The Air Car Offers Zero Emission Fuel Technology

January 14, 2008 - If you thought low emission transportation was limited to just ethanol, pluggable hybrids and fuel cell technology, I'll give you a hint: Take a deep breath. Yep, that's right, one of the newer technologies out there is "air power". And there is already a line of cars...err, air cars, being sent into mass distribution. The only catch is that you'll have to go to India to see these beauty's on the road. Then again, you could also find a "romantic" excuse to visit France, where the first prototypes of the air car call home.

Developed by the former Formula One inventor, Frenchman Guy Negre, the technology for the Air Car was first discovered (or at least applied to powering cars) in the early nineties. Left to the side by the automobile industry, it wasn't until the prominent threats of global warming and a pressing need for cleaner fuel economy really reared their faces that commercial interests began to take greater notice. This is precisely why you'll see an air car on the roadways of India before anywhere else. India's largest commercial automaker, Tata Motors, has signed a deal with Negre's company, Motor Development International (MDI) to begin manufacturing air cars. And although it will take a couple of years before the first Air Car is on the market, MDI has signed deals to bring air car technology to twelve other countries, including Germany and South Africa.

As for making it to the U.S., Negre says that will be a tougher case (Things that make you go hmm?). Although Negre started a California-based company with this mission in mind, due to a lack of financial support, he can't build enough air car prototypes for crash-testing purposes, which would be needed to get more investors on board. In fact, there is speculation the air car may not even pass the crash test phase. Go tell that to the crash test dummies.

Here's the scoop on the technology that makes the air car work, or rather, the simple way you and me will be able to understand. Compressed air is used to pump pistons, much like sparked explosions would in a gasoline powered engine. An air tank, which can be refilled with an onboard air compressor, stores enough pressurized air to drive the air car for sixty miles at highway speeds. If you were to use an industrial compressor to refill the tank, it would only take a couple of minutes and cost about $2 worth of air (the rate of purchasing air at a scuba diving shop). As for a biofuel or gasoline hybrid air car, which Negre has developed as well, you will get 500 miles with one gallon of fuel burned for every 160 miles. Talk about fuel efficiency. Let's all hope the air car proves to be more than "hot air" and catches on in its early introduction.

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