Miss Cellania
The MDI Air Car
by Miss Cellania - January 7, 2008 - 8:29 AM

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A car that runs on air? It sounds like an environmentalist’s dream. Scratch that, it sounds like a dream for everyone outside the fossil fuel industry. The MDI MiniCAT runs by the power of compressed air technology (CAT). No noxious emissions, a tiny carbon footprint, using a cheap, renewable resource. It has aminicat.jpg range of about 125 miles and a maximum speed of 70 mph. A fillup at a compressed air station could be as low as $3 and takes 3-4 minutes. The MiniCAT seats three people and has a good-size trunk. See a video report here. MDI Air Cars have been designed in a range of models and sizes, including duel-system cars that can switch to gas power when traveling at higher speeds. The MDI CityCAT has been on the road for almost ten years in taxi cab form.

There are some disadvantages to compressed air propulsion. Compressed air is somewhat less efficient than electricity for running a vehicle. There is a limited range, meaning you’ll have to fill-er-up more often than with gasoline, BUT like electricity, a vehicle can be “recharged” overnight, using a home compressor. CAT engines do not produce heat, so an alternate system would be used to heat the vehicle interior. Although the car itself produces no greenhouse gases, the energy used to compress the air may.

Tata Motors of India picked up the project last year, and hopes to have production models for sale in Europe and India sometime in 2008. The MiniCAT is projected to sell for about $7,000, and an all-plastic “People’s Car” model being developed for India may go as low as $2,500.

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Comments (10)

  1. All we need to get these cars on our streets is to eliminate corruption and graft from our political system. Don’t count on the front runners for that.

    posted by Dan on 1-7-2008 at 10:40 am

  2. Oh, I want one, that would save me a bazillion dollars! Would stink for long trips out of state, but I could always keep my ‘normal’ car on hand until they improve them to run for longer periods.

    posted by Kelly on 1-7-2008 at 12:51 pm

  3. Sorry Dan; it’ll take more than putting air cars on the road to get the corruption out of the political system.

    My kids have AirHog flying toys that have engines that run on compressed air. Very cool that the same technology might hit the streets. The only issue I see with it is the fact that you’ve got a sizable tank of compressed air under your seat that could rupture and cause some damage in an accident. They liken the air tanks to propane tanks used on busses and trucks, but anyone who has ever seen a damaged propane tank take off (I have) will know that that concern isn’t easily put aside.

    I wonder if anyone will eventually put a small diesel or gas-powered air compressor in one of these things.

    posted by Dave on 1-7-2008 at 4:53 pm

  4. I’m stoked about these. Shame no one is making them commercially available in the US yet. Zevcat in California has a license to produce them, but as of yet is not running a line. (I tried to get one. Couldn’t get one from India shipped here,either.)

    posted by Melissa on 1-7-2008 at 5:08 pm

  5. “No noxious emissions, a tiny carbon footprint, using a cheap, renewable resource.”

    What about the emissions caused and resources used to generate power to run the compressed air pumps? The negative effects of fuel usage are still there; they have just been transferred off the vehicle. Same argument applies for electric vehicles.

    posted by Steve on 1-7-2008 at 5:27 pm

  6. No worries, Steve; just use a bicycle pump to charge it up. It’d give a great workout at the same time!

    posted by Dave on 1-7-2008 at 10:11 pm

  7. I have been trying to purchase one of these vehicles for the past few months. Seems to be an impossible dream. The savings on my household budget alone would be worth the trouble, insults, rude answers on insurance and DMV questions would be well worth the trouble. But as I read in another article, it looks as though the United States may NEVER allow these vehicles on their roads!! Such a pity!!

    posted by Lena on 1-10-2008 at 11:37 am

  8. Guy Negre of MDI Air Car engine that runs on compressed air. Emissions are only filtered air that’s cleaner than outside air. 300 bars of pressure in carbon-fibre & kevlar air tanks. Car can travel at 110 km/hr and has a 150 km driving range. Refilling can be done by plugging in at home or at a special high-pressure air station. Dual-energy models use small amounts of bio-fuels that can extend the range to over 1400 kms.

    Pollution free vehicle that produces zero emissions. When the car stops at traffic lights, the engine stops so no energy is lost because there’s no idling.

    See the videos at youtube.com/user/CATvolution or go to catvolution.com for more information.

    posted by Paul on 2-25-2008 at 3:23 pm

  9. Can air cars be purchased in kit form from anyone? I know the French, Koreans, and engineers in India have done alot with air cars. Thanks for your reply. Dan

    posted by Dan on 5-23-2008 at 9:23 pm

  10. I think it is a great idea least someone is thinking I rather put air in my tank then spend $5.00 a gallon on gas and it would also help with the enviroment.

    posted by Janice on 6-18-2008 at 8:34 pm

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