Compact car powered by compressed air has a range of 128 km and hardly pollutes
Three-wheeled vehicle provides virtually zero pollution
O AirPod is a car powered by compressed air designed by the technology company MDI, from Luxembourg, and by the Indian Automobile Company Tata Motors. Contrary to what it seems, the vehicle does not move by means of an air jet that propels it forward, as in fiction films. With only three wheels, it uses pneumatic motors that act with pressurized air to drive the pistons. These, in turn, give mobility to the car, which does not have a steering wheel. Direction is by a kind of "joystick".
"Damn! How come no one thought of using compressed air in cars before"? This idea is not that revolutionary. The old trams, common at the beginning of the 20th century, already made use of similar technology... But what Frenchman Guy Nègre, creator of MDI, wanted to develop was a compact car, with an attractive price and zero pollution to circulate in the centers urban areas.
Mixing old technology with futuristic design, the AirPod it has a capacity for three people, driver included, weighs 200 kilos and has a fuel tank with a capacity of 200 liters of air. According to MDI, the car has a autonomy of 128 km, is capable of reaching up to 80 km/h and can be refueled in five minutes at the cost of just one euro - that's because in Europe and in some US states, the use of a gas gauge tires at gas stations are charged.
The company also developed a model with an option that increases the vehicle's range to 800 kilometers with the addition of gasoline, which would be used to heat the air in the compression chamber. In this model, specifically, there would be the emission of gases such as nitrogen oxide and CO2 into the atmosphere, but in low quantities.
The structure of AirPod is light and, following the model of the SmartCar, is small and compact. The problem is that whoever is in the back seat has to sit with his back to the other crew. Another issue that leaves something to be desired is the stability of the car, especially on shallow roads.
Compressed air
The company MDI, from Luxembourg, which is supplying the engines for the Tata Motors, has been researching technology tools that use compressed air for over twenty years. Apparently, the Tata Group has purchased the compressed air engine technology for use in the models of the Tata Nano, considered one of the cheapest cars in the world, and thus make the vehicle even more economical for the Indian consumer.
Currently, the technology has also been purchased by the US group Zero Pollution Motors, which seeks to introduce the vehicle into the US market, quite receptive to clean energy vehicles.
Prototypes are being tested by KLM and Air France to be used as zero-emission vehicles at the airports in Amsterdam and Paris respectively.
O AirPod went to the second phase of testing before the official launch and has no price set yet. To learn more about it, visit the official website.
