We've already been scolded this year not to call the air car the Air Car. The nomenclature is not getting any easier, but hopefully we've reached the last rebranding of the "Compressed Air Vehicle." An update to the MDI website tells us that the vehicle line up now has a "FlowAIR" theme. The models are now known as the OneFlowAIR (open top), MiniFlowAIR (a mini minivan) and CityFlowAIR (a truck-like vehicle with a bed). If you've been following the MDI story, you might recognize parts of these names from their previous incarnations as the OneCAT and MiniCAT.

An urban public transportation concept vehicle is now called the Multi FlowAIR and there is also the very odd looking AirPod, a concept that can be used to ferry people or goods in a little bubble. If outfitted for personal transportation, there are four seats - one in front for the driver, two adult seats looking backward and a seat for an infant somewhere, if I understand the French correctly.


[Source: MDI]

We heard that MDI, the creators of the AirCar - excuse us, the "Compressed Air Vehicle" - broke off all commercial relations with Miguel Celades, who had been carrying its commercial operations for a while. We tried multiple times to contact Mr. Celades for further explanations, but couldn't. So, we turned to MDI's new webpage and other sources for the information.

The good news is that MDI is still working on their vehicle and has taken some steps to get it on the road. The French environmental website Ecolo-Trader has unveiled a picture of the first MiniCAT model with regular car plates, which should mean it's road-worthy and has received all the legal requirements from the French Ministry of Industry. MDI's MiniCAT has an range of 80 km while running exclusively with compressed air and, thanks to a system which heats compressed air (using fuel), the range can be extended even further. According to the website, which refers to the Southern France newspaper, MDI is planning a second factory to increase output of the MiniCAT. The model will be on display for the Paris Motor Show and on sale in France at the beginning of 2009.

[Source: Ecolo-Trader]

Click on the image for more shots of the LEGO V8 engine

There has been a huge amount of interest in air powered cars since MDI began showing its creation off a few years back. There is a lot of engineering that went into these vehicles to make them as practical as possible and to offer a good deal of range. So, we were pretty darn impressed by the efforts of a small group of LEGO enthusiasts who have been making working engines using nothing but LEGO products. The engines are powered by compressed air, and actually power the vehicles that they are placed in. Want to see an example? Click here to follow the build process of one totally operational V8 engine made from LEGO blocks and components. As you'll see, the builder has decided to go with a simple pushrod design after testing various overhead cam styles. At present, the engine is running at over 1,700 revolutions per minute. Watch a video after the break.

Who would have thought that a concept as simple as compressed air could be a viable automotive technology? Sure, we all fill our tires with the stuff, but some automakers - MDI, for one - are considering compressed air as an energy carrier, like a battery. Whether a vehicle is engineered to run solely on air power or if the energy is stored as part of a hybrid system, the very air we breathe could provide propulsion for our vehicles.

What's Number 8?

The Automotive X Prize announcer used it. We've been using if forever. And, until recently, MDI and Zero Pollution Motors were still calling their vehicles the Air Car. Now, though, to avoid confusion as much as possible, the preferred term is "Compressed Air Vehicle" (don't look now, but the ZPM website still says Air Car). At the New York Auto Show this week, we finally had a chance to sit down with Guy Negre, the creator of the CAV, and his partner Shiva Vencat (Vencat also provided translation for most of Negre's answers, as I don't speak French) for a talk on what happens next in the compressed air vehicle world.

The CAV team was in New York as part of the Automotive X Prize announcement, and I'm going to have to say that MDI/ZPM seems to be one of the stronger potential entrants into the race. While the design of the vehicle in New York won't appeal to everyone, I think the renderings for the MiniCat (is that what it's called?) could result in a solid X Prize entry. Plus, considering that deals with Tata have already been signed and the air car (whoops) technology has been tested for quite some time, the vehicle won't be bowing out of the race early, I don't think. To hear what Vencat and Negre have to say, listen to the interview yourself.

