Carbonoffcast.com Blog

The Air Car could break through the price and range and speed barriers holding back viable electric and alternative energy transportation.

The name Air Car says it all: this vehicle developed by Moteur Developpment International in France runs on compressed air. According to a report by the BBC recently and picked up by autobloggreen.

This technology represents the sweet spot that's needed to overcome the hurdles to mass adoption that any vehicle not running on petroleum fuel have faced: too expensive and too inconvenient (short range of miles per tank or charge, alternative fuels not offered on every other street corner). Not that it's a shoe-in. There are many hurdles to taking viable technology to manufacturing at a scale for mass consumption, and more hurdles dealing with the political scene of U.S. regulation. And to be a true competitor to gas cars, the technology will have to advance in the common areas of range, speed, acceleration, and the general infrastructure needed to support cars; all while keeping that price point down. But the benefits and relatively quick technology maturation time compared to other alternatives like electric cars keeps us cautiously optimistic on this one.

The stats from autobloggreen and theaircar.com:
Engine: compressed air engine using Compressed Air Technology(CAT)
Fuel: Air
Refilling Cost: 1.5 Euros ($2.30 USD on today's exchange rate)
Range: 124 miles
Top Speed: 68 MPH
Vehicle Cost: 3,500 Euros or $5,160.61 USD

Sounds too good to be true, but we won't know in the U.S. for a while. This appears to be too threatening or risky for American auto companies to embrace or our venture firms to back. If Carbonoffcast.com can help bring this car or idea to the United States, it definitely will.

March 2 2008 update: Business Week reports that the Air Car is indeed comming to the United States in 2010. According to the article, 'Pre-orders for the air car will be taken in early 2008 on the Zero Pollution website, and initial U.S. deliveries for a 6-seater, 4-door, 75 hp, dual-energy MDI Air Car are anticipated for 2010.'