| Duel Energy Compressed Air-Gas Powered Car Coming to U.S. in 2009 to 2010 at Sub-$18,000, Could Hit 100 MPG |
The CityCAT, already being developed in India (photo above, 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.
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
Sullivan
Published in
Popular Mechanics on:
February 22, 2008
Popular Mechanics 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.
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?
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?
| From February 2008 Popular Mechanics |
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| Page address: http://www.green-metroplex.com/CAT/Pipeline/Coming_soon.html Created: 3/14/2008 Revised 7/18/2009 |