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.

We've had already a few posts about MDI's Air Car, a vehicle which is powered by stored compressed air. Although we couldn't make it to Nice to interview its creator, Guy Nègre, we could visit MDI's Sales Manager, based in Barcelona. And it was a very enjoyable chat (although we'll need to go to Nice to test the car).

AutoblogGreen: Thanks Mr. Celades for having us here in your office. You have been and are involved in many businesses, so how did you get involved with MDI not even coming from the car industry?

Miguel Celades: I had been interested for long in finding out wether the water-powered car existed. One day, I metioned this to a friend of mine and he told me that I should be stopping looking for that and instead focus on something realistic but groundbreaking. He introduced me to Guy Nègre, the creator of the compressed air engine, back in mid-1998.

ABG: So tell us a little bit about Mr. Nègre and how you met him.

(Continue reading after the jump to find out some history, what MDI is planning for the near future, some highlights on their business model and their agreement with Tata Motors)