Air Car by Guy Negre's compressed air technolgy BBC

[BrucePBigelow]

Lol...I can see the executives at Tata ignoring their engineers telling them that compressed air is an inefficient  way to power a vehicle and falling for the Negre's BS. I'm sure now they are all pointing fingers and trying to find a way to sue MIDI.

[mrsmelzbad]

why not install a on-board air pump,(belt driven) like on a semi-truck? always keeping the air tank full?

[treegrow11]

i think this idea of compressed air vehicle from mdi are one of the break through in automotive history. but the only question is when will these cars come and will it be coming to United states.

[Charlieutube99]

It's been about a year since BBC has done a positive story on MDI. It's time for yet another one to go with all the others going back to 2000.

Obviously, the "on sale in France in a year" didn't happen. And it looks doubtful that it will happen in 2009 either.

MDI seems to be very free with making grand claims as to performance, but their prototypes are still going around the parking lot at slow speed and very short range.

[coazzy]

everyone please do all you can to influence people to get behind this, we need our government and/or the major car manufacturers to actively assist this industry to get started as soon as possible and the fossil fuel lobbies depend on the voting majority having their heads up their arses like they tend to do at the moment, but this can change so quickly if enough interest is shown & it can pick up some momentum

[lillyvalleys]

The only way to do is to start a petition that would go around the world.

Rosanella :-)

[lillyvalleys]

The first time I heard about the compressed air car, it was about 9 years ago and, as I recall, Negre's engine were commissioned in Mexico for the buses. I don't know what happened after that, but I did try to contact him to find out if the Air Car would be coming to UK. I really look forward to that, because this is a great idea. Brilliant, in fact :-)

Rosanella

:-)

[fizzguts]

Nine years ago and nothing but promises and you still think this is a not a con? .....I have this bridge you might like to buy.

[rjbowlin]

I am interested in this vehicle, however concerned with the reality of it speed limit. I've heard 60-70 mph but would love to see a video of it moving that fast. Will it use a drive by wire system? carbon fiber chassis? Would a rotary engine be more efficient? It would be nice to see the newer vehicles demoed

Not only is the one shown here slow, its ugly (even for a mini-van)The other vehicles are a lot more attractive.

[CATvolution]

a lot of technical questions, and i'm just doing this as a fan website.

really though, I find the gas prices and pollution uglier than this older model. catch the videos from the auto show and the website in a month or 2 when I update all the content (in my after work hours).

[teemuruskeepaa]

OneCAT moves faster than that. Its true that there isn't any videos, but that's because Tata will produce the first cars only later this year. Drive system. Industrially glued aluminium chassis and carbon fibre exterior. Wankel engine is less efficient because this engine reaches up to 90 % efficiency from air pressure, if I remember right. It has a

constant torque. Generally speaking, there is no doubt that the produced cars really do work and this is not just a fluke.

[shanghaikidx]

By what means do you think that Guy Negre is humanitarian???? Maybe he wants to be, but he certainly is not. And his stupid "invention" which is not an invention, as this "shit" has been invented already 200 years ago, is certainly not green, or does it live up to the claims they made.

[theoneagain]

yeh i care about the environment sell me one

i think im gonna have to go to the south of france and knock on this guys door and ask him to sell me one ill be willing to drive one around for him with loads of advertising on it to promote his car no probs

[CATvolution]

shhhhhh, that's my idea for North America. really there almost a lineup to do that, but they might give you a call on it. 8-)

[theoneagain]

what is acceptable to the public a car where you have to pay for your gas or a car where you just say fill her up of thin air. HMMMMMMMM !!!!!

[theoneagain]

you see that this is all talk and the consumer will never see the light of day with this cars

just bullshit all talk they are too fucking scared to take on the fight with the petrol boys thats why they sell in india because they are weak over there.

[CATvolution]

i agree to a certain extent that it took an India company -> Tata's $30 million license agreement to finally make this happen and it will be non-big3, independent factories that will build them here.

I'm frustrated too that i have to wait till 2010 for mine, but please watch the cussin on the comments... you're obviously not a troll, but others might get put off by it.

tks man

[teemuruskeepaa]

Well, that is how the corporate resistance could come up. If it already isn't happening in marginalizing CAT to India, it might happen when the local factories start next year. It is a competition in the market and the air car is the smaller player. Btw, Bush has promoted the hydrogen car, a lesser technology, in USA.

[CATvolution]

he can promote it all he wants, the compressed air vehicle can be plugged in and use $2-$3 of electricity, or the fuel component can intake air at high speeds to refill the tanks for 800 miles on an 8 gal of fuel. stay tuned for more current into. 8-)

[teemuruskeepaa]

I think the reason why CAT is produced by TATA is that Guy Nègre wants to aim the car to the developing world. He assumingly knows that what he has been able to develop and build, really only sells in the developing world, because there many people don't have cars at all. Nègre tries to be a humanitarian in selling them cheap alternatives, and a green thinker in putting them on a green industrialization path, instead of going through the same mistakes as the West.

[shanghaikidx]

Hahaha ... how brain amputated one has to be to think that this shitty compressed air stupidity solves any energy problem??? Ah, because this shit doesn't emit CO2 when driving??? Ah, and who or what compresses the air??? Really, how brain amputated one needs to be.

And please, this shit is certainly no 'new technology' or "smart invention", but the latest rubbish from France that does not work. Please, Frenchies, do us a favor and cultivate wine!

[CATvolution]

Well, that price is not written in stone. It does mean that a factory can pay itself off in 3 years at that price. Seriously, i'd buy it at $12-15k, because it would still be waaay cheaper than a gas-car, and no more dirty oil changes every 4-6 months, and only going to a gas station for the bathroom or coffee.

I can't wait! 8-)

[Already1have]

!!!

[teemuruskeepaa]

Yes, I'd buy one too for much much more. It doesn't take money to drive it, which is great for a poor unemployed student like me. If the car is purchasable with the student loan, is it excellent.

[Already1have]

"..Just over £2.500 pounds!.." That's ~€3.500 or ~$5.500! Wow i hope they'll succeed!