The Air Powered Car.

[Dustoff262]

http://www.popularmechanics.com/auto...s/4251491.html
Air-Powered Car Coming to U.S. in 2009 to 2010 at Sub-$18,000, Could Hit 1000-Mile Range

The CityCAT, already being developed in India (bottom left), will be available for U.S. production in three different four-door styles. But it's the radical dual-energy engine, with a possible 1000-mile range at 96 mph, that could move the Air Car beyond Auto X Prize dreams and into American garages.


By Matt Sullivan
Published on: February 22, 2008

The Air Car caused a huge stir when we reported last year that Tata Motors would begin producing it in India. Now the little gas-free ride that could is headed Stateside in a big-time way.

Zero Pollution Motors (ZPM) confirmed to PopularMechanics.com on Thursday that it expects to produce the world’s first air-powered car for the United States by late 2009 or early 2010. As the U.S. licensee for Luxembourg-based MDI, which developed the Air Car as a compression-based alternative to the internal combustion engine, ZPM has attained rights to build the first of several modular plants, which are likely to begin manufacturing in the Northeast and grow for regional production around the country, at a clip of up to 10,000 Air Cars per year.

And while ZPM is also licensed to build MDI’s two-seater OneCAT economy model (the one headed for India) and three-seat MiniCAT (like a SmartForTwo without the gas), the New Paltz, N.Y., startup is aiming bigger: Company officials want to make the first air-powered car to hit U.S. roads a $17,800, 75-hp equivalent, six-seat modified version of MDI’s CityCAT (pictured above) that, thanks to an even more radical engine, is said to travel as far as 1000 miles at up to 96 mph with each tiny fill-up.

We’ll believe that when we drive it, but MDI’s new dual-energy engine—currently being installed in models at MDI facilities overseas—is still pretty damn cool in concept. After using compressed air fed from the same Airbus-built tanks in earlier models to run its pistons, the next-gen Air Car has a supplemental energy source to kick in north of 35 mph, ZPM says. A custom heating chamber heats the air in a process officials refused to elaborate upon, though they insisted it would increase volume and thus the car’s range and speed.

“I want to stress that these are estimates, and that we’ll know soon more precisely from our engineers,” ZPM spokesman Kevin Haydon told PM, “but a vehicle with one tank of air and, say, 8 gal. of either conventional petrol, ethanol or biofuel could hit between 800 and 1000 miles.”

Those figures would make the Air Car, along with Aptera’s Typ-1 and Tesla’s Roadster, a favorite among early entrants for the Automotive X Prize, for which MDI and ZPM have already signed up. But with the family-size, four-door CityCAT undergoing standard safety tests in Europe, then side-impact tests once it arrives in the States, could it be the first 100-mpg, nonelectric car you can actually buy?
click on this link to watch the BBC news report on this car.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=Ov4t1P9bdGw

This would be a terrific idea, but we know that our safety standards and Insurance companies here would most likely convert the car to look more like this:

[Kate]

How many of you would drive one of them?

[AlDeputy]

Put a light bar on it and I'm off.

[Kate]

Put a light bar on it and I'm off.

Nice!

[Pudge]

I'd drive it for sure.

[Dustoff262]

How many of you would drive one them?

I have no problem driving one of these. I paid the same for my 2005 Toyota corolla, and it gives me 22 mpg in the city and 29 hwy (despite the 28/35 claims on the sticker). Now, if I can operate this for just a few bucks a week, sign me up. We can do patrol in these, and leave the high speed pursuits to the Dodge Chargers, and prisoner transport to the "Bread Trucks"

I just saw on the news that by election day, gas prices here in NYC can be between 6 or 7 bucks a gallon. It will make more sense to take public transportation, but I hate crowded trains, and as it is, I dont know how the MTA is going to take on the additional 1.1 million (thats right million) riders if gas hits 8 dollars a gallon.

We need something that gives us freedom from Middle East oil. Lets start drilling here in ANWAR, and off the Florida Coast, build new refineries, and switch our largest cities over to nuclear power.

[Ducky]

I'd be in one faster than you can blink, and I'd be borrowing use of my Dad's shop compressor instead of heading to the gas station. Talk about laughing all the way to the bank!

[Donut Aficionado]

I understand that they are offering a bicycle pump as an emergency fuel option.

[Dustoff262]

I understand that they are offering a bicycle pump as an emergency fuel option.

LMAO... and it comes with the trunk monkey as a safety option for daughters heading off to college!!! ~~> http://youtube.com/watch?v=MkZcG_pgp0Q

[Kate]

The cars are ugly as sin, but with gas prices the way they are and only likely to keep rising, I'd drive one of those cars in a heartbeat.

[Twan007]

it would be cool to drive around in just for the novelty of it... aside from the practical applications of running around town... much better range than my V8 =/

[JAYBIRD33081]

The problem is in America here they would change it so you had to have special air or a special tool to fill it and they would just charge a ton for that to make up the difference.

[zpd307]

LMAO... and it comes with the trunk monkey as a safety option for daughters heading off to college!!! ~~> http://youtube.com/watch?v=MkZcG_pgp0Q

i love that trunk monkey! thanks god i dont have any daughters to have to worry about it.

[RoJo]

The oil companies aren't going to like this. Next we'll see air being traded on the stock market.

[Xiphos]

It would make a great commuter vehicle. I think I still need the big van for the family but I'm all about something cheap for commuting to work. Most of our gas goes into getting me to and from work.

Here's what I'm waiting for:

[Jenna]

[Dustoff262]

It would make a great commuter vehicle. I think I still need the big van for the family but I'm all about something cheap for commuting to work. Most of our gas goes into getting me to and from work.

Here's what I'm waiting for:

Need to bring the family along? Try attaching this to the back and purchase a few helmets too.

[Star Man]

The oil companies aren't going to like this. Next we'll see air being traded on the stock market.

Or this engineer/company owner suddenly dead.... Just a little suspicious...

[Xiphos]

Need to bring the family along? Try attaching this to the back and purchase a few helmets too.

I don't take my family to work. A really small, highly efficient vehicle for commuting is what I need. Most of our gas goes to getting me back and forth from work so if I can cut back on that we'll be able to afford the $8/gallon gas for the family van.

[gozling]

The problem is in America here they would change it so you had to have special air or a special tool to fill it and they would just charge a ton for that to make up the difference.

so true!!!