New AIRPod Urban Transporter Unveiled

A new compressed air vehicle has been welcomed into the MDI family. On October 9 MDI unveiled its answer to the need for clean air and urban mobility - the AIRPod.  With its low price, zero pollution, high range and playful and futuristic design, the AIRPod marks a turning point in the nexus of automobile and urban transportation. And it will cost less than a Euro per 200 km to operate and will leave no one stuck in traffic jams.

The vehicle will be proposed for the city of Paris’ AutoLib contract and other municipalities and private concerns - airports in particular - are interested.

Besides the compressed air engine, the AIRPod has another unusual feature: a joystick instead of a steering wheel. All controls are “by wire”, with no mechanical connection among components.

It is surprisingly roomy. While it is only 2.07 m long, 1.60 m wide and 1.74 m tall, it has room for four people (three adults and one child). Direction is provided by different speeds in each of the rear wheels. Very light (only 220 kg for the passenger version), it can have its 175 l air tank recharged in a mere 1.5 minute (at 350 bar!) and is able to run up to 220 km, with a top speed of 70 km/h for people with a driving license.

In France, there are vehicles that can be driven by children and people with no driving licenses in regular city traffic. For these people, AIRPod’s top speed is limited to 45 km/h.

AIRPod is the result of MDI studies on pollution and urban mobility. It will be the first vehicle to come off MDI production lines in spring 2009. The AIRPod is part of the manufacturing license of MDI vehicles of less than 500kg, and will be built in the same factories as OneFlowAir, following the original production concept proposed by MDI.

AIRPod
It offers up to four seats (3 adults and one child) and has space for luggage.

AIRPod Cargo
This version has a loading volume of more than one cubic meter to facilitate deliveries in town.  Perfect for errands and messaging, as well as community and institutional use.

AIRPod Baby
Two front seats and a trunk of more than 500 liters, all for less than 1.80m long.  This model was crafted for the most congested traffic. It is a versatile utility that can be used for supplies, municipal services, roads and small logistics.

See more information at www.mdi.lu

Air Vehicle Gets a New Name: FlowAIR

The air vehicles now have model names that will be those seen stamped on the lightweight panels of the final production cars. MDI has announced the model names it will use on its market models.  The overall car brand will be the FlowAIR.  The existing protytypes will retain thier first names to now become the One FlowAIR, Mini FlowAIR, and City FlowAIR.  The urban public transportation concept vehicles will be know as the Multi FlowAIR.  

   The renaming of the original CAT (Compressed Air Technology) brand was prompted by a request from Caterpillar,  which uses CAT in certain products. After considerable thought, FlowAIR was chosen as a marriage of Flow (flow in English) and AIR in French and English. And it is playful  twist on Flower (in English) which refers to the both the ecological concept of the MDI product and the MDI logo’s visual characteristics.

Find out more about the new branding at the newly relaunched MDI website: www.mdi.lu

NBC’s Today Show Features Air Vehicle

Our compressed air vehicle grabbed some prime time exposure this week on NBC’s Thursday, March 20, Today Show. Today Show’s Meredith Vieira and Phil LeBeau introduced the economy/utility vehicle that ZPM and MDI unveiled at the New York Auto Show and are entering into the Automotive X PRIZE’s  Alternative Class competition. We are also entering the larger family-size vehicle we are manufacturing for the U.S. market in the Mainstream Class competition.

The Today Show also featured 3 other X Prize vehicles on exhibit at the X Prize booth at the New York Auto Show.

New Compressed Air Vehicle Unveiled at X PRIZE Exhibit at 2008 New York Auto Show

MDI Group, the French developer of the compressed air vehicle, and Zero Pollution Motors (ZPM) showcased MDI’s newest compressed air vehicle at this year’s New York International Auto Show (NYIAS) today, March 20. The vehicle was unveiled for for its first public appearance ever at the Automotive X PRIZE (AXP) booth at the show (see pictures).

The new MDI economy/utility car is one in a series of vehicles to be developed by MDI for production in various markets throughout the world. The vehicle is powered by the Compressed Air Engine (CAE) invented by Guy Negre, CEO and founder of MDI. Compressed air vehicles feature zero tailpipe emissions and high energy efficiency and represent an affordable, eco-friendly alternative to conventional gasoline powered vehicles and hybrids.

ZPM and MDI have entered a team to compete for the Automotive X PRIZE and will display the new vehicle at the AXP booth at NYIAS. The goal of the Automotive X PRIZE is to inspire a new generation of viable, super-efficient vehicles. The independent and technology-neutral competition is open to teams from around the world who can design, build and bring to market 100 mpg equivalent (MPGe) vehicles that people want to buy, and that meet market needs for price, size, capability, safety and performance. The size of the multi-million dollar prize purse, and the identity of the PRIZE’s title sponsor will be announced on March 20 at NYIAS.

ZPM plans to introduce a 6-seat, 4-door family-size version of the compressed air vehicle to the U.S. market. The ZPM model will achieve over 100 MPGe and over 90 mph, have zero to low C02 emissions, offer plenty of space for luggage, meet all safety requirements, and cost no more than an average economy to mid-size vehicle. The first ZPM manufactured compressed air car will roll off the production line in 2010 and will cost around $18,000.

MDI and ZPM will enter two vehicles in the Automotive X Prize: the U.S. production 6-seat, 4-door family-size model will compete in the Mainstream Class; and the 2-door, 3-seat economy/utility model on display at NYAIS will compete in the Alternative Class. The economy/utility model will be produced by MDI for sale in France and elsewhere 2009 at a price of beginning at around $5,000-$6,000 for the basic model.

 

For full specifications on MDI/ZPM’s two Auto X Prize entrants, read the Info sheet on X Prize vehicles.

Air Car Among Time Magazine’s Best Inventions of 2007

The Air Car won kudos and grabbed headlines as one of Time Magazine’s “Best Inventions of the Year” for 2007. Visit the Time magazine website to find out why its editors are so high on the idea of air power.

Go to Time magazine article