MDI’s Air Car to be built in Melbourne
Posted by Anon on December 3, 2007
If you’re a fan of alternative fuel technologies, then chances are you’ve heard of the Air Car. Originally conceived by former Formula 1 engineer Guy Negre back in 1991, the MDI “Air Cars” (officially termed the OneCAT, CityCAT and MiniCAT) can run purely on a tank of compressed air, or combined with combustible fuels such as ethanol or LPG for extended range. MDI recently signed a deal with one of India’s largest auto companies, Tata Motors, to build the air-powered vehicles in India.
Now, with business partner Louis Arnoux, Negre is bringing the OneCAT to Australia. The two have been in the country recently demonstrating their technology to potential investors and the state and federal governments, and are planning a $1.5 billion roll-out across Australia, starting in Melbourne. The new company that will be responsible for bringing the compressed air vehicles to the country, IT-MDI Energy Pty Ltd, is a merger betweeen MDI and IT Mondial, Arnoux’s IT business.
The OneCAT can run purely on compressed air, filled up from home or petrol stations, or on a combination of compressed air and fuel. The car can travel at speeds of up to 110 km/h and ranges of up to 150 km on compressed air, or 2000 km when combined with fuel. The OneCAT uses a unique external combustion engine to give claimed efficiencies of up to 70% (current internal combustion engines generally have an efficiency of about 25%), using 2 L per 100 km. The vehicle is expected to sit three or five people and will be available in multiple configurations starting at less than $8000, with the MiniCAT and CityCAT models expected to follow.
The IT MDI-Energy venture has greater ambitions than just transport, with its website detailing its plans to provide home power generation and even broadband internet services in a “green” manner, using a combination of solar power and the external combustion technology. The company wants to reduce Australia’s greenhouse gas emissions from transport by 20% and from power generation by 80% in ten years.
(Source: The Age)
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My thoughts: the CAT engine has been the object of great interest and scrutiny for almost as long as it has existed, with proponents extolling the virtues of zero-emissions exhaust and critics pointing out that using compressed air simply shifts the burden of energy production further up the chain. In this respect, compressed air appears to be much like hydrogen – it’s an energy storage medium, rather than a source. The requirement of finding energy to compress the air in the first place still exists. IT MDI-Energy hope to offset that using their power generation systems, which can be run on fossil fuels or biofuels. To its credit, compressed air is a safe, well-known working fluid and using it to power vehicles would certainly assist in reducing the hazards associated with driving. Time will tell if the Air Car will really reduce emissions, but regardless, it’s a positive step to have such companies investing in Australia.
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dpari said
This is very interesting news, I enjoyed the article very much.
Dion said
“The requirement of finding energy to compress the air in the first place still exists.”
I can’t believe people still have this as an argument. Put solar power on your roof. Then you don’t need fossil fuels. Hello… zero emissions. Carbon footprint… zero… Really when you have the choice would you ever really use the duel fuel feature? Stuff that. Ultimate goal: 100000 liter rainwater tank, 5kW solar array, small 400W wind turbine, vegie patch, chooks, septic tank and a car that needs no fuel from those damm oil companies. Zero carbon emissions and zero dependence on the outside world. Money is better spent on yourself and the environment than constantly forking out for electricity, gas, water, food and “fuel”. Now if only I could get rid of my land rates? Start my own shire for just my property or street? Perhaps… hmmm….
Nathan said
“Put solar power on your roof. Then you don’t need fossil fuels.”
True, but the same can be said of many energy storage technologies. Once you’ve got that renewable energy, how best to use it to drive your car – compressed air, batteries or hydrogen? It’s certainly not an argument against compressed air, but more of a clarification for those that think it’s essentially free energy, when it isn’t.
Given the claimed low cost of these vehicles, it would make sense to sell some solar panels with them – for the price of a petrol-powered small car, you could get an air-powered car and potentially no power bills ever again.
Dion said
“compressed air, batteries or hydrogen?”
Well compressed air would be the answer. You can charge it (compress air) via your solar panels. Which is the option with this car.
Hydrogen… well they can still sell it to you. You can’t very well easily make it yourself and if you did I imagine it expensive and don’t believe they make it a viable option for the public… how will our government ever suck more money out of us?
