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EVWORLD FEATURE: AirPod: The Other Electric Car : Air Car | Compressed Air | Guy Nigre

Next Spring, if you pass through the main air terminals in either Paris or Amsterdam, you may find MDI’s AirPod vehicles scurrying about, hauling passengers between Air France/KLM gates.

Capable of a top speed of 43 mph and powered by MDI’s 4 kw (5.45 hp) compressed air motor, the 3-4 passenger three-wheeler will have a range of upwards of 130+ miles when traveling at 15-20 miles per hour on the equivalent of less than $1 worth of electricity.

Inspired by Paris Mayor Bertrand Delanoë’s call for a low-cost, zero emission electric carshare vehicle [See Paris’ Electric Car Autolib Takes Shape] Nice-based MDI — originators of the original AirCar — adapted its technology to meet the challenge.

The composite plastic body car measures a mere 82 inches in length, 63 inches wide and 79 inches high. There are two versions: a passenger model weighting 485 lbs and a cargo version at 462 lbs. The cargo version has a storage capacity of 39 cubic feet.

Entrance and egress from the vehicle happens through the front and rear. The driver sits facing forward while any passengers will sit facing the rear. According to Shiva Vencat, MDI’s representative for the Americas, three smaller adults can sit abreast in the rear, or more comfortably two adults and child.

Steering is accomplished with a “guide-by-wire” joystick mounted on the right. The turning radius of the vehicle is 75 inches. The two front wheels are small and close-set under the vehicle.

The 46-gallon carbon fiber compressed air tank can be pressurized in under two minutes at up to 4,500 psi using a commercial compressor. Home refilling is accomplished by plugging in the MDI motor and letting it recharge its own tank, which takes an estimated three hours. While the jury is still out as to the relative energy efficiency of using compressed air as an energy storage medium when compared to electric car batteries, the AirPod does have one critical advantage: its compressed air tank should last longer and cost less than chemical batteries.

Vencat explained to EV World.com that he is exploring demonstration programs in New York City, Nantucket and Los Angeles. While the AirFrance/KLM demonstration projects will employ drivers, the U.S.-based initiatives would explore the viability of AirPods and advanced car-sharing telematics. technology that exists and is in the hands of Daimler.

Perhaps most promising of all is the anticipated price: $7,000US. That will be a hard price to beat for other Autolib contenders. Initially, AirPods will be built in Nice, France.

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U.S. vehicles go on a diet | ajc.com

By TOM KRISHER

Associated Press

Saturday, October 25, 2008

DETROIT — Rich Batchelder bought his second Mini Cooper last year, a 2006 supercharged convertible.

And the attributes he sought in his new car are exactly what experts say many of us will be looking for in coming years while automakers try to perfect a replacement for the internal combustion engine.

Batchelder’s Mini is a lightweight subcompact, yet its interior is luxurious. Its 1.6-liter, four-cylinder engine gets him 27 miles per gallon in combined city and highway driving, yet its suspension is stiff for handling and the supercharged motor makes the tiny car very fast.

“The thing looks cute, it looks fun, but it’s a serious automobile,” the suburban Boston computer store owner said. “To me it’s a superior vehicle as far as its motoring capabilities, everything from handling to functionality.”

Auto industry experts say Batchelder’s car is one example of what we’ll all be driving as gas prices stay high and the industry shifts toward rechargeable electric vehicles or even cars powered by hydrogen fuel cells.

Right now, engineers at all automakers are working extra hours trying to squeeze as much gas mileage as they can out of the internal combustion engine.

That includes more refined gas-electric hybrids, competitors to the popular Toyota Prius, which now gets an estimated 45 mpg on the highway and 48 in the city.

Also coming soon are four-cylinder engines that perform like six-cylinders, and sixes that perform as V-8s, boosted by either turbocharging or supercharging.

There’s also more efficient automatic transmissions out or in the works, with some having as many as eight speeds. Experts expect biofuels like ethanol to become more prevalent, and starting to hit the market already are high-mileage diesels and direct fuel injection gasoline engines that are far more efficient than current gasoline motors.

“You’re going to have a whole lot of overlap,” said John Krafcik, Hyundai Motor Co.’s North American vice president of product development. “Small, incremental improvements to the internal combustion engine, which still has life in it in terms of extracting efficiency.”

Automakers also are working on aerodynamics and processes that use exhaust heat and gases so no energy goes to waste.

“All of those are going through a transition, and they will continue to do so,” said Nancy Gioia, Ford Motor Co.’s director of sustainable technologies and hybrid vehicle programs.

Today’s vehicle designs aren’t always as aerodynamic as they could be, Gioia said, and technology might be able to eliminate items on cars that cause wind drag, such as cameras replacing side-view mirrors.

“A lot of the shapes we have today are based on models of horses pulling the wagon,” Gioia said.

Some automakers have come up with electronically controlled intake and exhaust valves, with computers controlling the valve openings for maximum efficiency under different loads and road conditions.

The feature, called camless valve actuation, alone will bring 10 percent to 20 percent efficiency gains over current engines, Krafcik said.

They’re also electrifying components that cause drag on engines, such as air conditioning compressors and power steering pumps.

Automakers such as Ford also are working with lighter materials and more efficient structural designs to reduce weight, Gioia said.

“As weight comes out, I can downsize a lot of other things and the vehicle in total gets more efficient,” she said.

The changes mean we’ll all be driving smaller vehicles, but not everyone will have a Mini Cooper or other tiny cars from Europe, where gas prices are far higher, said Aaron Bragman, an auto analyst with the consulting company Global Insight.

U.S. drivers, unlike those in Europe, use vehicles to haul bulky objects and a lot of people, as well as for family vacations. In Europe, people can use public transportation for intercity travel.

“We simply need to use our cars a lot more than the Europeans,” Bragman said.

So while smaller cars, trucks, sport utility vehicles and minivans all are in the works, the U.S. vehicle mix won’t become as small as it is in Europe, Bragman said.

Instead of ostentatious big, inefficient vehicles, Bragman sees them pared down to more functional space.

“The next generation of these vehicles is going to be a lot more efficient,” he said.

“They’re going to use a lot of the European technology without the European size penalty.”

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