Tata invests in car powered by compressed air

MDI Air Car

Guy Negre was a Formula One motor racing engineer. The Frenchman has been looking for 15 years for backers for his invention – a car that runs on air – and he now has the backing of Tata, who have invested 20 million Euros in his project.

Negre’s car uses compressed air to move pistons, which in turn also helps compress the air again in a reservoir. The car also has an electric motor, which also compresses air. This electric motor uses batteries that need to be charged. The compressed air can also be filled up at service stations in a matter of minutes.

His company Motor Development International based in France has developed an entire series of engine and car prototypes, some of which include fuel engine options together with the compressed air system. The fuel engine is used to extend the car’s range when not in reach of a special power point or a service station.

The car will be built in India and pre-production will start this year. It is protected by 50 patents, and the car will cost between 3,500 to 4,000 euros (RM17,000 to RM19,400). It weighs not more than 330kg and goes up to a top speed of 150km/h. Projected range is about between 160 to 320 km, depending on traffic conditions.

“It is clear that with oil at $100 a barrel this will force people to change their use of fuel and pollute less. My car is zero pollution in town and almost no pollution on the highways,” said Negre.

Look after the jump for a video on how the engine works.

Video: The Air Engine

External Links:
How the air engine works
The Air Engine on Wikipedia

Source

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Paul Tan

After dabbling for years in the IT industry, Paul Tan initially began this site as a general blog covering various topics of personal interest. With an increasing number of readers paying rapt attention to the motoring stories, one thing led to another and the rest, as they say, is history.

 

Comments

  • hypermount (Member) on Jan 08, 2008 at 3:33 am

    Still you need a great amount of energy to compress the air.

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  • kazai (Member) on Jan 08, 2008 at 4:06 am

    good idea btw…we may see the air station instead of petrol station in the future

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  • cole planet (Member) on Jan 08, 2008 at 6:38 am

    First they made water powered car or stim engine…then they create solar powered car… then they create electrical car… then now compressed air car???

    Then next time??? human leg powered car???

    i still think that solar powered car is the best… or electrical powered car is the best… they shoould invest on that the most… petroleum will pupus or finish one day…

    anyhow… this air powered engine car is not a bad idea… it is a good thing to use air to move a car… because air is an alternative resourses…

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  • azrai (Member) on Jan 08, 2008 at 7:16 am

    Tata made a quick move on this. This is great. Can I fit the engine into Kancil? This gonna be good, 150kmh. Yesssss..

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  • MisterBenjo (Member) on Jan 08, 2008 at 7:36 am

    My car is zero pollution in town and almost no pollution on the highways,” said Negre.
    ========================================

    wah he refer to his car not TATA

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  • dr_carz (Member) on Jan 08, 2008 at 8:54 am

    Very good idea that bro who design this car. Sure want one. Bussineesmen in Malaysia should sell this. Surely laris macam syabu kalau jual kat sini.
    Hope tata will sell to us. Tapi mesti Tokey minyak pening kepala kalau kereta ni jual kat sini kui kui

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  • 4G63T DSM (Member) on Jan 08, 2008 at 8:59 am

    While air is free, compressed air isn’t. You will need power to compress air.

    Since we don’t have any information on the system that Negre uses, we can only speculate how sucessfull this concept will be.

    The problem with compressed air is range. If you just filled a tank at the usuall 100psi that the petrol station will supply at, range will suffer. Since we dont know how big the tank is and how large the air engine is, we can only guess what pressure it runs at, but if it operates on pump air, its very generous to get 160kms per fill up (320kms probably means it also runs at higher pressure where available).

    In order to get enough air in for decent range, they will have up up the air pressure. For example my paintball gun’s air tank stores at 3800psi. Much higher than what you can get at the pump.

    Not many places will be able to supply high pressure compressed air.

    The good thing is, the air engine is very simple and light, and does not need cooling as decompressing air will in itself cool.

    One thing will be fore sure. It wont be used in colder climates. Compressed air systems dont work well in the cold, and when there is no internal combustion engine….there is no heat….

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  • osh_kosh (Member) on Jan 08, 2008 at 9:02 am

    solar powered car is not practical enuff for everyday use… at least for now… compressed air to powered a car look like a good step forward in our search for alternative ‘fuel’… just why TATA?

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  • Akazamabamaboo (Member) on Jan 08, 2008 at 9:04 am

    No more “vroom-vroom!”…say hello to “pssst-pssst!”…

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  • KY (Member) on Jan 08, 2008 at 9:06 am

    No data on how far this thing goes before the fart runs out?

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  • ezralimm (Member) on Jan 08, 2008 at 9:27 am

    4G63T DSM said,
    January 8, 2008 @ 8:59 am
    While air is free, compressed air isn’t. You will need power to compress air.
    _________________________________________

    It depends. Is it more efficient to produce kinetic energy directly from burning petrol? Or using the petrol to produce compressed air that is then used to produce kinetic energy?

    Also note we have a HUGE potential for hydroelectricity as we got lots of rainfall. The two new hydro power stations in west malaysia are forecasted to generate excess electricity.

