Filed under: Economy, Green, Videos
World's first air-powered car introduced
By the year 2020, Toyota plans to have a hybrid power source in every vehicle they make, but even the folks from Aichi, Japan don't have anything that runs on air. MDI's CityCAT doesn't have a mast, and it's not some far-off, far-fetched idea. As a matter of fact, it's getting ready for production right now. French company MDI engineered this vehicle with ex-Formula One engineer Guy Nègre, and they're leaving production duties up to India's Tata Motors.
The first product, the CityCAT, reaches a top speed of 68mph and can go about 125 miles without refilling the carbon fiber compressed air chambers. The CityCAT's made of lightweight, glued-together fiberglass and foam, and the engine is made up almost entirely of aluminum. The air tanks hold 52 gallons of compressed air at 4,351psi, and refueling can take only three minutes at your local gas station. You can also plug in the vehicle for about four hours, so the on-board compressor can fill the tanks at a cost of about $2. Initial plans call for Tata Motors to produce about 6,000 of these air-powered transportation devices for the India market, but 12 other countries including Germany, Isreal, and South Africa have signed deals with MDI to buy their own air-cars.
The CityCAT has almost no chance of ever gracing the streets of the good 'ol USA, mostly because of the obvious crash-test issues that come from a car that's made of fiberglass and foam. As is typically the case with green cars, more information is available on Autoblog Green. Hit the jump to see a couple of very informative videos on how the CityCAT runs on good old-fashioned air. Check out the sound of these little babies in motion, as they sound like a giant compressor.
[Source: Popular Mechanics via ecogeek]
Thanks for the tip, FLR!
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
rem83 9:56AM (6/01/2007)
Wow, at current gas prices in the US, that's like driving a car that gets almost 200 mpg. I wonder how these things would do crashing into each other (or when that 4ksi tank ruptures). Kind of reminds me of the cop car in Demolition Man.
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felipe 9:59AM (6/01/2007)
that blows!!
sorry had to be said.
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HotRod 10:09AM (6/01/2007)
I think they are on the right track, but the wrong train! What if...
They did a full plug-in hybrid, (in a normal car, not this joke) but instead of an IC engine generating the backup power have the compressed air running the generator? I'm no engineer but it seems like with the right screw and piping on the generator compressed air could drive it for a while at least. And have a built in 110V compressor on board so if your batteries are low and your PSI is low just pull up ANYWHERE with a 110V outlet and let the MF pump itself back up!
At least we can dream...
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Eddo 10:43AM (6/01/2007)
How about if they did it so you can charge the air cylinder at the tyre pressure place in the gas station? Now, that would make it free!
tj 11:07AM (6/01/2007)
i wonder if they could be sold as a golf cart
in the usa because I think it's legal to drive
a golf cart on certain roads.
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Jason 11:11AM (6/01/2007)
@Eddo: I'm assuming from you spelling of 'tyre' that you're not from/in the US... the tire air at filling stations here [in the US] hasn't been free in quite a long time. The PSI of those air pumps is pretty low though, you might get 100psi out of them, if that much. Now here near the pressures required for something like this.
@tj: would you REALLY want to drive a golf cart with an airtank pressurised to over 4,000psi?
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Barney 2:47AM (6/02/2007)
"..the tire air at filling stations here [in the US] hasn't been free in quite a long time."
I'm from Canada and we don't pay to fill the tires. Is this a coin operated system?
Brian 2:04PM (6/04/2007)
WHere do you live exactly?
I live in PA and whenever I need air I drive down to the local Sunoco and it doesnt cost me a thing. Maybe for some regions in the US but not here.
Jason 2:31PM (6/04/2007)
I'm currently in Texas, and haven't seen a free air station in the tri-state area in probably 10 years. Granted though, since getting a shop compressor for my garage a few years back, I really don't pay much attention to the gas station air pumps anymore...
Juan 11:24AM (6/01/2007)
This was on Engadget on May 27th, and I sent in a tip then. Not that I should need to tip something on your sister blog...
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FLR 11:36AM (6/01/2007)
Sorry to steal your thunder Juan!
HotRod, you make an excellent point in regards to an air powered electric generator. I wonder if there is a weight penalty to having a generator, tanks and electric motor compared to tank and multicylider air powered engine.
ssgtakeo 11:24AM (6/01/2007)
Jason,
It's no more dangerous than driving around a slightly pressurized, non-inerted (empty space filled with unflammable gas) fuel tank filled with extremely energy-dense, volatile gasoline.
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C. McFeeny 11:47AM (6/01/2007)
Wow! That is fantastic!
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Jason 11:57AM (6/01/2007)
Texas currently. I haven't seen free air at a gas station in probably 10 years... they're all coin-op now, usually $0.50 to $0.75 for a couple minutes of air time.
As for a gas tank full of gas vs an air tank at over 4K psi... I'll take my chances with gasoline or diesel any day, a rupture in my fuel tank isn't going to cause an explosion (in real life, cars don't instantly blow up like in the movies) and a leak in my fuel line isn't going to be able to cut off a finger (well, maybe a leak in the fuel line of my diesel truck could...).
I've got a 30gal shop compressor in my garage that pressurizes to about 250psi. If that tank were to rupture, it would probably blow my garage door off the house, and could likely put a hole through the side of the house. The chances of that happening are pretty slim, and I'm sure they've done lots of safety research on the air system used in those vehicles.
Considering air is inert for the most part, it'd probably still be safer than running on propane or CNG, both of which are relatively common (maybe not for passenger vehicles though). Sitting on an air tank at those pressures would still make me uneasy though.
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Richard 12:14PM (6/01/2007)
@glitched
Jason is correct. Most compressed air stations at US service stations are vending machines--usually 50 cents per fill. This is usually enough to air up all four tires (tyres).
@rem83
Gasoline (petrol) is one of the most volatile chemicals known to man. Nitroglycerine is much less explosive.
@HotRod and FLR
Compressed air is not a fuel, it is an energy storage medium. Most air is compressed using an electric motor. To then try to use the compressed air to run an electric generator sounds suspiciously like a perpetual motion machine. This will get you kicked out of any patent office on Earth.
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Brian Schend 1:45AM (6/24/2007)
Using compressed air to generate electricity and vice-versa probably wasn't intended as perpetual motion, but as an energy storage device. Considering there are few practical ways of storing electricity, this idea might have potential.
Richard 11:00AM (6/24/2007)
Perpetual motion machines are conceived in ignorance, not intent. The compressed air used to generate electricity should instead go to propelling the car.
Guenther 12:44PM (6/01/2007)
Compressing air at a high rate is terribly in-efficient. A lot of heat must be dissipated. EV is still the answer here, once battery technology gets there. Its close. I do like Hydraylic launch assist, Currently under development it ITEC and the EPA. Its a form of hybrid energy storage using compressed air over hydraulic oil.
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Calguy 1:10PM (6/01/2007)
In California, at gas stations is legally mandated to be free in the interest of keeping tires properly inflated.. for better mpg.
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paul34 1:27PM (6/01/2007)
A little off-topic... but for those of you who don't like how gas stations charge for air, you can either pump gas, then ask them to open up the air for you (they should do it if they're worth the ground they are standing on)
OR (my personal favorite)
use a hand bicycle pump! I'm not kidding, and it works JUST fine. It's free, environment friendly, and there's no waiting for stupid people at the air compressor station. Also, no struggling with the sprung hose to try to avoid getting it caught on tires, or not dragging it across paint, or running out of time, etc.
Bicycle pump works 100% ok. However, it does require a BIT of manual labor... I know that is a nightmare to some people in this country!
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