106 MPG Air Car: The Future of Transportation?

You’ve heard of bio-diesel and ethanol. Now imagine filling your car up with air. That’s exactly what MDI, the creators of the first car to run on compressed air, say you could be doing soon.

The car, which runs on a combination of compressed air and fuel, is said to get up to 106 miles per gallon. (In comparison, the hybrid Toyota Prius only gets about 50 mpg.) It would be wonderful to be able to double the miles per gallon a hybrid is able to get. But is it realistic?

Some say yes, but others aren’t so sure. The car, which would run completely on air under 35 mph and on a combination of fuel and air over that speed, could be supplemented with gasoline, ethanol, or bio-fuel. According to the article on CNN…

“Above 35 mph, there is an external combustion system, which is basically a heater that uses a little bit of gasoline or biofuel or ethanol or vegetable oil that will heat the air,” Shiva Vencat, VP of MDI, said.

“Heating the air increases its volume, and by increasing its volume, it increases [the car's] range. That’s why with one gallon of gasoline or its equivalent we are able to make over 100 mpg.”

John Callister, of Cornell University’s College of Engineering, argues that kind of mileage isn’t likely in the larger cars that would be sold in the U.S. to meet safety and crash standards. He says the size of the sedan would significantly decrease the miles per gallon.

“No one’s really proven a six-seater passenger car [can get] any better than 75 miles to the gallon. So this would represent a big step forward,” Callister said.

“They would have to prove that before they can throw rocks at the Prius.”

A good prototype could dispel many of the doubts about the compressed air car, however, he added.

“I don’t think we should discount this advance if it happens,” Callister said.

If this technology lives up to the hype, it could provide a valuable alternative energy solution in the near future. Make that the very near future – New York-based Zero Pollution Motors (the first firm to obtain a license from the creators of the air car to manufacture them in the U.S.) promises to have them on the roads by 2010. And for much less than you would imagine – under $18,000.

Last time I checked, you couldn’t get a Prius for that much. Half the cost of a hybrid and twice the miles would certainly be a winning combination – now let’s see if they can do it. The car is scheduled to compete for next year’s Automotive X Prize – a competition that rewards innovators of cars that get more than 100 mpg.

Until then, all we can do is dream about filling our cars up with air… while we pump $4 gas.