Is this the world's first flying car drive-in?

Noah Joseph — Fri, 29 Jul 2011 11:32:00 EST

Filed under: Etc., Videos

Once upon a time ice cream was delivered in trucks to happy buyers. Then the people drove to the ice cream shop with curbside service. But back in those wonder years, the dream was that one day we'd zip over to the soda fountain in flying cars.

Though people have never stopped trying to make a flying car, that dream never seemed to have taken off, even after decades have passed. To whit, the notion has become something of an item of nostalgia, and at the EAA AirVenture show in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, a group of flying car enthusiasts gathered for some frozen treats and bygone dreams at a local retro malt shop. Follow the jump to watch the video footage.

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Is this the world's first flying car drive-in? originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 29 Jul 2011 11:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Compressed air car on track for production this year

Dan Roth — Tue, 08 Jan 2008 09:03:00 EST

Filed under: Hybrid, Europe, Green, Plants/Manufacturing

Guy Negre's compressed air vision has crossed our desks before. The vehicle, which uses a motor powered by 4,000 psi of compressed air stored in carbon fiber tanks, will actually start production in India soon - after 15 years in development - thanks to some help from India's biggest automaker, Tata, which itself just unveiled the world's least expensive car called the Nano. The MDI Citycat and Minicat are built from lightweight materials and offer large passenger and luggage space with zero emissions motoring. The energy required to refill the compressed air tanks reportedly costs about $2, and there are optional propulsion units to extend the roughly 90-mile (at speeds of 40mph or below) range of the vehicle so you aren't stuck if your air car runs out of breath.

We wonder if the MDI Citycat and Minicat might actually increase the demand for compressed air. We can just imagine someone finding a way to make money selling high-octane squeezed atmosphere. Regardless, 100 miles of zero emissions sounds good to us, and MDI is also considering setting up local factories in various markets to virtually eliminate transport costs and pollution, too. With Tata's large resources and the insatiable demand of the burgeoning Indian market, these clever cars stand a good chance of success.

[Source: Automotive News, sub. req'd]

Compressed air car on track for production this year originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 08 Jan 2008 09:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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