DRIVE ALL DAY FOR €1.50
French engineers have designed a low consumption and low pollution engine for urban motoring that runs on compressed air technology. The CATS (Compressed Air Technology System) "air car" from Motor Development International is a significant step for zero-emission transport, delivering a compressed air-driven vehicle that is safe, quiet and has a top speed of 110 km/h with a range of 200 km. Costing next to nothing to run, the Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) range - which includes a pick-up truck and van have just come onto the market.
The Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) prototype has been in production since 1994. The two-stroke engine is powered by compressed air stored in tanks at about 150 times the pressure of tyres on a car. The expansion of the compressed air drives the pistons to create movement, replacing the burning of fossil fuel in a conventional engine. In an air-refilling station (currently unavailable as service stations have not been fitted yet) it is estimated to take between three and four minutes to re-fuel. At home, with a 220V plug, it takes three and a half hours.
The company estimates a full tank of air will cost around €1.50 to fill and that the extra reward is knowing that you are pumping nothing harmful into the atmosphere. The hidden environmental cost with the CATS is that electricity must still be generated and the means of that production may still employ fossil fuels that discharge pollutants. Still, the savings to the pocket and environment appear well worth investigating. Four models are available for the commercial market - the MiniCAT car at approximately €6,860 euros, or the CitiCATs, including a taxi (with room for up to 5 passengers), a Pick-Up truck and a van, all retailing for approximately €9,460 euros plus taxes.
Safety Concerns
Air powered vehicles have a long history of use in Europe but were discontinued for safety and efficiency reasons. The CATS air cars have undergone stringent safety testing for modern conditions and requirements and appear to have conquered the concerns of air compression engines.
In the case of an accident with air tank breakage, there would be no explosion or shattering because the tanks are not metallic but made of glass fibre. The tanks would crack longitudinally, and the air would escape, causing a strong buzzing sound with no dangerous factor. It is clear that if this technology has been tested and prepared to carry an inflammable and explosive gas, it can also be used to carry air.
In order to avoid the so-called 'rocket effect', this means to avoid the air escaping through one of the tank's extremities causing a pressure leak that could move the car, MDI made a small but important change in the design. Where the valve on the buses' tanks are placed on one of the extremities, MDI has placed the valve in the middle of the tank reducing the 'rocket effect' to a minimum.
French engineers have designed a low consumption and low pollution engine for urban motoring that runs on compressed air technology. The CATS (Compressed Air Technology System) "air car" from Motor Development International is a significant step for zero-emission transport, delivering a compressed air-driven vehicle that is safe, quiet and has a top speed of 110 km/h with a range of 200 km. Costing next to nothing to run, the Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) range - which includes a pick-up truck and van have just come onto the market.
The Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) prototype has been in production since 1994. The two-stroke engine is powered by compressed air stored in tanks at about 150 times the pressure of tyres on a car. The expansion of the compressed air drives the pistons to create movement, replacing the burning of fossil fuel in a conventional engine. In an air-refilling station (currently unavailable as service stations have not been fitted yet) it is estimated to take between three and four minutes to re-fuel. At home, with a 220V plug, it takes three and a half hours.
The company estimates a full tank of air will cost around €1.50 to fill and that the extra reward is knowing that you are pumping nothing harmful into the atmosphere. The hidden environmental cost with the CATS is that electricity must still be generated and the means of that production may still employ fossil fuels that discharge pollutants. Still, the savings to the pocket and environment appear well worth investigating. Four models are available for the commercial market - the MiniCAT car at approximately €6,860 euros, or the CitiCATs, including a taxi (with room for up to 5 passengers), a Pick-Up truck and a van, all retailing for approximately €9,460 euros plus taxes.
Safety Concerns
Air powered vehicles have a long history of use in Europe but were discontinued for safety and efficiency reasons. The CATS air cars have undergone stringent safety testing for modern conditions and requirements and appear to have conquered the concerns of air compression engines.
In the case of an accident with air tank breakage, there would be no explosion or shattering because the tanks are not metallic but made of glass fibre. The tanks would crack longitudinally, and the air would escape, causing a strong buzzing sound with no dangerous factor. It is clear that if this technology has been tested and prepared to carry an inflammable and explosive gas, it can also be used to carry air.
In order to avoid the so-called 'rocket effect', this means to avoid the air escaping through one of the tank's extremities causing a pressure leak that could move the car, MDI made a small but important change in the design. Where the valve on the buses' tanks are placed on one of the extremities, MDI has placed the valve in the middle of the tank reducing the 'rocket effect' to a minimum.
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