Motuer Air-Compressed Car

Using air to power a car, that’s impossible. Well, 20 years ago that might be a distant dream but in this age of technology everything is possible, especially if you just manufactured the very first and the only Air car in the world. Known for its air-compressed engine, the Moteur Development International (MDI) is another automaker that is the taking the automobile industry to the next level. Founded by a Frenchman Guy Negre, Motuer is revolutionizing the air car with its new model of air-compressed vehicle.

For more than 20 years the air car concept has been in development and every modification has been under the microscope. So what is really a compressed air car? This state of the art automobile uses a special motor powered by compressed air which is stored in a tank at high pressure. Say goodbye to your skyrocketing gas bills for this car is solely powered by air. Although it is a car powered by air, it can also be powered by diesel, ethanol, gasoline, or by an electric plant with a regenerative braking, so it is very convenient for the owner even if it runs out of compressed air. The Moteur Ai-Compressed Car is also known as the MiniCATS, a three seater compact car which was showcased at the 2002 Paris Motor Show. It also comes with a six-seater sedan which is popularly known as the CitiCATS.

The car itself went a series of radical changes before it was presented to the public to make it more usable and safe for target buyers. Using compressed air means having pressurized air inside your car with a possibility of rupturing. But you can breathe easy because the Moteur Air-Compressed Car is the first air compressed powered car that is issued of the Official Certificate of Roadworthiness of the Department of Sustainable Development and Infrastructure of Luxembourg. Unlike hydrogen which has issues of being involved in some high-impact crashes that goes off in flames, air itself is not combustible which makes it safer to use than hydrogen powered cars.

The compressed air used in the Motuer Air-Compressed Car is sealed inside a carbon-fiber tank that keeps it in pressure around 4500 psi that can be compared to steel tanks and it is also designed to be filled by a high pressure pump. Carbon-fiber tanks are brittle which can split under too much stress on it but unlike other type of tanks it does not create any shrapnel when it gives in to the stress and will only let out a sound. So just imagine driving this vehicle where all you can hear is yourself and not the engine growling.  This is a perfect vehicle for young professional and urban drivers who drives an average 11 miles a day. Now it’s not just your cell phone you are going to charge when you get home but also your car. Pretty cool, isn’t it?

If your environment friendly or conscious person then you will love this car, the exhaust of this air-compressed sedan is emission free. The source of energy for air compressed car as a rule is electricity, so depending on the source of your electricity, air compressed cars are relatively environment friendly cars. You can also explore other charging options such as coal, water, heat, or wind. So if you are using the last three options then you are giving a helping hand to save the Earth. Safety aside, this car has yet to be tested for collision since this type of car is very light that it’s not capable of protecting it passengers. But sources says that a car of 100+ mpg passed the American crash testing assessment, so rest assured that this car will surely pass the safety test with flying colors.

There are some drawbacks in terms of using an air compressed vehicle and one of them is that an air could not store much energy that it can’t take you to farther distances. Unlike gasoline and also the engine powered vehicles they can’t top 75 horsepower which means that air-compressed cars are not capable of pulling or towing heavy things equipments.  And because the car needs to be refilled all the time you would need to go to a refilling station but there are no stations for compressed air which makes it hard since you have to go home and charge the car. Charging time of this car will take about four hours if you are using a low end conventional air compressor although if you use a more specialized equipment it may only take about three minutes.

Moteur air-compressed car only weighs at 1,873 pounds which makes it not acceptable under the safety regulations of the US but the company is already making plans to enter the US market so they have already thought about making a more marketable design. Some car tests also shows that if you only use compressed air, it will only take about 7.22 km in one go, this is due to the limited storage capacity of the tanks to store air. A study also shows that lithium ion is a much more better to use compared to compressed air if you will base it on the two cars performance. Some people say that the air compressed cars have been given overoptimistic results that people may get frustrated if it does not offer what they have expected from the product. Some companies are also doing their own research in the use of compressed air in powering a car. One company in India is also planning to launch their own version of the Motuer Air-Compressed Car but there are some difficulties along the way, one of which is the restricted range and low temperature which is needed when the designing this specialized car.

It needs more research and study to really maximize the potential of the Motuer Air-Compressed Car. But nevertheless, this car is already a giant leap to automobile industry. This is indeed the future of cars that will definitely help save our ailing planet.