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Air-powered car ready to roll off production line

 
5 3,461 views May 28, 2007

Air-powered car ready to roll off production line

Air-powered car ready to roll off production line

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A car that runs on nothing but compressed air is about to start production in India by the nation’s largest carmaker, Tata Motors. Known as the Air Car, the small runabout was developed with by ex-Formula One engineer Guy Nègre and is capable of traveling up to 68mph with a range of 125 miles.

Tata is expected to produce up to 6,000 units per year with the first cars predicted to hit showrooms early next year in India. The Air Car works by using compressed air to push its engine’s pistons and is refueled using a simple air compressor unit that has been designed uniquely for it. Filling the tank will cost about $2 but if no suitable compressor can be found, owners can use the inbuilt unit by plugging it into a regular household power socket.

The Air Car may not produce any emissions on its own, but the electrical power needed to compress the air to run it will most likely be produced by burning fossil fuels. However, carbon emissions per mile of the Air Car will still be insignificant when compared to that of a comparable internal combustion driven car.


The project won’t be strictly limited to the Indian market. There are already plans to export the vehicle to 12 other countries including Germany, Israel and South Africa. There are also plans for a hybrid version that will feature a small petrol-powered compressor to fill the tanks when they’re running low.

[Source: Popular Mechanics]





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Comments (5)

  1. jontam Posted: 5/28/2007 11:05pm PDT

    wow, didnt even realise this sort of technology was close to production
     
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    Bad stuff?

  2. Ryan Posted: 6/3/2007 7:10pm PDT

    When can we get them in Canada???
    Brilliant!
     
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  3. kishor kini Posted: 2/8/2008 7:35am PST

    east or west tata is the best
     
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  4. compressed air car Posted: 1/5/2010 5:27pm PST

    This is an old article. Their still going to production but not nearly as many as thought. Also don't forget it takes energy to create the gas you use in your vehicle now so really the argument that it will cause pollution to create the electricity to compress the air is minimal.
     
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  5. mike Posted: 4/25/2011 9:04am PDT

    Would like to see larger cars/trucks using this technology to widen the appeal. I understand that the mpg and top speed will decrease significantly but it will show that the technology can be used in every size. We never see anything about our long haul big trucks. They need a giant fuel cell hydrogen tank i think. Would love to see the costs go down for our nations (usa) truckers.
     
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