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MDI

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tata nano

Tata Nano To Offer Compressed Air Engine Optional, Make Electric Cars Look Silly

Buried in a New York Times article on "Low-Carbon Chic" (vomit) comes confirmation the Tata Nano, the $2500 (or maybe a bit more) mini-car will offer a MDI compressed air engine as an option. Tata has been backing MDI for a while now, and off-the-cuff we mused at the idea of the compressed air engine option in a Nano months ago. Given the novelty of the engine, it was more a dismissal than speculation. Well, we guess it turns out we were right. Remember after the Tata Nano was unveiled, how all the enviro-dweebs whined incessantly about how the huge swath of new little cars on India's streets would contribute bajillions of tons of carbon dioxide to the environment? Well, maybe they'll be eating some crow because $3 worth of electricity will probably fill a tank for a 125 mile trip. More »

6:00 PM on Wed Jul 9 2008
By Ben Wojdyla
6,623 views, 59 comments

Latest by X3SoB: You guys photoshopped a compressor onto a Nano picture??? more »

alternative energy

Huffing and Puffing: Tata Electric Car To Run on Compressed Air?

After 14 years worth of research, design and testing, former Formula 1 driver Guy Negre has done what I did back in 7th grade — make an air-powered car. Okay, my air car was a little less complex than this design, but it got third place in the shop class race off and had flames on its tiny, 8-inch long chassis. Now, Indian manufacturer, Tata Motors, yes, the same company that just brought you the cheap-ass Nano a few hours ago, is backing a car powered by compressed air. More »

8:15 AM on Thu Jan 10 2008
By Travis Hudson
5,584 views, 23 comments

Latest by n/a: I can't imagine compressed air, of an amount limited to the volume of the car bottom, powering it for more »

alternative energy

Compressed-Air Power: MDI Car Closer to Production

The perpetual-motion machine may be eons away, but the the first commercially viable car to run on compressed air may be at hand. The brainchild of French inventor Guy N gre, the MDI, which we first reported on in 2005, employs a novel system of compressed air tanks and an internal-combustion support engine that can either power the minicar or compress the air used in its tanks. The urban runabouts, which come in a number of configurations, are built from fiberglass over a tubular chassis. MDI plans to offer them with a host of information systems that interface with the car's inner workings and provide connectivity to the internet and other systems as well as digi entertainment. A new partnership with India's Tata motors — the country's largest carmaker — may mean MDIs could show up en masse soon. Maybe even this very decade. – Mike Spinelli More »

1:08 PM on Mon Mar 19 2007
By Mike Spinelli
9,843 views, 21 comments

Latest by n/a: This is absolutly brilliant! As for all you people making smartass comments about this car, keep your gas, and oil more »

alternative energy

Two, Two, Two Posts in One! Air Car Insanity

Ladies and gentlemen, I bring to you two related topics bundled together via the horrors of YouTube. First, in this Beyond Tomorrow segment is MDI's compressed-air car we wrote about back in the dark ages of blogging (2004). Still the same couple of years off as it was then, it remains a fascinating concept with quite a bit of the development work done. Still, it probably needs a bit more cashola to get production going. If the first part of the vid is neat-o, the second part is gee-wiz. It features a funny Italian engineer who is developing an engine that appears to be powered by air and possibly magic. It makes Mazda's Renesis engine look both overly complicated and gigantic. The power to weight ratio is reportedly outstanding. Of course, if the complete engine only weighs a handful of kilos, that's not real tough. Now if you check out the MDI site you'll see they have their own nifty engine hoo-hahs, but I say if you combine these two ideas, you get some actual air-powered magicalness.– Ben Wojdyla More »

10:00 AM on Mon Feb 26 2007
By bwojdyla
675 views, 5 comments

Latest by ledwig: Why not a wind-up hybrid driven by a big spring? more »