While wandering around near the Automotive X-Prize booth, look what we stumbled onto: MDI's air car. The green plastic-y version that had just been uncovered - I think for a video team's camera - bears only slight resemblance to the rendering that appeared on the X-Prize screen. It looks even less like the previous version of the Air Car that we've seen before. We'll be sitting down with the people behind the Air Car later today to figure out just what it is we're looking at here.


And look at the cars still snug under the covers. Well, kind of snug. I'm pretty sure I see a CarverOne, don't I? We'll know more in a bit.

One thing we are really looking forward to at the New York Auto Show is the official start of the Auto X-Prize, a contest to build a 100 MPGe car with a multi-million dollar prize. At the Detroit Auto Show, the X-Prize people and some of the teams had car models on display (see video below the fold).

We know that MDI's Air Car will be there. We are looking forward to seeing the other X-Prize teams (like Illuminati Motor Works) and we really want to see the Air Car in person. The compressed air powered car is out in less than a year, with a range and price that is just unbelievable. Below the fold is the most recent video I could find of the Air Car, which includes a mention of the investment from Tata which should make a release in a year's time possible.

When we get to talk to the Air Car representatives on Thursday, top of our list of questions is the re-charge (re-flate?) time. According to the video below the fold, the several-minute recharge time we heard about is only from dedicated air stations. Recharging at home with a generator will take 3-4 hours. The video below the fold also includes lots of information about the Air Car like the price and odd middle driver seating. Stay tuned for much more from us at the New York Auto Show.

[Source: YouTube]

Tomorrow, MDI will show the Big Apple what an air car looks like. The unique compressed-air-powered vehicle will be unveiled during the Automotive X Prize's big announcement on Thursday. We've been following the progress of the Air Car for quite some time, and look forward to letting our cameras take a good look at this zero tailpipe emission vehicle, which might look different from the one you see above, if I'm reading the press release correctly. We won't be the only ones checking the car out, as the Air Car will be at the NYIAS through March 31. And, if you're not in town, you'll get your chance soon enough (if you're in America, anyway). Zero Pollution Motors (ZPM), the North American representative of MDI, will sell the six-seater in the U.S. some day, possibly 2010. Before then, though, MDI and ZPM will work together as a team in the Auto X Prize race. There's more after the jump.

That game show should be called, are you smarter than this fifth grader?

A fifth grader has created an air-powered car for a science fair, according to two videos on YouTube. The car has a range of .425 miles and a top speed of 10 MPH. There are two videos about the air car available below the fold. The first video, all about the creation of the car, includes the young boy welding the frame and getting the engine's pneumatic actuator timing right. The second video shows the child driving the vehicle on the street. Needless to say, the air-powered car won first place at the science fair. Watch out MDI, you've got competition.

[Source: YouTube]

One of my first tasks here in ABG was interviewing Miguel Celades. For a long time, Celades was Guy Nègre's sales partner in the development of the Air Car. Now, though, Nègre is now working with Tata Motors; he and Celades canceled their business partnership a few months ago (check MDI's press release here - Thanks to Heriberto for the tip)

However, Mr. Celades has decided that since he had invested a lot in the Air Car project, he'd continue on his own. He has therefore created a company called Air Car Factories, which is currently working with the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC) to have a air car prototype ready in the next few months.

Celades said that companies such as Atlas Copco from Sweden were interested in his project, as well as Scuderi and Regusci, an air-compressor company that has a similar project in their hands. While things are looking positive for Air Car Factories, Celades doesn't hide the fact that he would love to have a partnership with an automaker to sell the engine, like Mr. Nègre did with Tata.

Related:

• BBC News video: Air Car out "by end of year," in Europe, for 3,500 Euros
• Air Car's first manufacturing plant will be located in Melbourne, cars sold in Australia next year
• More information - with video - on the Air Car, as mentioned by Discovery Channel's Future Cars

[Source: El Mundo]