India's Tata to produce compressed air car
Wed 13 February 2008
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Tata Motors, a division of India’s largest conglomerate, has announced that it will start mass production and sales of a car powered by compressed air. The car has an anticipated retail cost in India of just over £2,500 and a range of 125 miles. Tata plans to build 6000 vehicles for sale in India from August 2008.
Tata is the only licensee allowed to sell the car, and sales will initially be limited to India. Tata's backing of the project follows its unveiling of the world's cheapest car - the £1,250 Nano - at the Delhi Motor Show in January this year.
The fibreglass five-seater car will be driven by an engine powered by compressed air which is stored in carbon fibre tanks built into the chassis and fillable in 3 minutes. The makers say the car will have a top speed of 70 mph. Longer trips are supported with a fuel burner that heats up the air to better boost the pistons. Makers of the Air Car report that they are already working on a hybrid version that would use an on-board, gasoline-powered compressor to refill the air tanks when they run low.
A French company, Motor Development International (MDI), built several prototypes of a compressed air car and announced in 2002 that the cars would be used to replace taxis in Mexico City, but the project did not get off the ground.
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