    So I imagine a future where air/petrol hybrids run around. A small petrol engine, running mostly renewable E85 petrol from our agricultural sector recharges the air tank when the pressure gets too low. Increasing range.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
  • kjryth (Member) on Jan 08, 2008 at 9:28 am

    still the compressors need a huge amount of energy, normally using electricity, so again will utilise petrol, unless more hydroelectricity generator are being built, at the expense of our green lush forests.. the amount of energy to comress air is maybe bigger than consumption of petrol engine itself…… we need something like from the Back to the future, where the DOC invents an energy source from thrash….

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 1
  • farghmee (Member) on Jan 08, 2008 at 9:29 am

    interesting :)

    but how reliable the system will be? i think those designers may have the answers for my enquiry, but let us share the inticipated will-be-problem.
    *efficiency of the engine.
    *cost of getting compressed air.
    *space to put the compressed air tank.
    last but not least,
    *performance of the engine.

    i hope it is not a Perpetual Motion Machine (PMM) that deviates from Laws of Thermodynamics ;)

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  • 4G63T DSM (Member) on Jan 08, 2008 at 9:53 am

    If anything, it would be more reliable than an internal combustion engine. Siince it creates no heat (other than the built in electric compressor). Heat kills everything.

    If you use petrol to power an engine to compress air, you’d multiply the energy loss. Besides, internal combustion petrol engines are notoriously inefficient.

    farghmee said,
    January 8, 2008 @ 9:29 am

    interesting

    but how reliable the system will be? i think those designers may have the answers for my enquiry, but let us share the inticipated will-be-problem.

    *efficiency of the engine.
    should be more efficient than an otto cycle engine

    *cost of getting compressed air.
    big question mark. You could always buy your own compressor and then calculate the electricity cost. I’m sure someone can calculate how much it hp to run a compressor at a certain CFM@pressure

    *space to put the compressed air tank.

    run smaller tanks at higher pressure…as I stated above. But you will need a special compressor…the fiber tanks that I have will hold 3800-4500psi and very light.

    last but not least,
    *performance of the engine.

    Its difficult to compare to an internal combustion engine. Most ICE runs at 600+ psi internal pressure. This air engine will probably operate at lower pressures. Technically, you could run a normal 2 stroke ICE engine with high pressure compressed air, although its not as efficient.

    But with 330kg to push around, it wont need a big “engine”. Besides, they are more efficient to start with. This thing is 1/2 the weight of a kancil.

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  • wookie00 (Member) on Jan 08, 2008 at 10:03 am

    The future of automobiles… don’t know why car manufacturers keep pumping out petrol guzzling monsters that want to beat the speed trap sensors when they can invest in technologies like this and make the car comfortable and luxurious at the same time. TATA made the right move… imagine if India’s vehicle population were to explode like China… wont’ be surprised if the oil shoots up to $200 in the near future.. $100 is old story. Least to say the oil might dry up in the next 50-60 years… faster if the developing and third world industrializing countries grow faster every year….. think about it.. we’re drying up. We need to make use of abundant resources with existing technologies… not waste technologies on already depleting resources…

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  • moto_moto (Member) on Jan 08, 2008 at 10:25 am

    4G63T DSM, u sounded like a lecturer:) are u? anyway, its a good move by Tata. i hope it can be realize some day. give orang minyak pening kepala;)

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  • moto_moto (Member) on Jan 08, 2008 at 10:32 am

    the dissipated air come out of the exhaust must be high velocity. i think we can pump a belon at the tip of the exhaust.heheh

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  • ezralimm (Member) on Jan 08, 2008 at 10:43 am

    330kg! ‘=.=

    It’s like two motorcycles joined together.

    The amount of energy needed to move it in the first place is much less than your typical 1ton car.

    Definitely feasable. And much safer than a motorcycle.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
  • armandd (Member) on Jan 08, 2008 at 11:08 am

    since this car is so light yet relatively large, i think it will be blown away if it’s caught in a crosswind, heheh..

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  • yippi33 (Member) on Jan 08, 2008 at 11:15 am

    wow..never knew theres an air powered engine…what next?hydraulic engine?pressured water engine??high pressure can be achieved using water compared to air anyway…thats not a bad idea there..

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  • gonggok (Member) on Jan 08, 2008 at 11:27 am

    The issue is power density. how much power can you store for a certain amount of weight and volume. Right now I don’t think it comes close to Li-ion batteries.

    Carmakers that spend billions on RnD believe batteries and fuel cells are the way to go…Versus one frenchman and TATA – who’s right? ;)

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  • chap_de_x (Member) on Jan 08, 2008 at 1:16 pm

    nice r&d….its not waste of money when we invest money for sake of knowledge and for future…if its run using air it must be very environmental friendly…

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  • MyviKiller (Member) on Jan 08, 2008 at 2:05 pm

    Wonder why there aren’t any manufacturers sponsoring the scientist?

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  • MyviKiller (Member) on Jan 08, 2008 at 2:06 pm

    I mean other manufacturers apart from Tata.

