Pressure For Change from Air Car
by Tony Bosworth, Sydney, Australia 
on 05.28.07
Not the prettiest, maybe.... but there are no emissions.
India’s largest automaker is set to start producing the world’s first commercial air-powered vehicle. The Air Car, developed by ex-Formula One engineer Guy Nègre for Luxembourg-based MDI, uses compressed air, as opposed to the gas-and-oxygen explosions of internal-combustion models, to push its engine’s pistons.
Some 6000 zero-emissions Air Cars are scheduled to hit Indian streets in August of 2008, reports Popular Mechanics.
Barring any last-minute design changes on the way to production, the Air Car should be surprisingly practical. The US$12,700 CityCAT, one of a handful of planned Air Car models, can hit 68 mph and has a range of 125 miles. It will take only a few minutes for the CityCAT to refuel at gas stations equipped with custom air compressor units; MDI says it should cost around $2 to fill the car’s carbon-fiber tanks with 340 liters of air at 4350 psi. Drivers will also be able to plug into the electrical grid and use the car’s built-in compressor to refill the tanks in about fours hours.
It’s unlikely Air Car will be sold in the US – the world’s biggest single auto market - especially considering its all-glue construction. But that doesn’t mean the major automakers can write it off as a bizarre Indian experiment — MDI has signed deals to bring its design to 12 more countries, including Germany, Israel and South Africa. ::Popular Mechanics
Thirsty for more? Check out these related articles:
- Driving On Air: The Cleanest Car Around?
- COP15: What's at Stake in Under 5 Minutes
- 80% of the World's Toys are Made in Chinese Factories
- Watch the World's Smallest Working Train in Action
- Countdown to Copenhagen: The Events That Will Rock the World Before COP15 Does
- 10 Steps to Cleaner Indoor Air This Autumn
Comments ()
