Heeeeyyyyy....this guy might just be onto something....
5.4 hp; 11 lb-ft of torque180cc twin-cylinder engine
30-mph top speed
90-mile cruising range
Date posted: 06-24-2009
It's not every day that we get to drive a car that could change the world. Then again, maybe this car is just another bizarre footnote in the rush to develop zero-emissions vehicles.
The 2010 MDI AIRPod emits no emissions and runs on nothing but compressed air. Yes, it sounds like another one of those crackpot inventions, but we traveled to Nice, France, for an exclusive test of the world's only "air car." And here at the research and development center of Luxembourg-based Motor Development International (MDI), the AIRPod seems like more than just a bright idea.
If the air car and the technology beneath its bubblelike body prove a success, pumping fossil fuel into a gas tank could someday seem as antiquated as hand-cranking a car's engine to life.
The AIRPod
The heart of the 2010 MDI AIRPod is a piston engine that has been specially adapted by MDI to run on compressed air. The expansion of the compressed air within the cylinders moves the pistons. The engine is "fueled" by a system of high-pressure air tanks. Built by EADS, an aerospace firm, the tanks are constructed of lightweight carbon-fiber. Though the tanks are presently limited to a capacity of 80 liters (21.1 gallons) at 200 bars of pressure (2,900 psi), MDI plans an increase to 200 liters (53 gallons) and 300 bars of pressure (4,400 psi, which is actually substantially less than the 10,000-psi rating of hydrogen tanks used in fuel-cell vehicles) for the first production models of the AIRPod, set to be built by the end of this year.
As a prototype, the AIRPod we've come to drive is limited to a top speed of only 50 km/h (30 mph). The top speed of future models will be 80 km/h (50 mph).
With one person onboard and the car running solely on air power, MDI estimates the AIRPod's range at between 90 and 125 miles. When the tanks are empty, a recharge of air can take as little as two minutes (MDI conveniently has an industrial-strength air refueling station at its facility). The company says the infrastructure needed to build air refueling stations will cost only a fraction of that needed to establish a network of hydrogen refueling stations, the holy grail of the eco-car world. MDI claims running costs amount to only €1 per 200 km (a penny per mile).
Step Aboard, Dave
The technology sounds futuristic and, to be honest, the AIRPod looks pretty otherworldly when we spot our metallic brown test car.
At first glance, the 2010 MDI AIRPod looks like a prop from some science-fiction movie. Glass hatches sweep up and over the front and rear of the air car. There are two large circular windows cut into either side, along with two smaller windows located on either side of the driver seat. It's a kind of tricycle, not so different in concept from Karl Benz's 1885 Motorwagen, only with twin 100/90R16 tires in back and tiny, twin 10-by-4.00-5 tires in front.
The AIRPod measures 81.5 inches long, 63 inches wide and 68.5 inches tall. Built with a simple space frame and fiberglass bodywork, it weighs 485 pounds. The AIRPod has been conceived to meet specifications for city vehicles set by the municipal government of Paris, where 500cc cars (as well as the Smart Fortwo) are already popular.
To step aboard the AIRPod, you open the hatch, swing it upward and enter the front of the car. It all feels very Luke Skywalker-esque. There are no side doors, and there is seating for only the driver up front. A space-age-looking rearward-facing bench seat is accessed by the rear hatch and is wide enough to accommodate three adults.
Running on Air
A flick of a switch and the 2010 MDI AIRPod fires to life. The engine is mounted in the center of the car, beneath the seats, emitting a friendly tappa-tappa-tappa that's more John Deere than Millennium Falcon. The tiny 180cc, two-cylinder engine is rated at 5.4 horsepower and 11 pound-feet of torque with 261 psi of air pressure. An MDI spokesperson explains to us that upgrades will also boost power for the upcoming AIRPod GT model to 6 kW — still just 8 hp.
One thing you won't find in an AIRPod is a steering wheel. Steering is controlled by a joystick mounted on the right armrest of the driver seat. Acceleration and braking were originally supposed to be controlled by this stick, but MDI confided that the system proved awkward to use. Small aluminum gas and brake pedals now sprout from the floor. A small instrument panel with displays for speed and driving range is planned, but, like the forthcoming acoustic insulation around the engine, had not been fitted to this prototype.
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