There is a company in France called Motor Development International that believes the future automobile will not have an internal combustion engine, nor be powered by electric batteries.  Rather, it will be powered by the energy stored in compressed air.  That possibility has to sound very attractive to anyone committed to reducing greenhouse gases.  What can be cleaner and ‘greener’ than air?

In a recent B-GC article (The Future of the Automobile), we looked at the implications of lowering greenhouse gas emissions from petroleum 80% by 2050 and concluded that the likely solution to achieve that great a reduction would be the electric automobile.  But MDI does have an innovative approach worth taking a look at, both for the driving technology and their plan for distribution.

In an internal combustion engine, combustion of gasoline in air is used to create high pressure gases to push the pistons that drive the vehicle.  MDI’s plan is to replace the high pressure gases created by combusting gasoline with high pressure air.  Instead of the car coming with a gasoline tank, it would have a high pressure air tank, which could be filled at a compressed air station.

Figure 1: Shiva Vencat, CEO of Zero Pollution Motors and Free(Bee), Courtesy of ZPM

MDI does not plan to be a global manufacturing powerhouse of compressed air vehicles but to license the technology to companies throughout the world for local distribution.  Shiva Vencat, CEO of Zero Pollution Motors and Free (Bee), has taken a license to manufacture and sell the car in the U.S.  According to Mr. Vencat, MDI has issued about 40 licensing agreements to companies throughout the world.  One well-known licensee is Tata Motors, the major Indian car manufacturer famous for purchasing Jaguar and Land Rover from Ford and introducing the world’s most inexpensive car, the Nano, in India.  Tata Motors has paid MDI $28 M for the exclusive rights in India.  The investment by Tata Motors, a company known for wise investments and innovation, has given added credibility to the idea.

MDI’s go to market business plan is innovative and certainly unique.  Unlike other car manufacturers, which build large factories to cut fixed costs and then ship vehicles to dealers throughout the world, MDI is banking on a factory outlet plan.  According to this vision, each factory would manufacture 8,000 cars/shift/year and sell the cars to local customers directly out of the factory.  In MDI’s plan, there would be one such factory store for every 110,000 car registrations.

Figure 2: A photo of the OneFlowAir car, courtesy of ZPM

Shiva Vencat claims that MDI will open the first of these factories in Nice, France by June 2010.  The first car off the line will be their Airpod design, a vehicle operating only on compressed air capable of speeds up to 35 mph and a range of 120 miles.  Vencat hopes to introduce the car in the U.S. in the latter half of 2010.  He expects to obtain 50 cars from France to run an urban car rental fleet, called Free (Bee).   Vencat has said the ‘compressed air engine runs at about a 65% efficiency, several times better than an internal combustion engine and nearly as high as an electric vehicle’.  The three passenger vehicle would also be comparatively light weight at only 485 lbs using a thermoplastic body instead of steel and a simpler engine, without the need for a cooling system, spark plugs, or a starter.

As the car gains popularity and more factory outlets are established, new models will be introduced, including cars suitable for highways with maximum speeds of 90 mph.  These more traditional vehicles would be of a dual fuel design.  In addition to compressed air engines, they would have gasoline (or biofuels) engines to heat the compressed air to generate the additional power needed for highway driving.  One MDI design is called the OneFlowAir car.  It would weigh under 800 lbs and have a maximum speed of 60 mph.  Another dual fuel design is called the CityFlowAir.  This vehicle would be heavier at just under 2,000 lbs, with a maximum speed of 80 mph and a range of up to 1000 miles.   The MDI specs may be incomplete as the spec sheet for the CityFlowAir car specifically says ‘Non binding data, figures may change during development process’.

Figure 3: A drawing of the CityFlowAir car, courtesy of Zero Pollution Motors.

Compressed air vehicles in general are thought to have both advantages and disadvantages.  Advantages include simplicity, zero emissions, and low cost.  (Vencat says he would expect the Airpod MSRP to be around $9,000).  But the disadvantages could be technically challenging ones.  For example, Charles’ Law, from thermodynamics, says that the expanding air will cool in the engine as it is released and will need to be heated.  Conversely, filling the compressed air tank could cause heating and may require a long fill time.  While driving, air pressure in the tank is reduced, resulting in a power supply that dwindles over time.  The question is has MDI found innovative ways to compensate for these issues?

Relative to hybrids or electric cars, compressed air cars are garnering less public interest and less financial backing.  When asked about this, Mr. Vencat attributes the difference to a ‘not invented here syndrome’, though it is clear the inability to attract financial funding so far has limited the zeal.  While factories are being built for hybrid and plug-in electrics in the U.S., no plans have been announced for air car production.  It also hasn’t helped that a study out of the University of California, Berkeley study has questioned the green credentials of this technology.  Having noted that, we point out that electric plug-ins also have their detractors, raising concerns about the energy and cost expended in mining the lithium for the batteries.

Due to the lightweight construction of these vehicles, their small size, low maximum speeds and low costs, it is likely that the first markets for them will be in developing countries (explaining India’s large investment), followed by Europe.   Though it may start off as only a niche market in developing countries, it is an innovative approach and could be a contributor to the global greenhouse gas reduction initiatives.  The B-GC will be keeping watch over the progress made by MDI.

Note: The B-GC would like to thank Mr. Shiva Vencat for the interview that was largely the basis of this article.