Batteries… well again good idea… but the same reason I have a solar array that’s grid connected… I don’t have to replace the batteries every 5 years. Could be expensive if you had too and would make it not a viable option. Not to mention you have to recycle the batteries. Plus anyone who bought the Toyota Pirus a few years ago going to fall into the trap where they have to make that expensive change (batteries don’t last forever)… hmmm…. see a few Pirus in the paper for sale that are about 4 years old. Maybe their owners realise this and are planning to make it someone else’s problem.
Paradox said
” …. and critics pointing out that using compressed air simply shifts the burden of energy production further up the chain”
like most critic’s on this subject …. this totally misses the point ….
…. the real commercial threat to modern life as we know it, (and less developed nations are aspiring to), is the looming peak production (and subsequent production decline) of liquid fossil fuels, combined with accellerating demand.
This air car technology can help mitigate that risk, regardless of whether the energy for air compression originates from solid fossil fuel, renewables, or nuclear. If renewables, then all the better.
When they start rationing petrol come the inevitable shortages, people with air cars will still be able get to work.
The other big plus of thie air car, is that most of the fuel used for the worlds fleet of existing heavy cars is consumed simply moving the weight of the cars around. These light vehicles will dramatically reduce fuel consumption due to their ultra light body weight.
….. Paradox
Nathan said
Paradox: agreed on most counts there, peak oil is one of MDI’s primary motivators for getting these cars on the market. Climate change effects can’t be ignored though, even if it is purely for social and political reasons, so it’s likely to be important for a lot of people that the vehicle reduces emissions as well as relying on a more reliable source of energy.
Manu said
The car can compress the air itself using and internal electric compressor. So you don’t need to buy some extra equipment to do it from your home, all is included in the car price.
I’m living in canada and I’m not sure this car is gonna be sold out here, but believe me : I really hope so.
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wayne said
Such a fantastic concept, as soon as I saw it on foxtel, I knew we had hit new horizons, I am eager to see these introduced into the community, at a start price of $8000, this is affordable for everyone. Although fuel magnates may pressure the production of this fantastic car, the demand will be too great. keep going guys/gals don’t be bullied and you will succeed. The interest is definitly there. Thanks. {future owner} Wayne.
tony said
when can i buy one im sick of paiding out the /// for gas would like to know thanks
Sally said
It sounds great! being built in Australia sounds almost too good to be true, does anyone know when they’re actually planning on doing this? I checked their website but it’s very elusive on details…
MARSCHNER said
If you are interested to invest in the MDI company, my wife and I are willing to sell some of our shares of MDI. We support financially MDI since 1992 and hold then so 1 % of the capital.
After 16 years we decide to realise a part of our investment !
Our selling price will be less (market oblige) as the last transfers made by M Nègre himself (he held 2/3 of the capital). If you have a serious interest please write us : martinmarschner(at)hotmail.com
Emmie Sloof said
Hi,
I am living in England but shortly will be returning to Australia.
Have read about the MDI OneCat car for sale at £2,500 here.
Is the car available now in Oz?
If so where and at what price?
Thanks
Emmie
Nathan said
The OneCAT isn’t available yet, and probably won’t be until next year at this stage. I haven’t heard any updates about pricing, so we can probably assume that $8,000 is still the target price.
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Jeroen said
I would like to add two arguments in favour of the aircar:
1) Clean city air
2) Low maintanance
1) We are so worried about getting wet feet because of the greenhouse effect. What about our lungs? Being stuck in traffic is already bad enough, but breathing toxic fumes is really life-shortening and so disgusting. Even if the aircar does nothing about lowering power consumption, at least it will greatly reduce the concentration of toxic fumes in most of our everyday lives: the city. Everyday that I bike to work through the London traffic, I’m wishing everybody stupid enough to drive a car in London would drive an aircar tomorrow.
2) When I still had a car, the repairs it needed all the time were driving me crazy. Combustion engines wear down so quickly because of all the heat, chemicals and small moving parts. Because the engines are so big, heavy and complex, replacing an engine part takes hours, driving manual labour costs skyhigh. And if you add up the prices of all replacement parts, you could probably buy a house instead of replacing all the parts of your car. It wouldn’t surprise me a bit if car manufacturers are making more money from replacement parts than on selling new cars.
Paddy said
The early publicity for this vehicle, some years ago now, proposed that the air only driven vehicle could be refuelled by a pump driven either by water movement or wind generators.
it has an advantage over hydrogen that transition from petrol service stations is easy. They can simply plug an air pump into conventional mains electricity at existing service stations and do not need a whole new technology for storage and transport as hydrogen does. Hydrogen is a very small molecule and leaks through conventional joins.
