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A Breath of Fresh Air: MDI Makes World's First Air Powered Car

Short of hydrogen-powered, fuel cell or pure electric vehicles, there aren't verymany ways of obtaining zero emissions status. Admittedly, there's still plenty of research left to do on fuel cell vehicles before they hit the road, not to mention the hydrogen refueling infrastructure that needs to be built, and while there's been progress on electric cars such as the Tesla roadster, cost is always an issue. Now, French automaker MDI has come up with a clever solution that's affordable and produces zero emissions to boot. How did they do it? The car is powered by air!

The CAT is powered by a thermodynamic motor that runs on air that's been compressed

Imagine that - a six-seater van that can travel at highway speeds for up to 125 miles... and it runs on thin air! (Photo: MDI)

to 4,350 psi. When the air enters the engine it expands and exerts force on pistons, thus creating the power. When the driver presses the accelerator pedal, a valve opens which sends air to the engine. The CAT has a 52-gallon compressed air tank that powers either a 15 or 22 horsepower motor, enabling the car to reach a top speed of between 56 to 68 mph, and travel up to 125 miles. What's nice about air power is that in

The tank can be refilled via air pump or the on-board compressor. (Photo: MDI)

certain areas of Europe, the car is classified as a “neighborhood car”,meaning that it can be piloted without a full driver's license.

There are a couple of different bodies and sizes available, depending on a given buyer's needs, starting with one the size of the tiny smart fortwo. A panel van suitable for delivery use is also available, as is a taxi cab van capable of seating six, plus a small pickup truck. The bodies are made from lightweight fiberglass, which is easy and cheap to produce.

Once the initial 52-gallon fill has been emptied, the CAT can be recharged in two different ways. If there's a nearby electrical outlet,

Other body styles will follow. (Photo: MDI)

the car can be hooked up to a local electrical grid, and with its onboard compressor will fill the tank in about four hours. This method costs less than $2 or so in electricity per tank, which makes it the cheapest vehicle to fill we know of. The second way involves hooking the car up to a compressed air station, such as the type found at gas stations. If you can find the air for free (becoming a rarity), then there's no cost to filling up. It also only takes two or three minutes, making it a more convenient solution.

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