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  • ganz (Member) on Jan 08, 2008 at 3:24 pm

    still remember way somewhere south in year OCT 2006, at Johore.
    a claim on water based-driven car..
    then what happen???

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  • nmh (Member) on Jan 08, 2008 at 3:37 pm

    I think it can fuel up at normal petrol station…at air pump that usually used to for tyre…slightly modified of course

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  • xetronic (Member) on Jan 08, 2008 at 3:41 pm

    this is funny…

    the power you need to compress the air is more than the power to drive the car. saying no polution is just a marketing cheat.

    when you compress the air, you also produce heat, which is wasted energy.

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  • BigFish (Member) on Jan 08, 2008 at 3:56 pm

    the car will cost between 3,500 to 4,000 euros (RM17,000 to RM19,400). It weighs not more than 330kg and goes up to a top speed of 150km/h. Projected range is about between 160 to 320 km, depending on traffic conditions.
    ————
    1. Cheap car no good. What is the NCAP rating given the weight is approx. 1/3 of B segment car?

    2. The range is too short, not practical.

    3. Is it safe? “Tissue box on the wheel”. How about head on collision test?

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  • BigFish (Member) on Jan 08, 2008 at 3:58 pm

    Give me free, I want, ask me to buy? no. no. no………………….

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  • BigFish (Member) on Jan 08, 2008 at 4:00 pm

    Just wonder how compressed air move this car up to top speed of 150 KM/H?

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  • Jeffrey1977 (Member) on Jan 08, 2008 at 5:47 pm

    I will buy.

    Light = low cost = lots of cars on the road = traffic in India!

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  • Jeffrey1977 (Member) on Jan 08, 2008 at 5:50 pm

    So this is the problem when cars are cheap!

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  • proton.GL.. (Member) on Jan 08, 2008 at 5:52 pm

    if can tap a renewable energy like tidal wave as a source to move the pump to generate copressed air and stored in some way, and reuse it or transfer it into kanetic energy, this is very clean,

    but if batteries involve in the chain of energy transfer, or external non renwable energy, or fossil fuel to power the generator or compressor, – its still produce byproduct from its source, even nuclear energy,

    if automotive = passion, no one will opt this type of motor,

    beside quest for effiency of the internal combustion engine,low emission, and power regeneration.

    probally the real world of automotive issue is internal combustion is that it fail to convert the wasted heat energy into some kind potential energy that might be reuse to propell the car …………is beneficial,

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  • kei9 (Member) on Jan 08, 2008 at 9:21 pm

    the thing that needs to have more R&D is the engine..Mind you that air is corrosive to metal.. But yeah it sure will work out. Cheap, economical and fantastically enviromentally friendly.

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  • GlowJo (Member) on Jan 08, 2008 at 10:18 pm

    Guys,
    I think this car won’t have air conditioning unit cause a/c compressor will use lots of energy..

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  • cbljkkj (Member) on Jan 08, 2008 at 10:38 pm

    I was researching Guy Negre’s AirCar a couple months back and managed to get a peek at the air compressor that was used to “re-fuel” the car and it was maybe slightly over twice the size of power generators found at pasar malam stalls that use them for generating power for their lights.

    It could be highly possible to own the car and the air compressor without breaking the bank. What’s interesting is that it expels cold water and air, and quoting from the narrator of that video (vaguely), “If everybody used it in a hot state like California, the ambient temperature will drop making it cool and comfortable”

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  • szw (Member) on Jan 08, 2008 at 11:17 pm

    lolz

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  • megahyper (Member) on Jan 09, 2008 at 4:00 pm

    Keep your finger cross that you dont bang into one of these, or their tank to be specific.

    It will blows you away. literally.

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  • detguaq (Member) on Jan 10, 2008 at 11:57 am

    I hope Malaysian Government through Proton takes any necessity action to develope this alternative engine immidiately.

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  • detguaq (Member) on Jan 10, 2008 at 12:29 pm

    Hopes proton will alert bout this tech.

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  • ang (Member) on Jan 11, 2008 at 1:33 am

    The MDI wepage said it’s 10 times cheaper per km than petrol. Logically that will equates to energy efficiency isn’t it. OK if not in direct proportion by some factors. So looks like this is greener than petrol (or even electric car).

    But the main thing it is cheap, even at half of what being claimed. Who don’t want to use it but of course at decent range and speed (this only a start, longer range and power in future maybe). At least the masses will go for it, don’t want to talk about the rich (they can afford to fuel their passion).

    The best thing is it’s simpler, much simpler than Electric or Hydrogen car. It might be exact reason it’s being ignored by the big corporations R & D, more exotic more fund they get etc. On sinister note, towkey minyak might be behind car manufacturers move (they might belong to same towkey).

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  • Mohd Zamhri Bin Abu on Apr 01, 2010 at 6:03 am

    Thank god..there's a lot of alternative when WE talk about source of energy for our car, and at the same time stop air pollution.But i still wonder why are WE keep on focus to petroleum as a source of energy to run the engine….what are WE afraid of to start with water,solar or air as a source of energy..?Come on man, be more serious about SAVE THE EARTH.

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