So many people said it could never work but they sure had film of it driving around.
Eclipse Now said
I have not read a single independent study on how far these cars can go, on what ratios of compressed air / minute, or what kind of actual distances are achieved.
My guess is, it’s a hoax. The navy have been using compressed air to power torpedoes for a long time. This is old technology, not cutting edge new stuff. If this technology could so easily be applied to the automotive industry, I’m sure they would have thought of it in the last few oil crisis. It’s OLD technology.
You’ve already read that people are starting to try and cash in their investments. If these people approach you for money, hold on tight and tell them to go away.
Nathan said
The technology being used is proprietary and largely not a huge leap in technology, so it’s not likely that we’ll see any independent studies come out until after the cars become available. The big breakthrough in the air cars is not so much a compressed-air engine, which as you say isn’t exactly new technology, but the lightweight composite structure that allows it to use compressed air, which doesn’t put out as much power as a large spark-ignition engine. The technology exists, the questions remaining revolve more around whether or not it will prove to be commercially viable.
nazar said
have just read through all 20 reply’s
there are some interesting thoughts there
for the people who are skeptical about this car and what it can do…. i have just watched “who killed the electric car” three times because i just couldn’t believe it – and i would miss small points (like with the batteries)
what i am surprised about – is this car made it to mass production, and i think the only reason is because the inventors always held 2/3 of the company….
there seems to be a better air engine on the net in australia (http://www.engineair.com.au/index.htm)
but the mdi car is a complete package – and is available now
considering the car is made out of lightweight carbon fibre (i live near the coast – so rust is a major problem)
the storage tanks are not heavy
and i can pump it up at home or at a service station
i am buying this car as soon as i can
didier said
Hello,
Have a look at http://www.aircars.tk for lots of information, pictures, videos, links and the latest news on compressed air cars.
AirPod FlowAir said
This link will help understand where the AIRCAR is at Oct 2008 – http://www.itmdi-energy.com/
Indranet Technologies Ltd – holds the license to build this awesome mode of transport downunder!
Happy invester here
rdh said
have they started production of this car yet in melbourne or any other place in australia?
Charlie said
Not only have they not started production in Melbourne, they haven’t started production ANYWHERE in the world.
This is even true for the cars that were announced in 2000 as going to be built in France in 2000, South Africa in 2002 and Mexico in 2003. Then they announced again in 2004 that production would start in 2007. Then in 2007 they announced that production would start in India in 2008. Now they announce that production will start in ______ in (always another 2 years or so).
The only published test data on the car showed a range of only 7.22km. MDI though took that actual 7.22km, hypothesized a whole series of improvments and predicted a range of 200km. To my knowledge, they NEVER produced a prototype that could actually do what they have been claiming since 2000.
Lots of talk. Little action other than selling licenses.
Just google “e.Volution car” to see the 2000 series of mass production announcements. Then the next model was the miniCat.
That’s all been dumped and now it is called the AirPod. Specs have stayed relatively constant since 2000, as has the “production starts next year”.
Colin said
I find the airpod a bit silly looking – but I can see why they are doing it – it helps as a marketing tactic. I can’t wait to see a production ready prototype of the larger models because they will most likely be the popular models.
Last I heard they were going to trial the airpods on some french airport – but apart from a fanfare for the media to show a couple of the pods putting about there hasn’t been much in news since that.
The only main comanies involved so far is Tata for the India market and Zero Pollution Motors for the US scene. Nothing serious known for Australia yet (dammit!)
charlie said
The reason you haven’t seen anything in Australia yet is most likely that the prototypes performance is only a small fraction of the performance claims made by MDI.
History keeps repeating itself. Each years since 2000 or before, MDI has announced production “real soon now” of a car with a very attractive set of specifications. That draws in more investment money, but somehow production never starts up.
It is important to note that MDI is not a car manufacturer. Their business plan is to succeed by raking in license and franchise fees. Whether or not they actually deliver a product is not as important as repeatedly getting good, positive press coverage. So far, gullible journalists have been very supportive of MDI with none of them apparently ever looking at MDI dismal history of broken promises. Nor does anybody ever seem that it is strange that they claim to be so close to production, but don’t have fully functional prototypes that can do anything other than putt-putt around a parking lot a few times.