (a) an engine which can convert fuel energy to move said vehicle and which can compress gas if said engine is mechanically rotated, (b) a tank for storing compressed air, (c) an gas motor which can convert energy from compressed gas to mechanical energy to assist in moving said vehicle, and (d) a transmission which can couple mechanical energy from said engine to the wheels of said vehicle to move said vehicle and which can couple mechanical energy from the wheels of said vehicle to rotate said engine so that said engine will compress said gas when said vehicle is coasting,
• causing said transmission to couple mechanical energy from the wheels of said vehicle to rotate said engine and thereby compress said gas so as to convert the kinetic energy of said coasting vehicle to compressed gas energy,
• causing the gas compressed by said engine to be stored in said tank when said vehicle is coasting,
• when said vehicle is underway again and said engine is converting said fuel energy to mechanical energy to move said vehicle, causing the gas stored in said tank to rotate said gas motor,
• coupling a mechanical output of said gas motor to said transmission so as to assist said engine and reuse the stored kinetic energy of said coasting vehicle to save fuel when said vehicle is again underway.