Tata Motors acquired a patent
If Westerners are not that interested in the concept, it's probably because they know virtually nothing about it. I guess that will change when gas prices reach $1.80 per liter. In emerging countries, it's a different story. Indian automaker Tata Motors, which has over 4 million registered vehicles in the country, recently acquired a patent for Mr. Nègre's compressed-air technology in automotive applications. Development is so advanced that the company plans on building and marketing air-powered cars as early as next year. Four different models are in the works:
OneCats is a tiny, extremely efficient vehicle designed for overcrowded and particularly polluted cities. It uses a small, 15-hp engine to reach a top speed of 90 km/h.
MiniCats is a 2.62-meter long urban/suburban model offering a huge trunk and lots of room inside. The driver sits right in the middle and enjoys excellent visibility. Safety is also exceptional.
CityCats is designed to be both functional and comfortable. Compared to the MiniCats, the trunk is gigantic with a total capacity of 1,200 liters when the rear seatbacks are up.
MultiCats can morph from a minibus to a larger, articulated-type bus. A city could offer free public transit since advertisement on the vehicles would finance the operating costs.
Surprising performance
Right now, a compressed-air vehicle can drive at up to 110 km/h on the highway, which is much faster than a low-speed electric car like the ZENN. Flexibility is also superior. As for energy efficiency, the available range with an air-powered vehicle is about 150 kilometers on the highway. (Running on an air-fuel combination is also possible.) In the city, the prototype designed by Guy Nègre can drive for about 10 hours at 60 km/h. At Tata Motors, the vehicles being tested use a small compressor to refill the compressed air reservoirs in only three hours.
Too good to be true?
You're probably asking: where's the catch? As far as air-powered vehicles are concerned, there is none. However, governments are collecting astronomical amounts of money in fuel taxes. Should marketing of compressed-air automobiles be authorized in North America, sales of traditionally-powered vehicles will decrease -- and so will the government's revenues. How will they react?
If Westerners are not that interested in the concept, it's probably because they know virtually nothing about it. I guess that will change when gas prices reach $1.80 per liter. In emerging countries, it's a different story. Indian automaker Tata Motors, which has over 4 million registered vehicles in the country, recently acquired a patent for Mr. Nègre's compressed-air technology in automotive applications. Development is so advanced that the company plans on building and marketing air-powered cars as early as next year. Four different models are in the works:
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OneCats is a tiny, extremely efficient vehicle designed for overcrowded and particularly polluted cities. It uses a small, 15-hp engine to reach a top speed of 90 km/h.
MiniCats is a 2.62-meter long urban/suburban model offering a huge trunk and lots of room inside. The driver sits right in the middle and enjoys excellent visibility. Safety is also exceptional.
CityCats is designed to be both functional and comfortable. Compared to the MiniCats, the trunk is gigantic with a total capacity of 1,200 liters when the rear seatbacks are up.
MultiCats can morph from a minibus to a larger, articulated-type bus. A city could offer free public transit since advertisement on the vehicles would finance the operating costs.
Surprising performance
Right now, a compressed-air vehicle can drive at up to 110 km/h on the highway, which is much faster than a low-speed electric car like the ZENN. Flexibility is also superior. As for energy efficiency, the available range with an air-powered vehicle is about 150 kilometers on the highway. (Running on an air-fuel combination is also possible.) In the city, the prototype designed by Guy Nègre can drive for about 10 hours at 60 km/h. At Tata Motors, the vehicles being tested use a small compressor to refill the compressed air reservoirs in only three hours.
Too good to be true?
You're probably asking: where's the catch? As far as air-powered vehicles are concerned, there is none. However, governments are collecting astronomical amounts of money in fuel taxes. Should marketing of compressed-air automobiles be authorized in North America, sales of traditionally-powered vehicles will decrease -- and so will the government's revenues. How will they react?