Tata Motors seems to be on an extended fast drive.The Indian carmaker has inked the deal in this regard with with French company MDI to develop a car which runs on compressed air.
According to another industry report, MDI and Tata Motors would work together to develop a new and cost-saving technology for various applications for the Indian market that meets with severe regulations for environmental protection. The new technology is expected to be passed on to other applications too where cost competitiveness and respect for environmental questions go hand in hand, it added.
The Air Car being built by Tata will be the MiniCAT. The three-seater operates on compressed air stored in high-pressure, carbon-composite tanks. MiniCAT is about 8.5 feet long, about the length of a smart car.
Composite Week offers additional details:
--- List price will be about Rs. 350,000 ($ 8177);
--- Range between air tank refillings will be 125-185 miles ( 200-300 kilometers) or 10 hours of driving. (That’s better than many electric cars);
--- MiniCAT’s top speed is 65 miles per hour (105 km/h);
--- Refills at public compressed air refilling stations (yet to be built) will take about 2-3 minutes and cost about 100 rupees, a little over $2. Air compressors could feasibly run on renewables, like wind or solar, for totally emission-free driving;
--- There’s an on-board, electrically-driven from the grid air compressor too, which takes 3-4 hours to refill the tanks;
--- The car has a lightweight aluminum frame that is glued together, not welded. The bodywork is a double skin of foam-injected glass fiber reinforced plastic;
--- To make the car’s wiring system less complex microcontrollers are used with electrical devices in the car: One tiny radio transmitter sends instructions to the lights, indicators etc. to activate them;
--- There’s no key, just an access card that can be read by the car from your pocket;
--- Engine lubrication is vegetable oil which is changed every 30,000 miles (50,000 kilometers);
--- Air conditioning is available which doesn’t require conventional air conditioning equipment. The temperature of the air expelled from the engine is low enough to chill air entering the passenger compartment.source: http://www.green-energy-news.com/arch/nrgs2008/20080068.html
